Memories of the goldfields

Sir, —I was most interested in the photograph {PIM, May, p. 85) of a group of pioneer miners outside the old Salamaua Hotel, because I am the young fellow in the second row, door way, carrying a white topee in his right hand.

Others in the group whom I recognise are Tom Prince, Bill Came ron, Ross Soden and Clem Hendry, and while I know for a fact that the latter is now dead the others could also be, as they were in a much older age group than the one to which I belong. I would set down the year as being 1928, as I was 26 at the time and am now 66.

In those days most of us were still walking into Edie Creek with our carriers and Clem Hendry was making good money as a Miner’s Agent—looking after the carriers when they returned to the coast in charge of a boss boy, and then send ing them back to Edie Creek with another load of stores.

The photograph revived many memories of the old Salamaua Hotel.

Outstanding amongst these was a Champagne Cork Derby. The more successful of the miners having a spell in Salamaua usually shouted a few rounds of millionaire’s shandy (Champagne and Stout) and Bill Cameron, who was the barman at that time, once got the bright idea of recording the “shout” by having the bar “monkey” climb up into the roof of the bar and stick the corks

from the champagne bottles on the points of the roofing nails protruding through the battens.

Each of the “shouters” had the champagne cork from his shout nailed to a batten carrying his name and it then became a race among the more affluent ones to see who could fill his batten first. This was good business for the bar and cheap drinking for those of us who were still in the red at BP’s, although after a week of it we were glad to get back on the road to Edie.

The winner of the Champagne Cork Derby was Harry Darby, the Barnardo boy who made a fortune on Edie Creek but met a tragic early end in Colombo on his way back to NG from a world trip. If my memory serves me right the runner up was a chap called Hector Wales, and while I can still see him in my mind’s eye looking up and counting corks, all I can recall con cerning him is that he was a miner from Queensland.

Another event which I well re member was the funeral of an old hand who most of us knew only as “Simmo”. He died of blackwater

Two readers this month discuss this old photograph taken on the NG goldfields.

ever and since he was a regular irinker at the pub it was decided to tart his funeral from there. The hearse” was a hand-cart pushed by wo boys. Two of the mourners who tad started Simmo’s Wake the night ►efore, and who were no longer apable of walking, rode on the cart dth the corpse.

The marker for Simmo’s grave was simple wooden cross made from a ondensed milk case, and whether by esign or accident, the bar of the ross was made from the section of le case which carried the words Stow away from boilers”.

The sequel is that a week after immo was buried the waves from violent storm washed out his grave, r hich was on the beach just above ormal high water mark and broke p the coffin. When the storm sub ded all that could be seen of Simmo as one of his hands protruding from le sand. While I cannot vouch for lis, the story goes that his chief lourner put an empty glass in the and and filled it with “Simmo’s” ivourite tipple.

I have not been back to New uinea since I left it in 1934 and ave been told that little or nothing mains of Salamaua to mark its dstence. I still have many fond emories of it however, since I was arried there and my son and lughter were born there.

A. C. (“Sep”) Underwood.

ladesville, fdney.

Sir, —I was greatly interested in the lotograph in “Yesterday’s” page of e PIM of the group taken outside e Salamaua Hotel in the late enties; Errol Flynn and I stood and itched whilst Assistant District ficer Harry Downing did the mera work.

As a matter of interest I can ;ntify many of those present, and rhaps some other “befores” can in the blanks.

On the extreme left is Bert Warren, barber from Casino; wearing a lite hat is goldminer Otto >ssiter; then comes barman and liard-room keeper Bill Cameron, ■Tivoli juggler; beside him with ute-edged hat is R. Newman, a :ruiter; next, wearing a Digger hat, “Budge” Beckett, a Londoner who ne to Lae as a pilot for Jerry ntland but after one trip to Wau a Moth he gave it away as being ) dangerous and reverted to doing d jobs.

In dark trousers is Ross Soden,

member of a Sydney Jewish family; directly behind him stands Toby Miller, who later married “Tiger LiT.

Covered by the billiard cue is Keith Alderson, of Guinea Airways, and the gent with hat and tie is Clem Hendry, manager of a general miners’ agency on the beach.

Against the wall is Paul Saliha, a “cranny” (Malay), who was a Burns Philp grocery counter hand.

As you say, many of these chaps are dead. Some did not long survive after the photo was taken—black water fever, hard living and anno domini all took their toll.

Bert E. Weston.

Short St., Heathcote,

Nsw.

Vavauns—Another View

Sir, —In reply to Mrs. Matheson’s letter whitewashing the Vavauns {PIM, June, p. 59), I wish to con gratulate her on her exceptional good fortune.

To my experience and knowledge, nothing is safe in Tonga unless pro perly safeguarded.

“Papalangi”

Suva.

'Name and address supplied).

Eric Feldt

Sir, —I wish to thank you very nuch for the excellent article on the leath of my brother Eric Feldt [PIM, April, p. 22), and also for the ine composition by Malcolm Wright [PIM, May, p. 77).

It is very comforting to know that le was so very highly regarded and )opular for himself—and not for the )osition he held before being retired.

We, his sisters, are so proud of lim and also of the fine example our mrents installed in us when they idopted this country as their own.

Mrs. Lucy Spencer.

Brisbane, Qld.