Deaths Of Islands People
p. 131 · Read in the full issue
Mr. J. T. Bensted oe of Australia’s last official i with British New Guinea broken on March 28, when the h occurred of Mr. John Thomas sted, at his home in Vaucluse, icy, at the age of 81. He was vn to few of the present-day ials —he retired from the Papuan ic service 32 years ago—but he a prominent man in Port esby in the twenties, leensland still was administer- British New Guinea, for Britain the Eastern Australian States, i Mr. Bensted joined the service > in August, 1899; and he be ; a member of the Papuan public ce on the take-over, in January, . He served under the first Aus an Administrators (Sir George lunte, and Mr. F. R. Barton); from 1907 until retirement in he was closely associated with listinguished Sir Hubert Murray, filled many positions, and was :tor of Public Works and a ber of the Executive and Legis ; Councils for some years prior s retirement. iring his long retirement, Mr. ted took part in many activities iated with the Territory. He is remembered today for his tire work on behalf of the Hubert ay Memorial, which finally he mally saw established in Port :sby a couple of years ago. He a well-read man who wrote fre tly, and with authority, on ds subjects. •. Bensted was married twice, tiad two sons and one daughter; one of his sons, Mr. F. A. ed, is a prominent member to ri the Territory Public Service, s survived by his widow, the -r Miss Ada Blanche Skelly, i he married in 1939. She is a aer of one of Papua’s oldest ies.
Mr. Sydney M. S. Pasley . Sydney Pasley, a well-known ation identity in New Guinea, at Namanula Hospital, Rabaul, larch 5, aged 59. .T.” writes: I met Syd. in the wenties down in Buka. He was an upstanding lad in his early ies, recently arrived from pas areas in NSW and Queensland, /as a member of the Choiseul ations staff. Later he transferred e Madang district and was on fCar Island for the W.R.C. out
fit. It was there, in 1935, he was married.
When the Japs came he was on Hilalon plantation (SW New Ireland) and managed to get away eventually to Australia, via the Solomons, in Gnair. After a short spell with the army (he was discharged medically unfit), he joined the American Small Ships and later, in 1947, returned to New Guinea with duties which took him to various estates in Bougain ville and New Ireland, with a period as inspector for the Custodian of Expropriated Properties.
In recent years he suffered con siderably from a heart ailment.
Mr. Ernest Adrian Meredith Mr. Ernest Adrian Meredith, an officer of the Fiji Police from 1927 until his retirement in 1950, died at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital, Suva, on March 18. Mr. Meredith, who was 72, is survived by his widow, a son and a daughter.
Mr. Peter Maxtone-Graham Mr. Peter Maxtone-Graham, a well-known coffee planter of Minj, Western Highlands, NG, was drowned in the Wahgi River on April 7. He was 35. Mr. Graham had been in a canoe on the river when it over turned and he had swum ashore with a young New Guinea boy. He was returning to the canoe for his glasses when he drowned. Mr. Graham was born in Scotland. He first went to the Territory as a patrol officer in 1948, but he was best known as a planter. Mr. Graham was an accom plished black and white artist and PIM readers knew him for his occas ional “New Guinea Postcard” series, which he contributed under the initials PMG. His parents live abroad.
Mrs. M. Treve Piper The death occurred at her home in Melbourne, on April 9, after a long illness, of Mrs. M. Treve Piper. She and her husband, Mr. G. B. Piper, were residents of Fiji for some 14 years. Mrs. Piper was affectionately known as “Paddy” to a large number of friends in Fiji. She went to Fiji in 1928 and joined the service of Marlow’s Ltd. (now Millers Ltd.).
Later she worked for Graham and Ellis and the Department of Mines, Suva, when it was set up after gold was discovered in Fiji. With her husband she lived at Somo Somo, Taveuni, Suva, Nadi, Noumea and travelled extensively in the Islands.