Deaths

of Islands People

Robert Stuart English-born, Robert Stuart came to Australia as a boy and

gained a diploma in agriculture

in 1924. Going to Bougainville in 1925 he worked with Paul Mason (later famous as a World War II coastwatcher) and after a few years bought Tenekau plantation. After the Japanese invasion of Bougain ville in 1942 he took to the

jungle, and was eventually

evacuated to the US by sub marine in April 1943. He was back in Bougainville a few months later, with a com mission as an Australian naval

reserve officer. After resigning this commission he was again back in Bougainville in June 1944, in American uniform, as an adviser to the US Army. In January 1945 he became an Australian Air Force officer, and returned to Bougainville.

His extraordinarily varied ser vice career ended in September 1945. He returned to Tenekau plantation in 1947, restored it, and lived there till his retirement in 1968. He was held in particularly high regard by his employees, and was one of the few planters of the time to draw his labour force from the local population and not from New Guinea. His autobi ography Nuts to You has been reviewed in PIM (May 1979).

When I knew him during my time as assistant district officer at Kieta I found him a quite exemplary member of the com

munity, although by repute

and on his own admission in his book in his earlier days he had been something of a thorn in the side of government officials. He was a man one wishes one had known better.

He died in Sydney, aged 76.

Kim Kimmorley