A Man With Itchy Feet

A Brett Hilder Profile

ADRIAN LEYDEN, of Lae, has been the Bulolo Gold Dredging representative there for the last nine years, after a varied career in other parts of New Guinea, and a spell in Samoa.

HE was born at Cloncurry, Queensland, on September 8, 1922, and got his schooling at Toowoomba, Cairns, Gympie, Brisbane and Sydney.

He did a course at a business college, and then tried to get into the RAAF as aircrew.

Having failed to do this, he joined Burns, Philp and was sent to Port Moresby, arriving there late in 1941 in one of the last voyages of the Macdhui.

In 1942 he joined ANGAU, in District Services, and served at Lae in 1943 and at Finschhaven in 1944 while the US Forces were still in the area.

He was sent to Henganofi, be tween Goroka and Kainantu, in 1945. At the end of that year he began a three-month course for administrative officers at Duntroon and Holdsworthy, In May, 1946, Adrian was dis charged from ANGAU, but re mained in District Services, and

was posted to Namatanai, New Ireland.

Adrian left the Administration in January, 1947, and joined Bulolo Gold Dredging at Lae, where he served for three years.

He then took a spell from work and travelled through Australia, State by State, before joining Morris Hedstrom in Fiji. This firm sent him to Samoa for three years.

While at Apia he met his destiny, in the shape of Eileen Redding, an Australian working in the Bank of New Zealand.

They were both very much in volved, like most residents of Apia, with the making of the film Return to Paradise, starring Gary Cooper and Roberta Haynes.

The couple were married in Sydney in April, 1953, after which Adrian rejoined BGD as Lae representative. He is responsible for all the import and export of cargo through Lae for BGD, and also for Commonwealth NG

Timbers Ltd. Timber and plywood exports amount to 1,000 tons a month to the US and Australia.

The Leydens now have three sons, Michael, Peter and John, and a baby daughter Tracie Anne. Adrian and Eileen now intend to settle in Sydney, probably on the North Shore, but I will be surprised if their itchy feet allow them to remain there for long.

Brett Hilder.

Adrian Leyden