South Pacific Story With Surprise Packets

Surprise Packets

When the blurb writers said on the jacket of Olaf RuhenV latest book, Tangaroa’s Godchild, that it was an evocation oc the whole world of the South Pacific, they spoke nothing bur the truth.

THIS odd potpourri of romanticism is written round hard facts, is mostly autobiographical but is partly historical. It says much for the author’s skill that he is able to re concile the ingredients of his mixed brew into a palatable whole of tech nical excellence.

Ruhen was born in Dunedin, grew up there in the southern end of the

South Island of New Zealand; z young man he owned a schooc and made his living fishing; he II became a bomber pilot in RNZAF; and, after the war*i journalist in Sydney, with ass?; ments that took him to Papua-K- Guinea and the islands of NE A tralia.

This roughly provides the basis z the book. Plus, of course, his important creed that he is , lonely wherever ocean waters do c reach; but it is the South Pai£ to which I am committed asr man loving all women may, faithful to one.”

In the latter part of the boc duty takes him on patrols up Sepik River, in New Guinea, v H. L. R. (Home) Niall (now I trict Commissioner, Morobe); Ralph Ormsby, now a Magistm Rabaul; and he visits the Trobriasi and other islands of Papua’s soic east tip. This sets him off on roman literary excursions that range fii Polynesian migrations, the corm of the pioneer LMS Tahiti and on to the encroachmem: white civilisation generally.

It is here, in this section, bum and un-indexed, that he has sog very interesting material concerm the early history of Papua and motley collection of internaticoi adventurers who put it on the rnn There is the story of the ♦

Olaf Ruhen.

ery of pearls in the Trobriands Bill Whitten, who had arrived in ua with Britain’s first admin itor, Sir Peter Scratchley, and later establishment of the flourish- Whitten enterprises at Samarai; e is the history of Nicholas ister Nick the Greek whose acity for survival makes the best rts of Hollywood writers look y; and an account of the arrival the Methodist Mission in those outposts. hese stories are by way of being >rise packets at the end of a story ; begins with a halcyon account childhood in a quiet New Zea -1 setting; and of romantic young ; in what I take to be the sand -5 of the St. Clair or St. Kilda dies of Dunedin, is a child I was taken there my , in the height of summer, and i clothes stuffed into pants, a k woollen sweater on top and a :ted cap on my head, gingerly trod the frilled, lacy edges of the icy res while my parent sat, between dhills, muffled in three travelling s to protect her from the :arctic winds. tet the author Joe as he was this sequence and his Jerry ted this spot to fling off their :hes, piece by piece, frolic in the by moonlight and later curl up, :ed and together, in a sandy nest, technically, the waters that wash nedin may still be within the :ific sea-god’s kingdom but even igaroa would need more than e to keep him warm if he did ch moonlight bathing in those ts.

Rangaroa's Godchild. A Memoir

the South Pacific. Published by sdonald. 25/- Stg.)

Nicholas Minster —Nick the Greek.