[?]erritories TALK-TALK

With Tolala

There are some interesting articles in the latest issue of tralian Territories (No. 6), which is turned out by the •artment of Territories in Canberra. Inevitably, depart ital publicity is inclined to be a bit top-heavy with self se, but there is not quite so much of that in this magazine, what there is, is well camouflaged.

steals the limelight. Of the ie stories six of them deal with ruinea and Papua. One des ducation on Christmas Island; dismissed with a page of aphs of the Darwin post and new) and Norfolk stamps are discussed, main Papuan item is one on Libert Murray: The Man and licy”, by Dr. Francis West, Research Fellow, Dept, of History, Aust. Nat. University, /es a pretty thorough analysis pua’s venerated Lieutenant or and the opinions expressed »se who admired him and 'ho did not. He quotes Lewis id J. T. Benstead as having ng opinions. -all it is a fair analysis of a 10m Dr. West was treating in tract. The article was based ers’ opinions and official re- The thought occurred to me nuch public thought had 1 as the years passed by; was born too soon; he was a reactionary in the days of ilism and Imperialism. He a fair deal for the Papuan at was a radical thought 50 go. difficult then to appraise the of a man’s actions at this ge performed under conditions were so diametrically opposed sent standards of political

;ing

ynn ust be over a quarter of a ago that I first read an in the Sydney Bulletin by Frank Clune on “Debunking ■lynn”. readers who had not known washbuckling skite in New , Chine’s article would seem crilege, but the writer’s facts well authenticated and I ber hearing (or reading) lat his research cost him five

times as much as he got for writing the article.

Ergo: The debunking of the notorious Errol is no new thing.

The latest writer to comment on this idol’s feet of clay is Eric Feldt. And who should know Flynn better dur ing his goldfield days than Eric? He was DO at Salamaua at the time.

Writing in the Spring issue of the journal Quadrant, this famous Coast watcher certainly cuts Flynn down to size, dispersing some Flynn fiction with actualities all done in Feldt’s inimitable wording which is a pleasure to read. His final note: “Some of the romance of the characters he portrayed [on the films] brushed off on to him, until people accepted this lying crook as a hero”. (See also p. 65 this issue.) The Mixed Race The “Bog-Down on Citizenship” in November PIM Commentary is a concise summing-up of the present position in P-NG, which is difficult to understand in this enlightened era when human rights and racial equality are so much in the news and advocated by political and social do gooders throughout the world.

A point, which heretofore I have not seen mentioned, is the fact that it is the lordly white race which was responsible for the very existence of the Mixed Race people now battling for their rights to Australian citizen ship.

The other day I had a visit from one, Harry Hoerler, from the Kokopo district, down for a medical check up and staying with his daughter, married to an ex-serviceman in my home-town. He is a first generation Mixed Race and his father was the well-known skipper and planter of the German days, Captain Hoerler.

His mother was an Ontong Javanese (from the Solomons).

Harry was a passenger on the old NDL Sumatra when I travelled down to Buka from Rabaul in 1912 to

take over the trading station on Pororan from Paul (later “Karkar”) Schmidt. Harry’s father was on board with his family en route to the Tasman Group to take over the trading interests there. Another in teresting passenger on that trip was Charlie Munster.

Harry and I the other day sat reminiscing of the Bad Old Days and then, naturally, he spoke of the ban on his becoming a naturalised Australian citizen, which he felt keenly, together with all members of his race. Exceptions had been made, he told me.

I tried to console him and give him hope that eventually the AH Highest in Canberra would change their minds. And then, to change the subject I asked him if he had seen the morning’s Sydney Morning Herald (16/11/61) which contained a photo of a Sgt. Harold Buckley, his wife and eight children who had arrived from service in Malaya the day before? No, he had not. But, on reading the caption, exclaimed; “He’s my god-son. I must find out where he is”. Which we promptly proceeded to do. (Over)

Buckley is a son of the well-known Rabaul motor mechanic, Willy Buckley, of pre-War II days. His son, then a lad of 15, got away with some of the evacuees from Rabaul when the Japs landed and, ultimately, arrived in Queensland.

Now, after 14 years in the Australian Army he returns from Malaya with his eight children.

“A good argument,” I told the god-father, “in favour of your Aus tralian citizenship.”

And yet . . I wonder . . .

A Gracious

Lady Passes

After a long, lingering illness in Melbourne, death claimed another old New Guinea identity, well-known in Rabaul and surrounding district during that period between the two World Wars. She was Mrs. Jessie Jolley, wife of Robert Jolley, who passed away on November 3; she was privately cremated at Falkiner on November 6, From 1912 to 1924, with her husband, she lived on Raulawat plantation (Rabaul North Coast) which at that time was owned by Bob’s brother, Capt. F. R. Jolley.

During those early years she was well-known in Rabaul social circles and her home was always a popular rendezvous.

She was one of the few remaining hostesses of the days of the old Military Occupation and the early Twenties. Of those ladies still re maining now from that period I can only recall Mrs, Ted Hawnt, Mrs.

Dick Moore, Mrs. Eric Holmes and Mrs. Willy Dupain.

Sympathies to her surviving hus

band in Melbourne, who himself is not in good health at all.

A Nostalgic Note From NY There’s no doubt about it but that one-time NG residents get around.

Nor do they like losing contact with the old Territory. I get letters from far and wide, recalling incidents or individuals of thirty, forty, fifty years ago. Some are complimentary, some are not. Some thank me for the memories; some tell me to pull my socks up and that I am “living in the Progressive Age, don’t forget”.

Here is one that is nostalgic and comes from a lady in Silver Creek, NY: As one who enjoys reading “PIM”, may I say how much 1 particularly look forward to your Territories Talk-Talk? It has revived for me many happy memories of my child hood in Rabaul when I lived with my family on Mango Avenue during the 1920’s and early ’Thirties.

My father (who later was among the “Montevideo Maru” victims), was Albany (“Jerry”) Renton, brother of Gilbert Renton, owner of Renton’s Products at that time. We lived in House Soda Water, at the junction of Mango Avenue and Matupi Road.

You will not of course remember me as the bespectacled little 12 year old who stopped at “The Rabaul Times” office on her way home from school every day to get a copy of “Girls’ Own”. You, the editor, had apparently been left with a large stock of these back numbers on your hands and were only too glad to let me have them at a reduced price!

An avid reader in bookless Rabaul, these magazines represented a bonanza to me, and 1 galloped through them at the rate of one a day until I had exhausted the supply. At about that time I left Rabaul to go to school in Belgium.

Before settling in the US I lived in other parts of the world, but the memories that have stayed with me the most vividly through the years are those happy, carefree days in Rabaul.

“1, too, work in the writing field (as reporter and feature writer for a small city daily), and have often thought that you may have un wittingly encouraged me in my love of reading and writing when you pro vided those old yellowed copies of “Girls’ Own”.

“I am, as usual, looking forward to my next copy of “PIM” which is sent by my brother in Papua.

Long may your interesting column flourish.—AGNES PFLEUGER.”

I ’phoned her uncle, the inimitable

Gilbert (How’re yer Mate!) RJ and he, cheerful as ever despitl recent floods in his area (he ; in Newbridge Road, Moorett told me she met her American H in England whilst she was in military during World War 11.

Thank you, Agnes. May pen never run dry.

That Kieta

Hospital

I notice recent reports, incll one in PIM, from Mr. H. Kro« referring to the European Ml Assistant being away on patroc leaving the hospital at the po Kieta in charge of a medical on The writer refers to a doctor stationed there 48 years ago.

This is quite correct as I from personal knowledge, doctor was Mr. Kroening’s ft and the hospital at that time one of the most up-to-date ii German colony. His father t highly-qualified medico. Whee Commissioner (Capt. Doellingen absent from the station then Kroening acted in his stead.

In 1913 there was only a hs of settlers, Europeans, expatriii call them what you will—but i consoling to know that there within reasonable distance a qut medical man, with high-grade t ment in the hospital to treat cases that might arise.

At Aropa plantation therea Louis Summer, at Iwi there T chap named Felix, who at ono was an engineer with the g«; ment, at Kekere there was old 1 Hansen, and at Arawa (I t was the later famous Paatzsch, H throughout the land as ‘Big H on account of the expanse o girth.

Up the coast at Numa Nun that time was Arthur Booth have an idea that Jos. Holmes also there—that old identity RWR met in London not so: ago and referred to in PIM (Oo p. 78) as the “51 Million to Chance”.

I support Mr. Kroening’s com to the hilt. Notwithstanding thd that Kieta is no longer the El Headquarters (this having transferred to Sohano, Buka Ps in the ’Thirties) there is a population in Kieta now—natiw non-native—and because the 6 is progressing and expanding wii forthcoming township at Buin, < is still no justification of den medical services at an old-estaW centre like Kieta. The Health IX ment is leaving itself open to a« criticism by adopting such a poi