Deaths Of Islands People

Dr. E. A. Holland Dr. E. A. Holland, a New Guinea old hand” who spent 14 years work ng at Madang, Salamaua and Cavieng before World War 11, died n Sydney on September 5, aged 78.

He first went to NG in 1927 and ifter spells as a doctor at Salamaua ,nd Madang he moved to Kavieng, >Jew Ireland, in 1932. Dr. Holland pecialised in tropical medicine at learby Anelaua Leprosarium for everal years until all Europeans were ivacuated from Kavieng in 1941. He lidn’t return to the territory, due to 11-health.

Brother George Tweedy

Brother George Tweedy, who spent •0 years working as a Roman Catholic missionary in Papua, died ecently at Port Moresby. He was r 4.

After attending a Sydney Roman Catholic training school, Brother [weedy went to Papua in 1919 and vas stationed on Yule Island, in the *apuan Gulf. He continued to work it Yule Island until shortly before lis death, when he moved to Port Moresby.

Miss Grace Wilkinson Miss Grace Wilkinson, the grand laughter of David Wilkinson, who vas interpreter to King Cakobau vhen the Deed of Cession was igned in 1874, has died in Suva at he age of 75.

Miss Wilkinson was a well-known dentity in Suva, her main interest >eing St. Andrew’s Church, where he was organist for over 50 years. 7 or more than 30 years, she was smployed by Whan’s Construction Company, which has now closed iown.

She was also treasurer of the Suva iTWCA for several years.

Mr. Christopher Bryant

A funeral with military honours vas held in Suva for Mr. Christopher Jryant, who died at the Colonial War Vlemorial Hospital on September 9.

Mr. Bryant, who was 77, was well cnown in Fiji as a farmer and saw niller. He served at Gallipoli with he British Army.

He moved to Fiji from Somerset, England, with his brother Walter and lived for many years at Black Rock, Sfamada, near Nadi Airport. He later oined his brother at Wainadoi, on ;he South Coast of Viti Levu.

Mr. J. M. M. Ramsay Mr. James Maxwell Muir Ramsay, a former secretary of the Fiji Marine Board, died in Sydney recently, aged 54. He was born in Fiji and was the son of the late Dr. W. M. Ramsay, who was in the Fiji Medical Depart ment.

Mr. Ramsay entered the govern ment service in the Customs and Ex cise Department in 1935, and re mained with that department through his career.

He retired in 1959 and with his wife and three children went to live in Lane Cove, Sydney.

Mr. George Arthur Mr. George Arthur, who spent 30 years as a teacher, chief inspector for schools and acting Director of Education in Fiji, died in Napier, NZ, on September 5, aged 64.

He arrived in Fiji in 1929 and left in 1958. Mr. Arthur is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Janet Bassett, of Auckland, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Arthur, of Napier.

Mrs. Ursula Harris Mrs. Ursula Harris, a longtime resident of P-NG, died in Sydney re cently.

Mrs. Harris arrived in the territory from Australia in 1921 with her husband, Gordon. They bought a plantation on Djaul Island, New Hanover, and remained in the terri tory until the outbreak of World War 11. They returned after the war and settled in Rabaul for some years before moving permanently to Aus tralia.

Mrs. Harris is survived by her husband, a daughter, and nine grand children.

Mr. Walter Kaltang Mr. Walter Kaltang, chief cook for the past five years on the Euphrosyne 11, the British Residency vessel in the New Hebrides, recently died in Sydney where he was receiv ing medical treatment.

Alvin J. Blum Prominent Solomon Islands busi nessman Mr. Alvin J. Blum died suddenly in Honiara on September 23 less than two weeks after his latest venture a cafeteria adjoining his Honiara hometel opened with popular support.

Mourners from all sections of Honiara’s community attended his

funeral from the Bahai Centre.

Born in New Jersey, USA, in 1912, Mr, Blum worked as a commercial traveller before World War 11, when he served for four years in the US Army’s medical corps in the South Pacific.

After 1945 he entered the clothing business in the US and married Gertrude Gewertz, of New York. The Blums settled in Honiara in 1954 after a passage on the old BP steamer Malaita.

In his 14 years on Guadalcanal, Mr. Blum tried many business ventures, some with great success: he set up a laundry and dry-cleaning service, a bakery, general stores at Honiara and Auki, Malaita; he began making aerated waters and planned a small oil mill to extract oil from peanuts and copra for local con sumption.

In recent years Mr. Blum became best-known as the owner of Blums Hometel, Honiara, which offered motel-type accommodation for tourists to the Solomons.

He was also very active in com munity projects, serving on the Honiara Town Council, as chairman of the BSIP Chamber of Commerce and treasurer of the Young Men’s Farmers’ Club.

Mr. Blum is survived by his wife and his daughter, Mrs. Keithie Sanders, who is now living in the Cook Islands.

Commander C. J. R. Webb The death in Melbourne on Sep tember 19 of old New Guinea hand Commander C. J. R. Webb, RANR, affectionately known as “Webbie”, removes from the scene a genial and colourful sailor. He was 86.

He first came into my ken when I

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Alvin Blum, as Brett Hilder saw him.

vas a junior in the Naval Intelligence Division. This was in the days when General Wisdom was the Admin strator of New Guinea. He then held he dual appointments of Harbour naster at Rabaul, and skipper of the 7 ranklin, formerly the R.A.N. Col ege yacht and then used by the Administrator.

During World War I, “Webbie” tad served in the R.A.N. and had ommanded the destroyer H.M.A.S. farra, the first ship of the R.A.N. to >ear that name. The nature of his onsequent New Guinea appoint nents was such that Naval Intelli ence quickly made use of his ervices, initially in obtaining data ic collected during the cruises of tie Franklin, a vessel, incidentally, /hich demanded much skill in her andling. Some few years later when t was decided to set up a coast /atching organisation in New Guinea Webbie” acted as its foundation tone; and, understandably, great was is pride in its later wartime achieve lents, which, as history has demon trated, were so much due to the ite Commander Eric Feldt.

Among the appointments held by ’ommander Webb during World Var II were that of Naval officer i-charge, Oro Bay, and commanding fficer, H.M.A.S. Tancred; but robably it was in his role as com lodore of various convoys that he ecame more widely known.

New Guinea was to see him again fter the termination of the war, for mong the tasks he undertook was to ispect the sunken Japanese shipping t Rabaul and advise as to its demoli on or salvage.

Experienced in the ways of the ja even as far back as the days of le sailing-ships, “Webbie” again saw mch of the sea in the post-war years, lis time in the service of the Aus alian Shipping Board. An early, if ot his first command, was that of faster of the Dalby, and later he ammanded several of the large iver-class vessels. Any resentment lown by the merchant service crews iwards the high standard of dis pline he insisted upon was dissipated nee his human qualities came to be jalised.

A seaman’s life, particularly for lose in command, can be a very mely one; but the last few years of is long and active life brought Webbie” many social compensations, >r he frequently attended as member le Naval and Military Club, Mel oume, and also the Toorak R.S.L. lub, popularly known as “The [eroes” Club, where he found ap

preciative listeners to his seemingly inexhaustible store of reminiscence.

The quality of boyish exhuberance which he retained even in his ad vanced years was quite remarkable and contributed largely to his per sonal charm.

I join with many comrades, in a farewell salute to an old sailor!— Walter Brooksbank.

D. S. Hore-Lacy adds; “Webbie” was born in Yorkshire in his father’s rectory and showed his determination to go to sea at an early age. At 15 he joined HMS Conway, where he soon learned the rudiments of sail. His first voyage took 169 days via the Cape of Good Hope, then south of Australia, and north to China with stores for the troops in the Boxer Rebellion. In Rabaul he and his charming wife, Taffy, made great numbers of friends. She survives him, together with their daughter, Mrs. John Maloney, and two grand sons. We will miss this much loved sailor.