The editors' Maillag

End To That

Division Line"

vmething that “Tolala ” said in "‘Talk Talk ’ column in March caused Rabaul man Gus Smales 30 “scone hot”, to use a good M nglo-Saxon phrase. Gus is a md not a Before, a fact which , shortly become obvious. But <> is a lot in what he says, if y'.an be permitted to make that \trial comment without em jing ourselves in any controversy \h may follow. Here is Gus 2es’ view: was disappointing to see an Tver of the calibre of Tolala juce a statement in his Talk last month of a type which is ming increasingly irritating to ; Rabaul people, gscussing the poor attendance at sabaul war memorial occasion, Ma said: “There is a nuance reen the pre-war and the post people (of Rabaul) difficult to xibe or understand, and it is hasised on occasions such as ith fully-acknowledged defer to Tolala, it is nevertheless jested here that remarks of this [.re, without qualification, do Ling but nourish the very nuance [hich he refers. jiis reply to his statement must Ibe construed as defence of a ;t-care attitude towards the town :S negation of the value of past its. either is it denied that a dis hful situation has come to pass :i only a handful of people ember a day of national ifice. But that is not the point 111. ae point lies in placing the ae on “a nuance between pre sand post-war people”. To make a differentiation is to produce ;e unfortunate and unnecessary Its. the first place it suggests con nation without trial of the 3r people of Rabaul by inferring they have no feelings, have memories, and have no interest way. the second place it provides blanket protection for the mde of all pre-war people, [pective of how many of these ile really care a jot about ;aul or its history. Admittedly, :3urse, most of them feel other or they would not have re :ed after the war, the third place it encourages Ilf between two groups of people, if no differentiation existed :nally. r all means let the community Rabaul be verbally roasted if monies go forgotten, if occasions

go unhonoured, if civic pride goes unserved. But please let the distinction exist between the people who care and the people who don’t care, not between the people of 30 years standing and the people of 10 years standing.

To continually suggest that a certain year forms a division be tween two sets of people will most surely destroy any attempt to close the division.

It is not denied that differences in background must exist, but the same differences exist today in Canberra and Collingwood, in Cremorne and Cooparoo—and even in Campbelltown between the people who lived there 30 years ago and the people who came there 10 years ago. The differences are purely temporal, not inherently unyielding. So it is with Rabaul.

Those of the newer people who hold a genuine interest in Rabaul, who have a true desire to see the town go ahead, who acknowledge a recognition of past achievements and setbacks are the people who are irritated and disappointed by claims of a basic difference between them and the earlier residents.

Criticise the people fully when they forget to behave as citizens, but don’t criticise them simply be cause they forgot to buy one-way steamer tickets to Rabaul in 1925.

The Ship Was

The "Brundah"

Old Islands hand Bill Baverstock writes to say: Surely the Gilbert Islands wreck, mentioned in Mailbag (PIM, Feb.), is that of the Brundah? A passenger steamer owned by the now defunct North Coast Steam Ship Company, Brundah ran from Sydney to Byron Bay before she was replaced by the Wollongbar and Orara. Brundah went to the Gil berts when she was sold to On Chong and Co.

The wreck of an interesting vessel that has received little notice is that of the Alexa, a lovely and lively little barquentine that was burned out in Butaritari in the 1930’5.

Alexa was the last square-rigger trading regularly out of Sydney.

Originally a barque, she was built in Holland and before going into the Islands trade ran across the Tas man. She was the “schoolship” for many present-day Australian ship masters who saw in her their last chance to get a sail-trained master’s ticket out of Sydney.

Alexa was at one time skippered by Capt. A. B. Gerard, who was Chief Shipping Inspector at Sydney until a few years ago. Another Islands identity who skippered

Alexa was Capt. Taylor later skipper of W. R. Carpenter’s schooner Mascot.

That Mysterious

Islands Association

A letter, or to be accurate, four letters, from John Antonio, formerly of Fiji and now of Sydney, whom we mentioned in March, p. 51, for his part in the abortive attempt at welcoming back to Syd ney the Australian troops who helped clean up Vila after the hurricane. He sends three copies of his letter to various people at PIM, including the Publisher, all at special delivery rates, registered.

However, we heard him the first time, and he has nothing of con sequence to add to our March story except that he is the Hon. Secre tary of the “South Pacific Islanders Association of Sydney” (which we said we had never heard of), and that this organisation is a social one “which has been in existence 12 months and which has 200 members”.

When we checked to find out how we had missed hearing of the exis tence of an Islands association in Sydney with such a large member ship, we were told by another of its office bearers that the associa tion had been formed as a break away from a better known organ isation, that its membership “is about 20 or 30, not 200, and that most are not Islanders anyhow”.

As far as we’re concerned, we still haven’t heard of it.

Rob Wright's

Aerial Photographs

There has been much favourable comment in Fiji lately over the quality of the latest batch of aerial photographs of Viti Levu taken by Rob Wright. Some of them are reproduced in this issue, although we can’t do justice to the originals.

The last by Rob were taken about 10 years ago when he flew with pilot Tom French in an old Taylor craft. Since then, says Rob in a letter, it has been difficult to get an aircraft manoeuvrable at low heights until Tom French recently came up with his latest aircraft, the Piper Caribbean. Rob hung out the door to take the shots.

Rob also takes the opportunity to point out that our attractive cover photograph in March of Suva girl Ethelwyn Garnett was not taken by Rob, as credited, but by Robert Steele of Steele Produc tions, Auckland. While Rob was chasing something underwater not quite so photogenic, Robert aligned his camera on the deck of the Maroro with the results shown. In cidentally, since the photo was taken Ethelwyn has left for New Zealand and plans eventually to end up on Queensland’s Gold Coast.