Tragedy Stalked
p. 90 · Read in the full issue
Carterets and Tasman the Mort- Incks was a part of the E. E.
Forsayth (“Queen Emma”) dmnain at one time and was given by Emma as a wedding present to one of her accountants," Joseph Highley who married one of Emma s country women, who accompanied her from Samoa.
Highley was an educated English man, but as time went on suffered from an ailment which necessitated certain drugs being administered at regular intervals. In 1894 there was an interruption of regular com munications with the Mortlocks and the non-arrival of the drugs for Highley caused his death.
He is buried on the island and his tomb-stone reads: “Sacred to the memory of Joseph Highley, born Halifax, Yorkshire, England, Died 19th November, 1894, aged 48.”
A direct descendant of this romance was a daughter, Frances, who at an early age was sent home to England to be educated and who returned about 1914 (just before the First War) and married Dr. Kroen ing, the Medical Officer at Kieta (Bougainville), and after the War lived at Toboroi, near Kieta.
Tragedy Stalked
After the death of Highley, his widow married Calder, and for some reason the Expropriation Board took over the property, allowing Mrs.
Calder to manage it. In the late ’Twenties, tragedy again stalked the Mortlocks and Mrs. Calder died as the result of a dynamite accident.
With the passing of Mrs. Calder, the old-time colourful associations on the island disappeared; the pro perty was advertised for tender by the Exproboard, and the successful bidder was Jock Goodson, a one time Board plantation inspector, who succeeded in establishing very friendly relations with the Islanders, despite the fact they had always been “wary of strangers” and “dif ficult” to get on with.
Jack later disposed of his interests in Mortlocks, which are now con trolled, I believe, by one of the Big Firms.
Mortlocks has always been a navi gator’s head-ache; not only for its low-lying terrain, but for years it was wrongly charted, being about 10 miles out of its correct position.
And whence the name: Mortlock?
There is another Group so named m the Carolines.
Population has been gradually stepping up in the Group over the past few years. Query: On what are the indigenes to live? Does over population mean a transfer to another group? And how will they like that? J Modern hygiene and preventive measures is a two-edged sword. But it must be carried out, adding, often, confusion to confusion.