Deaths of Islands People

Harrie Standen, the missioner in the mud

I was sad to learn after my return from overseas recently that while I was away Harrie Ernest Standen, pioneer missionary and co-founder with his wife of the Mission in the Mud, Bamu River, Papua, had died suddenly.

It was characteristic of Harrie Standen that he died on the job, in the mission school, in the middle of classes.

He was born in the United King dom but went to Australia as a boy of 14 in 1921 and completed his education there.

He came of a family orthodox in religion—a brother is an ordained minister of the Anglican Church in NSW—but the mission he and his wife founded was anything but orthodox. In the truest sense theirs was a mission to the people of the big, muddy rivers of western Papua at a time when this area was even more remote from the rest of the world than it is today.

In a tribute to their mission on its 25th anniversary in 1961, a PIM writer said that: “Most missionaries are sent to their various stations, but the Standens simply went. Both had gone to Papua individually to work in bigger mission fields but in 1936 they married at the small church in Dam and thereafter branched out for themselves. They cast their eyes to the east where the Bamu River empties its waters into Torres Strait, perhaps because the Bamu people had never had a mis sionary. No one had thought it worth while to contend with such ghastly living conditions to bring these primitive people enlightenment, medical help and education—but the Standens decided to ‘give it a go’.”

Harrie Standen went to Papua in 1933 and except for war service when he served in the RAAF in Air-Sea Rescue and Supplies section, 1942-46, devoted the rest of his life to his own brand of practical missionary work among the Papuans.

In setting up their medical services the Standens were greatly helped by another great character of old Papua, Dr G. H. Vernon, in memory of whom the small but efficient Bamu

hospital is named—and these days assisted by a more benevolent govern ment.

The people of the Bamu River were originally headhunters and believed in an eye for an eye and a head for a head long after the Standens went to live among them. When, after the last war, they decided to move their station further up the river, all but three of the people attached to the old station refused to go, insisting that they would be killed and their heads taken.

In the early years of the mission one of their well-wishers was Mr R. W. Robson, the founder of PIM who was responsible for dubbing their establishment The Mission in the Mud—a name that tickled the Standens’ imperishable sense of humour and which is now an honour able sub-title to the more official Bamu River Mission.

Harrie Standen earned the respect and affection of the Bamu people to whom he gave selfless devotion.

He was a real Christian, sympathetic and understanding but endowed with practical commonsense.

He received the MBE in 1973 for his missionary work—small reward perhaps for his years on the muddy rivers of Papua but one of which he was very proud.

He was buried on the mission, among the people he served, and his work is carried on by his wife, Eva Standen. He was in the mould of that other great missionary to Papua, the Rev James Chalmers, Papua’s greatest administrator, Sir Hubert Murray, and pioneer medical men like Dr G. H. Vernon. There are few in Papua like them these days.— Judy Tudor.

Leilua Pilia'e luliano If ever there was a master poli tician in Western Samoa, then cer tainly Leilua Pilia’e luliano, 74, was one.

When he died in March, he was mourned by the many hundreds of people and politicians who knew him.

In one of the rare occasions, his modest funeral was attended by act ing Prime Minister Lesatele Rapi and five cabinet members as well as by the Leader of the Opposition, Tupuola Efi, for whom Leilua was a mentor.

Leilua was a quiet, modest man.

But behind that facade was a man

who found no equal in parliament in the give and take of debate. His oratorical skills made him feared— and his personality was so forceful that even the Tama Aiga listened to him.

Born January 16, 1900, Leilua was educated in the Roman Catholic schools in Apia. He was employed by various firms in Apia before he entered politics in the 19205. From 1957 to 1966 he represented Aana North No 2 in the Legislative Assembly, and represented Faasale leaga No 2 from 1966 until his re tirement in 1972.

Since 1957 he was a member of many legislative committees includ ing the House, Petitions, Business, Land Tenure, Standing Orders, and Territorial Electorates committees and notably the Public Accounts Committee membership of which gained him the affection of the pub lic servants.

His death marked the end of an era. Not only was he the oldest member of parliament, he has been in parliament continuously since 1957, possibly a record in itself. His death will probably mark a decline in the influence of the veteran par liamentarians as more and more the influence of the younger ones begins to be felt. The only other veteran comparable to Leilua in status now left in parliament is probably Lesa tele Rapi.

Leilua is survived by his wife Maria and 11 children.— F.V.

Mr R. Buffett Mr Robert Buffett, known through out his life as Bobbie Dickie, a life time inhabitant of Norfolk Island, died recently, aged 74. He and his wife, Julia, lived on their property at Steele’s Point. Mr Buffett was also cartage contractor for many years.

A. T. Ulukalala-Ata Amelia Tuna Ulukalala-Ata, wife of the late Ulukalala-Ata, a Tonga noble, died late in March at the family home at Houma, aged 80. She was one of the first Tongan women to hold a senior post in the Tonga Government when she became senior clerk in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Later she was chief clerk at the Ministry of Lands. Queen Mata’aho. cabinet ministers and thousands of mourners attended the funeral.

Mr F. Holloway Mr Frank Holloway, an employee of Burns Philp in New Guinea for many years, died recently in Brisbane, aged 80. He worked with the company in its stores section from 1932 till

the Japanese invasion in January, 1942. He then returned to Australia and was on war work for several years. After the war he went back to PNG and was engaged in helping to reorganise the company’s affairs, Mr Holloway also served with the Administration for a term before retiring in 1961 to live in Brisbane.

He served with the Ist AIF at Galli poli, and later in France. He is survived by his wife and a daughter.

The Rev Geo. Pilhofer The Rev George Pilhofer, a pioneer Lutheran missionary in Papua New Guinea, died recently in Germany, aged 91. He went to PNG in 1905.

He held a number of teaching posts with the mission. Mr Pilhofer made a number of exploratory trips to the interior of PNG. In 1936, he com pleted a translation of the New Testament into the Kotte language.

He also wrote a grammar of that language. In 1965 he completed a three-volume history of Lutheran mis sionary work in PNG.

Senator F. S. Utu Senator Fainuulelei S. Utu, who was elected to the American Samoa Senate in 1972, died early in March, aged 48. He was Speaker of the House from 1968 till he became a senator.

His legislative career spanned 20 years. He was a teacher and then special assistant to the Secretary of American Samoa in the Governor’s Office from 1959 to 1961, and between 1961 and 1969 held senior posts in the Department of Admi nistrative Services and Agriculture Department. He was a lay preacher and deacon of the Methodist and

Samoan Congregation Christian Church. He leaves a widow and three children.

Mr A. Milim Mr Anton Milim, the first tra ditional medical practitioner to be accepted as a member of the East New Britain District Health Com mittee in 1973, died recently, aged 84. He came from Ratongor village, in the north coast area of East New Britain. Although a traditional medical practitioner, he was especi ally interested in western medicine and had great respect for it.

Dr C. A. Sharp Dr Charles Andrew Sharp, a New Zealand authority on the history of the Pacific, died recently, aged 67.

He was a 1928 Rhodes Scholar from Otago University. He served for a brief period in the Colonial Service, and then joined the NZ Public Service.

His first major book was Ancient Voyagers in the Pacific.

Mr James (Jock) Fairbairn Mr James (Jock) Fairbairn died recently in Wellington, aged 72.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Mr Fairbairn served as a policeman with the NZ Reinforcement Regiment in Western Samoa from 1926 to 1942.

At the end of his service he settled in Wellington where he worked for the Dept of Island Territories until retirement in 1963.

Mr Fairbairn is survived by his wife and seven children, of whom Dr lan Fairbairn, Pacific Economist for the South Pacific Commission, is the eldest son.