He's 'Pete ' Of Shangri-la

From PIM’S Hollandia Correspondent In May, 1945, a party of US Army personnel went for a sight-seeing tour in a C 47 over the mountains inland from Hollandia in Netherlands New Guinea—and there crashed in the unknown Baliem Valley. Twenty-one died and three survived —including WAC Corporal Margaret Hastings. The survivors were got out six weeks later by a glider operation, after being cared for by valley natives. The valley was left untouched for some years until a Mission station was established. In April, 1955, tragedy struck again when a Short Sealand Mission plane crashed on its way to the valley, killing Canadian pilot Al Lewis. More than 12 months later, in December, 1956, the first Administration post in the valley was established, but patrolling has been hard and dangerous because the valley natives are always warring among themselves. But in October, patrols went out to look at both these air crashes for the first time. They found bones scattered about the C 47 crash, and buried them after patrol leader Gonsalves had said a prayer. But they found none of the crosses that had been dropped from the air as a tribute to the victims during the rescue. The patrol also met a village leader, named "Pete" by Corporal Hastings, who had helped the survivors. "Pete", seen above talking to the October patrol, remembered. Two US Army men, from Honolulu, are now in Hollandia waiting to visit the C 47 officially, but they will have to wait until the patrol returns from the Sealand crash, no report of which is yet in.