In Avuncular Veteran

Of Papua-New Guinea

lAN McDonald, chairman of the Copra Marketing Board of Papua and New Guinea, has spent nearly 30 years in the Territory.

I was born at Hynam, South Aus tralia, and completed his formal Education at the Royal Australian Naval College from 1918 to 1921.

He joined the Primary Producers in 1923, and was their manager Gillarney, Queensland, when the went into liquidation in 1931.

He then spent some time handling it on the Darling Downs, but in beginning of 1934 set forth to on the Robinson River Plantation Papua, before it was acquired lurns, Philp. 1936, lan was married at St.

Jude’s. Port Moresby, to Elva Thorne ins, of Toowoomba, He was manager of Hagita Plantation in Milne Bay when war broke And after joining the RAAF, he commissioned as a Pilot Officer. the Army caught up with him service in ANGAU. the Battle of Milne Bay, lan was Charge of a small armada of Army of various types. He later transferred to the Pacific Islands Battalion, at the end of the war was O/C hment at Port Moresby with the of captain. 1946 he became Deputy Direc if Post-War Reconstruction, and years later was appointed chair of the PCB, later called the —in other words the Copra

Instead of being just another Gov ernment interference in trade, the board has been most successful, and a lot of its success must be credited to the commonsense and avuncular ad ministration of Ian McDonald. I think the Territory is very lucky to have such a man handling its chief item of export production.

lan McDonald