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Mr. Noel Barry Dies In Rabaul

Noel Carson Barry, the man who ter the** Great into English when Australian civil control came to New Guinea War, died in hospital at Rabaul on J * n " ar y th last three years of his life.

He was 70 years of age, and had been ill for the lasi inree ye*

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fUI mf?treng y th was in the depth of his thought, his education his perception and *his honesty as a citizen. These were the characteristics which marked hi as a friend and a member of the community. _. lQ , <n irro the son His story is one of deep interest. He was born in England in 1889. tne son of a silk merchant, and his boyhood home was the Dickens-immortalised Bleak House His early education was in England, and later he studied in J er ™ an3 L a ™J France He showed particular aptitude for the German language and became fluent in ’SffvSf course of his life was when father retired from commercial life, studied for the Church, and was ordained an Anglican minister. In time he became the first Rector of the Anglican Church at Rabaul, aiTi 111**1927 he sent for his son, and Noel Barry arrived to find himself faced with a biK task The New Guinea Administration, anxious to preserve continuity and consistency, required the translation of masses of German legal documents, land title No a e” d B < arry r wa^ Ci the P man who took over the job, and he did it well. In the course of his work he gained a clcse knowledge of the district and its people, and he also learnt to speak the native Tolai language. .

To the natives he became a man to be respected and trusted. His honesty and straightforwardness in dealings with them earned him a high regard.

Subsequently he went into his own business operating a series of stores trading in native communities, and eventually consolidated the business into one big store at Rabaul. He was appointed a member of Rabaul Town Advisory Council.

He retired three years ago after selling the business, and visited England.

His health was causing concern and he was a sick man when he came back to Rabaul 18 months ago.

He entered hospital at Rabaul in December, 1958, and remained there until his death in January this year. His only surviving relative is his step-mother, Mrs. Dora Barry, of Melbourne.

Mr. Barry served in the Great War and in the Second World War, rising from the rank of private to captain. . j .

His funeral at Rabaul on February 2 included services conducted by the Anglican Church the Returned Servicemen’s League and the Masonic Lodge.

He’ was responsible for translating into English Richard Parkinson’s monu mental Thirty Years in the South Seas, published in German during the 1920’5.

The English translation has never been published.-

R.A.S.