Deaths Of Islands People

Mr. W. M. Dupain

death occurred in Cairns, [and. on August 20, 1959, of lliam Mortley Dupain, aged > also, Talk-Talk, this issue). sain joined Burns Philp & Co. ead Office, Sydney, in May, id his first few years were n the Island Department, introlled by the late Walter len served as supercargo in of the Company’s inter vessels in the Solomons, Marshalls and New Guinea. )11 to 1912 he was stationed Muniara in the Gilberts, and afterwards went ashore to ief term at the Faisi trading ships on which he was rgo include the Moresby and <i, and he was aboard the taking relief supplies to after the Germans were ex n 1914. a Burns Philp branch was led at Rabaul, Mr. Dupain >ointed its first manager, but was transferred to Port r. He also spent a short time arai. irm at Port Moresby saw the ig of the association between Philp & Co. Ltd. and The iresby Freezing Co. Ltd., and development and expansion Company there, as the last survivor of that •espected trio of Burns Philp managers in New Guinea lyed such an important role Company’s history and on good foundation work, so las been accomplished since . The other two were Messrs, and P. Coote —the who died shortly after the r and the latter who lost his •ing it.

Dupain was transferred to in 1937, and was still a very nanager there at the time sudden death. During his le branch took over the con- Thursday Island and Nor i n—previously independent ;s—and the Innisfail area, emerged as one of the most ■ta n t of BP’s Australian ;s, and this was due in no easure to the personality and lip of Mr. Dupain.

Dupain was a younger con iry in the Island Department early 1900’s with the present ly chairman, Mr. James and was also a close friend unger brother, the late Lieut.

Burns.

Dupain is survived by Mrs. (daughter of the late Cap >resby), and by two daughters

—Mrs. T. Stokes, of Mount Eliza (Vic.) and Mrs. R. Wyatt, of Wahroonga, NSW.

Mr “Toby” Millar

Mr. Ellesmere (“Toby”) Millar, well known in the Goldfields section of New Guinea before World War 11, died in a private hospital in Syd ney on August 16, following a series of operations. Since the War, he had been engaged in journalism, and was on the staff of the Cairns Post, when he became ill, about 14 months ago. He was 54.

Mr. Millar went to New Guinea in the early rush days, in 1926. He was married there in 1926, and lived there Until World War 11. A few years ago, Toby and his wife, Mrs.

Lillian Millar, acquired a property in North Queensland —on the John ston River, about 60 miles from Cairns: and they named it“Kokopo” and Mrs. Millar spent a lot of energy and money in developing it as a holiday resort. However, they had to abandon this enterprise early in 1958, when Mr. Millar became acutely ill.

Mr. J. C. Hammett

The death occurred on August 4, in Melbourne, of Mr. J. C. Hammett after a final brief illness. He was well known in Papua and BSIP.

Mr. Hammett first went to Mamai Plantation, Port Glasgow, Papua, in early 1911. At the time it was under 200 acres of rubber only.

While there he developed the pro perty, planting more rubber, and then was responsible for putting in large areas of coconuts. His most notable work there was the final survey and making of the road out to the coast. The first one followed a mountain track which was negoti ated with pack-horses. Later he built the present road, grading it not more than 1 in 12 in its steepest part. This road was used for bring ing the copra out by truck as early as 1929.

He also drained the back of the plantation which in parts was under 20 feet of water. Mr. Hammett found the original course of the river, opened it up, and not only drained Mamai, but also several thousands of acr.s of Crown land.

In 1931, after an operation, he re turned to England, where his health steadily improved. He returned to Australia early in 1947, and later took up land in the Shortlands, British Solomon Islands. He was honorary Customs and Health Officer there from 1949 until April, 1958.

He had been in indifferent health since 1952. He leaves a wife and five children (Nancy, Peter, Mary, Lindsay and Anice) the first four of whom were born in Papua.

George Bogese

George Bogese, who was formerly a Native Medical Practitioner in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate Government service, died in August at his village on Ysabel.

Bogese was captured by the Jap anese on Savo when they invaded the Solomons in 1942, and was taken to Rabaul. The Japanese returned him to the Protectorate, and the military authorities then sent him to an internment camp in Australia, where he remained until the end of the war.

Later, he returned to Ysabel and stayed there until his death.

Begese had been educated overseas and wrote several articles on the Bogotu language which were accepted and published by the magazine “Oceania”. He was also the author of a small booklet on the Bogotu language and customs.

Mr. William B. Thompson

Mr. William B. Thompson, a well known former resident of Lautoka and of Suva, died in Suva at the age of 81 on August 22. He was active and in good health up to the time of his death. He was a keen bowler.

Mr. Thompson was variously em ployed by the Colonial Sugar Re fining Co. and by a Vatukoula min ing company as an engineer, and was later in the Fiji Customs service for a time. He was born in England and is survived by his wife, a former Miss L. Beddoes, of Lautoka, and by two sons and a daughter.

Captain A. H. Prosser

Captain Arthur Henry Prosser, OBE, a well known retired Master of Union Steam Ship Co. Islands vessels, died in Auckland at the age of 74.

Captain Prosser joined the Union Co. in 1910 and served in 29 of the company’s vessels up to his retire ment in 1948 from command of Waikawa on the trans-Pacific ser vice.

More recently he had done some pilotage work in overseas vessels round the New Zealand coast.

Mr. O. J. Atkinson

The death occured recently in Brisbane of Mr. O. J. Atkinson, who served in the Public Service of Papua from 1913 until his retire ment in 1949, and who was well known and highly esteemed.

He originally joined the Police in Papua; from 1920 to 1929 he was a resident Magistrate at Bamara; he was in Abau in 1934; and from 1936. until the outbreak of war, he was at Mr Atkinson during the war served with the Allied Geographic Section and with ANGAU.He went to Higaturu as Resident M; a B ls J r a*® in 1945 and remained there until his retirement ] n 1949.

He was the father of Mr. K. C.

Atkinson, now District Commissioner

in Bougainville.