[?]M First?

They Gants or Gainj?

[?] Who Saw

report and photographs in

lary PIM telling of a patrol

the Bismarck Ranges of

by Patrol Officer Barry

i, accompanied by Sydney

ing Herald journalist Gavin

r, has brought a letter from

father of another patrol

r, saying Griffin’s patrol

not “the first” to contact

rants people.

of “PlM’s” photographs also d part of a 600-ft waterfall, , it reported, Griffin’s patrol ie first European patrol to see. liter disputes that, too. i is the letter, together with y from Mr. Souter on behalf O. Griffin and himself: -I have just received my ibruary issue of the Pacific lands Monthly and notice two racies to illustrations therein, nk credit should be given it is due. first error is on page 3 under )tograph of Souter of the

Sydney Morning Herald. Therein it is stated that this patrol, in which he accompanied Barry Griffin, was a probing one to make the first contact with the Gants people. Such is not the case. The first contact with the Gainj (not Gants) people was made by a patrol from the Aiome Patrol Post, led by Patrol Officer Jack Worcester and accom panied by CPO G. P. Jensen-Muir, in April, 1954.

I am enclosing proof of this in a tracing from a rough sketch map compiled on this patrol. You will see that the Aiome patrol actually passed through the same pass into the Jimi River Valley as the one that Barry Griffin came into the Simbai Valley. The Urn River and one or two of the villages are also mentioned by Souter in his Sydney Morning Herald contribution.

One of the photographs in m/ son’s collection shows Patrol Officer Worcester talking to the very same Gainj native shown with Souter buc in this instance he is being held by a Police Boy to prevent him from running away.

The waterfall shown on page 19 was also seen and photographed by the Aiome patrol of 1954 —several illustrations of it and many others in that area are in my son s col lection.

I am, etc.,

G. T. Jensen-Muir.

Yallourn, Victoria.

Mr. Souter Replies Sir —Mr. Jensen-Muir is Quite right’ in stating that the patrol led by PO Barry Griffin was not the first patrol to make contact with the

etch map is drawn from one supplied by Mr. G. T. Jensen-Muir, showing the Worcester [?]trol route of 1954. "PIM" has superimposed the route of the Griffin patrol of 1958.

Gants (or Gainj, if you like; se spellings are necessarily arbitran I refer him to the fourth Her article (January 5) in whicH mentioned that his son had let village register at Nimbra (an sembly place for some of the Gan and also quoted from this registt Mr. Jensen-Muir may be terested to know, however, t Griffin’s route intersected that tae by Worcester and Jensen-Muin only two point s—Nimbra Tuguma.

“First” is a rather rash adjeco in New Guinea nowadays. But the best of his knowledge, Grr made first contact with the Gs people assembling at Gunts Gembiama (east of Nimbra) with the Sendekombek - Koc people assembling at Dabrap (t of Tuguma).

From Mr. Jensen-Muir’s map, obvious that the pass through wl Worcester entered the Jimii further west than the one three which Griffin entered the Sim and in which he passed the war fall in question.

It would seem, therefore, Worcester’s patrol did not pass particular waterfall. Let’s leav\ at that. I would hate to have to; back and make sure.

I am, etc.,

Gavin Souter,

Sydney.

Under charter to Christ* Island Plantations, the Gilt Islands Wholesale Society’s 230 ( Tungaru made a labour and sui voyage to Christmas Island ft Tarawa in January-February. O were made in the Phoenix Gros

Gavin Souter. Is he with an old friend)