Cultural Front

Activity On The

The Papua and New Guinea Society, which was established in Port Moresby last year with the object of “promoting the study and development of the Territory”, is now making an active drive for membership after several months of plan

ning.

MEANWHILE, people in Rabaul are making a new attempt to revive interest in the Historical Society of New Britain, which has done much valuable work over the years in attempting to preserve history in the Trust Territory of New Guinea.

The P-NG Society has the Admini strator, Sir Donald Cleland, as its patron. Office bearers are: Mr. J. K.

McCarthy, president; Messrs. N. D.

Oram and Lepani Watson, vice presidents; Mr. N. A. White, treasurer; and Mr. I. D. Burnet, secretary. Mr. Burnet’s address is PO Box 172, Port Moresby.

The society has already made pre parations for the regular issue of a journal. It also plans to have head quarters premises in Port Moresby, and to work in “close co-operation with other societies and as it grows it will make available its facilities to other cultural organisations”.

Annual subscriptions are: £l/10/-

for ordinary members, £5 for cor porate members, 10/- for associate members, and 2/6 for student members.

The attempt to revive interest in the Historical Society of New Britain began at a meeting of citizens in Rabaul in December. The meeting decided to make a new drive for membership (annual subscription is 10/-) and to put more life and purpose into the society.

Over the years, the society has had a succession of office bearers and its work has been disrupted from time to time by the departure from the Territory of key personnel.

Mr. Max Lees, formerly of Kokopo, and now retired to Aus tralia, and Inspector Max Hayes, of the Royal Papua-New Guinea Constabulary, Rabaul, have kept the society alive, but have not had much help.

At the December meeting, a new committee was elected. Office bearers are: Mr. Jack Thurston, president; Messrs. Yin Tobaining, MBE, and Don Clarke, vice-presidents; Mr. E.

Berg, treasurer; and Mr. Sydney Smith, secretary.

Mr. Tobaining is president of the Gazelle Local Government Council, and should be able to give consider able help to the society.

Some other prominent members of the Tolai community were at the meeting and the society is seeking their co-operation in the collection of native artifacts for a museum— an idea for which there is consider able support in Rabaul.