Souvenirs

[?]d He'll Build a School, Too [?]red Gets His Souvenirs

Prom a Rabaul Correspondent

e mailman staggered under

veight of the bulky parcel

i he delivered the other

to Fred Hargesheimer of

? Bear Lake, Minnesota,

my one but Hargesheimer the intents of the parcel would ive proved a disappointment, consisted of lumps of old damaged mechanical parts, Imilar odds and ends. to Hargesheimer the collec lad a real meaning, and to Manning of Matanakunai ition, New Britain, the collec spresented seven days of hard pieces of metal came from reckage of the Lockheed P3B ling in which Hargesheimer hot down over New Britain ■ the Pacific War. The 'd and bumt-out aircraft had lying untouched in almost ssible country for 16 years ?esheimer is the former pilot jame from America to New a early this year to thank ’ Australian Coastwatchers te natives of Nantambu village ving his life after the crash.

May, June July). A . met Manning at Nantambu during his pilgrimage of j, and Manning offered to the crashed aircraft and send parts back to America as tirs. ■ it was easier to talk about ,n do it,” Manning said in 1 recently, recounting his day trek from the New i coast and back. i a small party of natives raised seven crocodile d streams by walking along logs, )ent four days in country ed by the Siukol natives, who lot yet under Government I, rassed ravines so deep that ’s walk took the party less wo miles. n the party came to the d aircraft they found it over with grass and creeper, and •ed over a wide area. Manning had obviously burnt furiously Hargesheimer had parachuted ety from an encounter with mese aircraft. ming used a hacksaw to cut

the tip from one of the propeller blades, and collected other parts from the engine and wings.

Footnote : Back in America, Hargesheimer has now raised more than $2,000 in an appeal to assist the education of native youngsters in New Britain. He plans to raise $B,OOO to finance a four-room school house in East Nakanai, in or near Nantambu, and feels confident of reaching his goal.

He and two other men in Minnesota, the Rev. J. Haynes, Pastor of the Church of St.

John-in-the-Wilderness, and John E. Kumpf, Director of Public Rela tions for Remington Rand-Univac there, are members of the board of trustees of the Airmen’s Nantambu

Memorial Foundation. The Founda tion decided on the school house after short-wave radio discussions with New Britain. One of the “hams” Hargesheimer was in touch with was Norm Casey, VK9NT, Rabaul.

Plans for the school will be pre pared by architects in America and it’s hoped it will be completed by next August. The Foundation fund is getting a lot of publicity in the St, Paul area, Minnesota.

Hargesheimer says his school idea is “a sort of grass roots diplomacy which will return dividends in international relations, as well as serve as a practical expression of our thanks to these good people of New Britain”.