Yesterday

The Japanese struck i

swiftly in New Guinea and tl

Solomons 20 years ago, an

civilians had to move out \

such a hurry, that every dc

stories of adventure, sacrifii

and hardship reached Sydne

“PIM” of March, 1942, ga-\

many pages to the details, an

it was almost impossible \

find a news item in that issi which did not refer to the wa Here are some extracts from t] issue: The man responsible for t] successful establishment of t\ gold industry in Fiji, Mr. E. i Theodore, was in February a pointed Director-General of tl Allied Works Council of Austral) * * * To protect the interests of tl many gold-miners evacuated frc New Guinea, the Evacuated Mine Association of New Guinea w formed. The Association’s Sydn office was the office of Pact Publications Pty. Ltd. * * * The new Residency at Ocei Island—described by “PIM”

December as “the finest Residen in the South Pacific” was a f( days later blown to pieces by Jap bomb. The Resident Coi missioner, Mr. Ronald Garv (later Sir Ronald) left Ocei Island to take up a new appoir ment in Nyasaland. * * * The death occurred in Sydney February 17 of Mr. James Thom O’Malley, formerly Commission of Native Affairs in Papua f many years. He was aged years. * * * Three outstanding figures of t French Pacific revolt of Septemb( 1940, which resulted in N( Caledonia overthrowing Vicl officialdom and rallying to t cause of Free Prance, we decorated in Noumea with t Croix de la Liberation. They we Mons. Pognon and Verges ai Captain Dubois. * * * There was one bright spot in t news. The elimination of tl Philippines and Dutch East Indi from the copra market placed tl unoccupied South Pacific territori “on the pig’s back”; and t] Governor of Fiji, Sir Harry Luk made the most of the situation 1 planning to start his long hopei for Pacific Copra Marketing Po(