Administrators

For Nauru And

Norfolk Island

Nauru and Norfolk Island, two of Australia’s three South Pacific territories, are to have new Administrators. Their names were announced in April.

BRIGADIER Leslie Dudley King, 57, replaces Mr. R. S. Leydin on Nauru, and will arrive in May; and Mr. Reg Marsh, 59, will take over from Mr. Roger Nott on Norfolk Island in June.

The Nauru post has been vacant since February, when Mr. Leydin retired. Mr. Nott’s retirement from Norfolk was announced only the week previous to the naming of Mr.

Marsh as his replacement.

Brigadier King’s appointment came as a surprise, as his name had not been mentioned as a possibility.

Major-General lan Murdoch, of Sydney, had been offered the Nauru post but he did not take it up for medical reasons. General Murdoch is a former Deputy Chief of the Aus tralian General Staff, now retired.

Brigadier King has just retired from the post of Director of Recruiting for the Australian armed services.

Melbourne born, he was com missioned in 1931 in the Garrison Artillery and held various General Staff appointments in World War 11, and with the British Commonwealth

Mr. Reg Marsh

Occupation Forces in Japan after wards, and later in Korea.

In 1954 he was made Assistant Adjutant-General (Directorate of Personnel Administration) and sub sequently held a number of senior appointments at Army headquarters until he became Director of Recruit ing in 1962. With his wife, who will accompany him to Nauru, he lives in Melbourne.

Mr. Reg Marsh is already well known in Australia’s South Pacific territories. Born in Braidwood, NSW, he was for many years a school teacher before entering the Common wealth Public Service after World War 11.

He joined the Department of Territories in 1953 and has been an Assistant Administrator in the Northern Territory and (briefly) in Papua-New Guinea. He was closely connected with Nauruan affairs dur ing negotiations to move the Nauruans to an Australian off-shore island and has also been connected with Norfolk Island affairs from time to time.

His present position is Director of Information and International Rela tions with the department.

Mr. Marsh will be accompanied to Norfolk Island by his wife.

Mr. Nott, who now leaves Norfolk Island, has been a successful and popular Administrator, and the island has seen a number of advances under him. A former NSW Minister of Agriculture, he has been particularly interested in improving agricultural methods there.

He now plans to return to farming on his wheat and sheep property at Dunedoo. NSW.

Brig. L. D. King