Nauruans Subdued,

But Keen On

Independence

From a Nauru correspondent An interesting commentary on recent developments in Nauru is given by a roneoed newsletter pro duced by the Rev. Rex Matthews, of the Nauruan Protestant Church. It is one of a series produced by Mr.

Matthews, and is read by friends of the church in Australia. Here are some verbatim extracts from the newsletter: News of Nauru is dominated by the island’s impending independence.

On United Nations Day, October 24, a concert was held on the airstrip.

About half the population of 6,000 attended, and applauded items given by each national group, mainly singing and dancing.

The Administrator announced at the concert that Nauru was to be come an independent nation on January 31, 1968. There was no wild excitement. The news was greeted with polite applause. Nauruans are nevertheless very keen about achiev ing free national status.

It appears though that indepencence will mean, at least for a time, more Europeans having more big jobs in Nauru. Six new positions for heads of government departments have been advertised (abroad, not in Nauru). While the final say will rest with elected Nauruans, planning and execution of policies will be mainly in the hands of foreigners.

Moderation difficult

A people who have moved rapidly from an island society and economy into an atmosphere of advanced industralism and wealth find modera tion difficult. For instance, you may see in Nauru a child consuming a jar of Vegemite like one might eat an ice-cream.

Vegemite, peanut butter and Happy-ade, the cordial concentrate, are favourites for licking off the palm of the hand in school, where teachers wage a vain warfare against these misplaced nutriments, as well as against the übiquitous chewing gum.

There is the same carefree attitude amongst older folk to drinking. Some people drink too much, too often, but not with the spirit of vice which we usually associate with drunkenness.

Many Nauruans look nostalgically

to the old days, before the white man came, when they believe life was simple and free. It probably was much easier.

Compulsory schooling is irksome to most teenagers. Civilisation puts responsibility on us. Nauru is caught between two desires, wanting to go back and wanting to go forward, and there is little room for compromise.

A typical problem arises from the way children’s wishes have always been respected—a lovely feature of old Nauru. Today however it means that if a child decides he wants to live with a different family, no one will stand in his way. One boy’s mother said; “He does not want to live with me. I am married to a non- Nauruan now. I treat my other children firmly, and he wants to live the free island kind of life,”

After several years now with the adopted family, he is not likely to return. There are many like him. A result of this laissez-faire outlook is that few people are equipped for positions of leadership in the new government.

The figure of the Head Chief, Hammer Deßoburt, dominates Nauruan affairs. He alone, with the technical assistance of advisers like Professor J. Davidson of the Aus tralian National University, is responsible for the great political gains that have been made in the past two years.

Hammer is a member, a deacon even, of the Nauruan Protestant Church, and takes an active part in its life when he is at home. Managing affairs of state have kept the Chief absent from the island for all but

eight days in the last eighteen months.

Some wags say that the capital of Nauru is Middle Park in Melbourne (where Hammer has a house), but nevertheless the Head Chief enjoys tremendous stature amongst the Nauruan people.

Life continues to grow more and more hectic. If the island gets many more motor cars it will be difficult to find room on the roads. Breathing space is provided at present by the rapid rate at which inebriated drivers smash them up.

In a recent shipment, the Co operative Store received 67 new motor cycles, including massively powerful Honda 450’s. Most of them have already been sold. Dozens of Nauruans now own Falcon sedans and station wagons, but these appear soon to be outnumbered by drivers of Toyota Crowns.

Inauguration

The Apex Club, after many ups and downs, recently celebrated its formal inauguration with a five course dinner, held under the stars, at the Nauru Golf Club. Guests included the Administrator and Nauruan councillors. The Nauruan dentist, Ludwig Keke, was elected president of the club.

The 22 members entertained with a number of songs, one written for the occasion. Nauruans are natural harmonists who can form a choir at the drop of a hat. They more than made up for the not-very-musical Australians in the group. Apex may make a valuable contribution to the development of a sense of citizenship on Nauru.

This illustration is repro duced from a lino-cut by Rusden, a boy in form 1 at the Nauru Secondary School and is used to illu strate Mr. Matthews' newsletter, quoted here.

The cut shows an ancient Nauru sport, the catching and taming of frigate birds.

A few men still conduct the traditional contests, in which the first bird has to be caught by throwing a weighted cord over the bird in flight and dragging it down. It is then tamed and becomes a decoy for catching more. The winner is the man who has the most birds under control in the agreed time, perhaps a month.