[?]. J. Bretag

Retires

From a Lae Correspondent When Mr. A. J. “Bret” Bretag de led to leave New Guinea and return his home State, Western Australia, October, the Territory lost one of outstanding public workers.

LTHOUGH employed in private L enterprise Mr. Bretag has been servant of the country and its >ple.

Since he returned after the war ictically all of his spare time has ;n given to Lae, the Morobe Dis :t and the Territory generally.

Mr. Bretag was, for many years, firman of the Lae Town Advisory uncil. He served on the Morobe strict Advisory Council from its eption and was the foundation isident. From time to time he served other committees within the trict.

He first associated himself with the rritory in 1921 when employed by Expropriation Board. He stayed ;h the board until 1926, when like my others he tried his hand at Edie eek, following the great gold dis /ery of the time.

Mr. Bretag spent more than a :ade working in the goldfields and 1939 he was associated with the ablishing of the first “local” news per, the Morobe News. Initially : News was printed at Wau, but en it was decided to change the )ital from Rabaul to Lae, the press J all other equipment were flown Lae. But the Japanese soon :ered the war and within six mths the News had been com tely destroyed in the first bombing the coastal town.

Public spirited then as in post-war irs, Mr. Bretag was a member of ; Legislative Council of the Man ted Territory.

Mr. Bretag’s wife Irene died some irs ago and is buried at Lae. He 5 three sons and a daughter.

In the Birthday Honours of 1964 was made a Member of the Order the British Empire for his long ivities on behalf of the New linea community. • Three new administrative dis :ts are to be created in P-NG. They 5 Chimbu, with headquarters at indiawa; the West Sepik, with head arters at Vanimo; and West New itain, with headquarters in the lasea-Cape Hoskins area but not ; determined.