Deaths Of Islands People

Rev. Martin Helbig The Rev. Martin Helbig, a pastor in the Finschhafen area of New Guinea since 1933 and an authority on local Kotte language, died in Lae recently. He was 57.

Mr. Helbig was born in Finsch hafen in 1911, the son a pioneer mis sionary in New Guinea, the Rev.

Paul Helbig. In 1933 he became the first Australian Lutheran to be sent to NG as an ordained pastor.

Two of his three children are now serving with the Lutheran Mission.

Mr. B. W. Taylor Mr. Ben William Taylor, who held a number of headmasterships in Fijian schools, died recently in Auckland, age 77.

He was in Fiji from 1928 to 1942, and left because of ill-health.

His first position was as assistant master at Suva Grammar School, and later he was successively headmaster of the Provincial School, at Bucalevu, Taveuni, the Provincial School at Namaka, near Nadi, and the Pro vincial School at Sawani.

Mr. Z. Hussain Mr. Zamin Hussain, an indentured labourer from India who joined the Fiji Police Force on his arrival in the Colony in 1908, died recently at Valalevu, Ba, aged 90.

In his career as a policemen, Mr.

Hussain served at Lautoka, Labasa, Ba, Nadroga and Naduruloulou. He retired in 1938.

He leaves a wife, nine sons, three daughters, 70 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Gladys Perriman Mrs. Gladys Perriman, wife of Mr.

B. B. Perriman, a director of W.R.

Carpenter Holdings Ltd., died in Sydney on May 25. She spent nearly 20 years in the Rabaul-Kokopo area of New Guinea, mostly before World War 11.

Born in Neutral Bay, Sydney, she married Mr. Perriman on September 3, 1921. Shortly afterwards the couple moved to Rabaul where Mr. Perri man became regional manager for the Carpenter group.

The Perrimans remained in Rabaul until 1938 when they moved to Syd ney. Both spent the World War II years in Fiji and Canada.

In 1945 Mr. Perriman returned to Rabaul to restart Carpenter opera tions there and in 1949 his wife joined him. They finally left Rabaul

in 1951 and have since been living in Sydney.

Mrs. Perriman is still well remem bered in Rabaul as a popular hostess and good golfer. She leaves a son, Robert, and three grandsons.

Mrs. Nell Lees Mrs. Nel Lees, who spent nearly 40 years before and after World War II living on New Britain copra plantations as the wife of Mr. Max Lees, died in Sydney in late May.

With Mr. Lees, she went to Kurudi Plantation, near Kokopo, in 1923.

Two years later Mr. Lees became manager of nearby Kulon Planta tion, and in 1925 the couple moved to Ulaveo Plantation, today the site of W.R. Carpenter’s desiccated coco nut plant. For a short period in the 1930’s Mr. Lees owned Lanernewei Plantation, New Ireland.

They stayed at Ulaveo until 1940, when they returned to Australia so Mr. Lees could join the Royal Aus tralian Air Force.

The Lees returned to New Britain in 1945 to manage Ulaveo for Carpenters. In 1954 they transferred to Tokua Plantation where they spent the next 11 years.

They retired to Potts Point, Syd ney, in 1965.

Mrs. Lees is survived by Mr. Lees, now 73, and their two daughters— Mrs. Tom Garrett, of Varzin Plan tation, Kokopo, and Mrs. Gordon Monroe of New South Wales. She was a great friend of Mrs. Perriman, who also died recently (story this page).

Mr. G. S. Chisholm Mr. Gordon Scott Chisholm, a mayor of Levuka, Fiji, when the town was a municipality, died in Sydney on June 2. He was in his 70’s.

Mr. Chisholm went to Apia in 1922 to join the staff of Smyth and Carruthers.

He transferred to Morris Hed strom’s in Apia in 1927 as deputy manager, and the same year he went to Levuka, also for Morris Hedstrom’s.

Mr. Chisholm became Levuka manager for his firm in 1931, and two years later he went back to Apia as manager.

He held that post till he retired in 1956 and went to live at Pymble, Sydney.

Mr. Chisholm married Emmie, daughter of Mr. A. G. Smyth, who was a prominent figure in Samoa.

Captain W. M. Reade Captain W. M. Reade, chief marine superintendent in Sydney for the Bank Line, died in Sydney on June 16, aged 56.

Born in Kilkenny, Ireland, Captain Reade spent several years on Bank Line ships before he was appointed assistant marine superintendent in 1949. In the next 19 years he travelled to all major New Guinea ports, the Solomons, Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa.

In January, 1966, he was promoted to his last position. Captain Reade is survived by his wife, Margaret, and their daughter, Elizabeth.

Captain E. J. Ray will head the Bank Line’s marine department until Captain O. L. Owens returns from holidays in the UK to take over as chief marine superintendent, in September.

Pita Tamindei Pita Tamindei, Member for Maprik Open in the 1964/8 P-NG House of Assembly, died in early June, aged about 50. Tributes to his work were given in the inaugural meeting of the second Assembly in June.

Mr. Tamindei was the first presi dent of the Maprik Local Govern ment Council, and an early promoter of rice growing in the Sepik. He was a planter and trade store owner.

Miss Iris Ethel Wall Miss Iris Ethel Wall, better known to her many New Guinea friends as “Poppie”, died recently in Balmain Hospital, Sydney. Born in Fiji before 1900, she spent over 33 years in New Guinea.

Miss Wall left Fiji before 1914 for Sydney, to receive treatment at various Sydney hospitals for TB.

About 1930 she went to NG, and took up a job as assistant manageress at the Salamaua Hotel, then run by Mr. and Mrs. Allen Innes.

Miss Wall left this job soon after and spent the next 30-odd years working in various jobs in Lae and Rabaul. Her jobs included clerical positions with the NG Administra tion and the “big firms”.

Her contemporaries knew her as a strikingly-attractive woman and a very good bridge player.

Her death came after a long illness in Sydney.

At her Sydney funeral were many ex-New Guinea-ites. They included Mesdames A. Green, Allen Innes, N.

Laws, Les Clark, N. H. Foxcroft, George Washington and John Clark, and Misses I. Hanlon and “Taffy”

Jones.