glimpses of bougainville by pamela v. beaumont historical/glimpses of... · glimpses of...

Glimpses of Bougainville by Pamela V. Beaumont


Contents Introduction

Sister Pamela Beaumont

About Pamela Beaumont by Peter Clyburn

Chapter 1: My Journey Back to Bougainville

Chapter 2; The Hens in the Rain at Kihili

Chapter 3: Time for Merle and Pamela to Join Kemueli and Aliti at Tonu

Chapter 4: New Church Opened

Chapter 5: School Holidays

Chapter 6: New Things to Do in 1955

Chapter 7: Douglas Oliver's Anthropology Book

Chapter 8: A Cremation Ceremony

Chapter 9: Evening Lotu

Chapter 10: Christmas Celebrations

Chapter 11: Misikori

Chapter 12: District Girls'School

Chapter 13: Synod at Roviana

Chapter 14: 40 Years of Methodist Mission work in South Bougainville, 1916-56

Chapter 15: Sister Merle Carter Left for England

Chapter 16: A Journey Through Nagavisi Villages

Chapter 17: Triplets Were Born at Tonu to Tapukoi and Tamahe

Chapter 18: "The Palace Beautiful" Built by Clarrie Wills and His Team

Chapter 19: August rain

Chapter 20: Summer Institute of Linguistics 1958

Chapter 21: Postscript

Digitized by Alec Utting September 2015.

I have added the tributes given at her funeral 22 May 2015


Introduction

Previously I wrote about my early life, following it with the story of my first three

years in Bougainville and the Solomon Islands. I called that book "Falling Leaves".

Those were all interesting years but I was longing to get back to Tonu in Siwai, South

Bougainville to the work I felt God had called me to do.

My six months of furlough in New Zealand was a very happy time. Four of the

months were for holiday, making up for the lack of them in the islands, and the other

two were for deputation, which took me to meet the church people in Taranaki and the

Nelson West Coast area. This was all joy but I have no written records of those days.

My memories are of wonderful opportunities to share with people who were really

interested in what was happening in Bougainville and wanted to pray for us and help

us in any way possible. Thanks be to God for all that he did through those

experiences.

I have added as a Postscript the Thesis I wrote in 1962. The subject I was given by the

Deaconess Board of the Methodist Church of New Zealand was "Presenting Christ to

the Solomon Islands." The Rev. W.T. Blight deemed this satisfactory, and I was later

dedicated as a Methodist Deaconess.

I would very much like to acknowledge the skilful and cheerful help Caroline McNeill

has given me in setting up this book ready for printing. She has also designed the

cover using drawings from my mother Rosa Beaumont. My mother visited me in 1966

and did many lovely drawings of life in Bougainville. I am so glad that Caroline has

been able to put everything together so well.

May this book bring the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ to those who look into

it.

Sincerely and thankfully,

Pamela Valerie Beaumont.


Sister Pamela Beaumont

Born on 7th April 1928 in Ashburton, Pamela's first home was Ruapuna schoolhouse.

She became a big sister after moving to Timam, where Rosemary and Paul were born.

The family moved to Petrie St, Christchurch, Meriel was bom, then her parents bought

a new house at 8 McLeod St, the family home for over 64 years. Cousin Althea Nye

joined them permanently in 1946.

Pamela taught two years at Waihoarunga school, inland from Waimate, then on 25th

January 1951 was dedicated at Durham St Methodist, as a Missionary teacher for the

overseas church of the Methodist church of New Zealand. On 6th February she flew

on a TEAL flying boat to Sydney to begin her work in Bougainville. Passionate about

people and wanting them to have the Bible in their own language, Pamela spent 1960

under the order ofSt Stephen at Tonu, freed from teaching duties, and then qualified as

a Methodist deaconess with a "particular interest in translation and pastoral work"

"Mamanu Dirokisa", the New Testament for Siuwai people was published in 1978.

The 1970s were very challenging with the NZ Methodist church making their

missionaries redundant, but others gladly welcomed Pamela so she returned to

Bougainville, to the Arawa Bible School.

In 1985, Rosa Beaumont, her mother died and Pamela returned to New Zealand to

support her father and put her considerable energy into supporting many other people

too. When her father, Huia, died, Pamela left the family home and moved to

Wedgewood Ave, where very many people received a wonderful welcome to her

home and garden.


About Pamela Beaumont by PETER CLYBURN

I didn't like Pamela before we met.

It was my first term on the mission field. 'Practical' was not my middle name. When something wouldn't work, Sister Lesley Bowen from Tonu Hospital up the road would try to cheer me up. 'Oh, don't worry,' she'd chuckle, 'Pamela will be here soon - she'll fix everything!'

When I couldn't seem to communicate with the national pastors or the Siwai people, I'd be sure to hear the same jolly refrain: 'Oh don't worry. Pamela will be here soon - she'll fix everything.'

I couldn't cook... but Pamela was coming.

I couldn't sing... but Pamela was coming.

I couldn't understand the culture or buy the right bananas at the market or discipline the Bible School students or sew a Baby Jesus costume for the Christmas play... but Pamela was coming.

It seemed to me that the Bougainville church was awaiting the Second Coming all right... the Second Coming of Pamela Beaumont!

I wanted to throttle her.

At last it happened. In the East, the golden sun rose and Pamela's plane landed. A woman appeared. A remarkable colourful creation made by her mother billowed from her hips, swirling around her legs. A large camera case slung tightly across her upper body gave the impression of an Amazonian warrior in battle array. The impression was completed when she swept up a sturdy suitcase in each hand, forging out into the car park toward our little green 4-wheel-drive.

Finally, strapped into our Suzuki, we looked face-to-face, and smiled. There was shyness and fear and excitement and hope in both sets of eyes. We joined in a simple prayer of thanksgiving - no competition, no criticism - just a brother and a sister grateful to our Father for each other. Over 20 years later we still feel the same.

Life with Pamela wasn't easy - living with a saint rarely is. They act like mirrors to your character, unbeknowingly reflecting both what you are and what you really should be. You react. We fought. I hurt her. I've apologized. We've laughed. I nominated her for Woman Of The Year in Bougainville, which she won.

I rejoiced with her at the Dedication of the Siwai new Testament - a translation task that had taken about 28 years with Steven Iroro's help. She rejoiced with me at my marriage to Marion and birth of our first baby Anna in Arawa hospital.

We trampled jungle trails together; co-led two Bible Colleges: Haari and Freedom; celebrated and mourned; fasted and prayed, and washed each other's feet.

What a marvellous honour. What a marvellous friend.

Peter Clyburn is a New Life Pastor.

This tribute was written in 1998 for Aunty Pamela's 70th birthday.


CHAPTER 1:

My Journey Back to Bougainville

Before we left for the airport (on 11th June 1954), our minister Rev Wes Chambers

came with his family to our house to pray for us all Paul had to go to work but Daddy,

Mummy, Rosemary, Meriel and Althea came to Harewood where many friends from

Richmond Methodist church joined us to say good-bye. We had plenty of time to talk

because the plane had been struck by lightning on the way over and repairs had to be

done before we took off. Owing to the stormy conditions we had to fly up the East

Coast and through Cook Strait to reach the Tasman Sea I enjoyed this chance to see

this part of the country from the air but the whole journey took eleven hours and ten

minutes instead of the usual eight hours. The noise in the plane was considerable and I

was very glad to reach my room in the Federal Hotel in Collins Street, Melbourne late

at night.

Next morning, after buying a map, I explored the shops then enjoyed the Botanical

Gardens, especially the lawns, slopes, trees, black swans on the lakes and the lovely

views with church spires abounding. My Great Auntie Vi Ebert had arranged for me to

visit her cousins Mr and Mrs.C.Borrett in South Yarra for dinner. This was a luxurious

experience but I was touched by their sadness that though they had wealth they didn't

have any children. I felt their little dog didn't make up to them for the family love they

missed. Mrs. Borrett gave me a little pink china cradle, which she asked me to keep

always remembering her.

Waking early was not so easy after getting to sleep very late because of a noisy party

downstairs in the hotel. We left Melbourne on a TAA Skymaster and flew over some

interesting but sometimes very brown country although in places we did see snow

amongst the bush on the mountains ' After landing at Sydney those of us continuing

on to Brisbane were taken by taxi to dinner and then brought back to Mascot to join

our next flight. We arrived in the late afternoon in Brisbane where we flew low over

widespread suburbs with their neat houses enclosed by a patch of green.

I left my things at the T.A.A. office while I went to find a Methodist Church. Having

found it I ate my chocolate and apple in a tram shelter nearby, talking the while with a

dear old Aborigine woman. She caught her bus and I went into the church where the

Rev. Nash preached a great message. At the following Social Hour I met two others

from Christchurch, Mr. England and Mr. Beardsley from Ernest Adams Bakery! The

time passed quickly and I duly found my way back to the T.A.A. office. From there

we had a twenty-seven mile taxi ride to Redlands Bay to go aboard the Sandringham

Flying Boat for the journey to Port Moresby becoming airborne after midnight. Flying

boats are less noisy and more comfortable than land planes. We were wakened early

with a cup of tea and then taken ashore at Cairns for breakfast, including pawpaw! I

also found two new friends, Margaret Legate and Miss Betts amongst the passengers.


What a treat! From Cairns we flew to Port Moresby where we had lunch, a rest and

some sightseeing before dinner.

After a hurried breakfast we waited by the wharf for ages while they fixed up

everything for the trip. We finally left in the Sandringham about nine and travelled

down the coast to land on the sea at Samarai, amongst some small islands at the tip of

Papua New Guinea. We flew across miles of sea after that, having dinner in the air

before we landed in Rabaul Harbour, New Britain, after two o'clock. We passed

through customs easily and Miss Betts and I went round the European shops. Post

Office and China Town before dinner at the Ascot Hotel. The bag I lost on my way

south had not been found which was a disappointing but not unusual fact of life.

In China Town I saw a lovely advertisement for Palmolive soap showing a local boy

standing on the beach holding a cake of soap. The caption was, Olgeta boi i mo laikim

dispela sop bikos i gat gutpela semel. (Everyone likes this soap best because of its

perfume.) I was back in the country where my heart longed to be.

It was a lovely morning early the next day as we skimmed off Rabaul Harbour with

many other passengers in the Sandringham. The crater below us at the edge of the

harbour was smoking just a little but it didn't look dangerous. There are many craters

in this area. The mountains of New Ireland looked difficult to climb as we flew over

them and then over the wide sea to Buka. I saw Petals and Skotalan, then shortly

afterwards we circled over Sohano Island and landed on the narrow Buka Passage.

Father Le Strange came out in his launch to meet Miss Betts, the new nurse for their

hospital, while Mr.Pascoe came for Margaret Legate for the S.D.A. Mission Station.

The men came on board to meet the newcomers while the mail and cargo was

unloaded first, as is customary.

After nearly half an hour of stifling Sohano heat we were up in the air again flying

down the Bougainville coast. I saw Kekesu from the air and had a good look at Kieta

when we landed in the harbour there. We came to rest a long way from the buoy so we

had to go back along the water, which gave an orange jeep on the shore, time to whiz

round to the wharf and its occupant time to canoe out to meet us. Again we had a long

unloading wait but I was interested in a delightful trio bobbing up and down in a small

canoe outside my window. Nearly all the rest of our passengers left us here but Leslie

Tong Lep, (my Chinese store friend from Kangu) and myself were left in Cabin B.

The steward said it would be twenty minutes before we landed at Tonolai Harbour.

Amazing! That journey takes eight or nine hours on the Cicely, our fastest boat.

I had my eyes glued to the mountains and rivers along this coast and then as we

circled to land I saw the little "Isis", sheltered in a cove, waiting for us. Mr. Boison

(Educational Officer) and Father Cleland from Monoitu were aboard as passengers for

the plane. Mr.Taylor and Mr. Humphries of Kangu were also on the boat and we

joined them with the mail for Buin. They loaded a great many Buin Baskets on the

plane for this trip.


Back Home in Buin

I came ashore about two hours later, at Momot's wharf by the wreck where Jean and

Grenville were waiting for me. Voyces were in the midst of packing everything prior

to going out on the "Malaita" which was due any day. Mavis Mannell and baby

Wayne were here and also Sister Olive Money, Lucy's sister, who was doing "the

books". We were a big family at Sister Ada Lee's place, enjoying each other's

company to the full. Wayne was a very happy baby with a deep catching laugh. I

really enjoyed being back at Lotu in the evening. Murray and Bob Mannell were up in

Siwai with the truck and weapons carrier loaded with things for Tonu.

The next day I made a hat for Jean Voyce from a hat shape I had brought from New

Zealand. I covered it in black material and finished it with a red buckle to go with her

black skirt and short red coat. The Voyce family members were all very busy with

preparations for their trip home.

Visitors Friday we were busy making the houses and grounds beautiful for the arrival of the

President of the Methodist Church in New Zealand, the Rev. Fiebig. Mrs. Fiebig was

with him and also our Solomon Islands District Chairman the Rev. and Mrs. Metcalfe.

We didn't know exactly when they would come so someone was sent to watch at the

beach, about a mile away. When the signal was given there was a great scramble to

welcome them at the beginning of Coronation Avenue. They were glad to be on dry

land, as they had not had a calm crossing all the way from Choiseul on the Cicely II.

Later a large crowd welcomed them to Kihili, as the teachers were all down from

Siwai for the occasion. What a lot of talking and listening went on in the few days

they were with us. Mr. and Mrs. Fiebig were good friends of my parents. On Saturday

there were two football matches and on Sunday.

RevA.H. Voyce and Rev. Feibig


Mr. Fiebig preached in his presidential gown and black and purple stole in our hot

little church. He was contrasting the different attitudes of Paul to his two visions

because of his growth in faith. Mr. Metcalfe spoke to us in the afternoon, sprinkling

his sermon with a number of illustrations that made even the local people laugh and

that is saying something. He was making the point that no one needed to be afraid

because the Spirit of Jesus Christ is stronger than any other spirit. In the evening we

sang lots of favourite hymns from the Army and Navy hymnbook in English before

the opportunity for us all to say our Bible verses and I relished it all. Mr. and Mrs.

Fiebig really touched my heart with their pastoral visit.

On deck on the Cicily II: Mrs Feibig, Mrs Metcalfe, Rev. Feibig and Rev. Metcalfe

A Trip to Tonu

Early next morning after saying good-bye to our visitors at the wharf we trudged back

home. Grenville caught us up and said, "Can you be ready in an hour to go up to

Siwai?" The Malaita wasn't going to leave from Kieta for a few days and there was

another load waiting to go up to Tonu. It was an opportunity not to be missed, as the

weather had been phenomenal with the roads passable for several weeks. Olive and I

raced to the house, collected clothes, food and a cushion each. We left before eleven

o'clock and arrived not long after three, which was a very good trip indeed in the

weapons carrier. The Miwo was divided into three fairly even streams and the very

deep channel I had come through last year was a dry bed of stones. Grenville told us

that a ten-foot crocodile had been caught there a few days before. We didn't have to

struggle with much mud.

It was good to see that our house was in good order and my cargo from Bilua,

including my little organ was all in the living room with the fairly new kerosene

refrigerator from the Voyce's house. A treadle sewing machine was on the veranda!

My roses and gardenias were still growing and the clover lawn had crept over a

greater area. I was thrilled to find that they had begun to build the hospital. Two boys'

houses and a teacher's house were in progress as well as Kemueli's house. We visited

the village and talked with the women and children and finished the day enjoying the

lovely meal thatAliti had cooked for us. It was great to sleep in my previous home


again. They had set up my bed in the place where it had been before and even my new

sunburn didn't spoil my joy.

Morning came with a red sky and rain. Grenville had to mend the fan belt before we

could leave so I had time for a short talk with Kauma and Maiha explaining my hope

to come back to stay before too long. On the way up we had turned the laden trailer on

its side at the first Mopiai crossing but on the way home we had a smooth trip apart

from a bit of digging by the drum bridge. By the time we reached Ako we were all

sopping wet and shivering, but glad to stop to eat the lunch Aliti had given us for the

journey. We waved to quite a number of pastor-teachers on the road as they walked

back to Siwai after the President's visit. They looked bedraggled under their leaf

umbrellas, carrying their saucepans and their new school materials but their smiles

were bright. The last on the road was old Kehu and long before my steamed up glasses

would let me distinguish him clearly I knew who he was because of the loud laughter

from the two boys on the vehicle with us. Kehu always affects those who know him in

this way. The mere sight of him sends people into peels of laughter. He was very tall.

He started school late in life but at this time he was teaching the new beginners at

school and his shaky antics were enough to cause hysteria.

Kihili Again

The Malakuna was in view when we reached the beach but they didn't plan to leave

till the next day. Olive still had work to do on "The Books" with Ada so I took over

her classes at school. As planned the Mannalls and Olive left about 11a.m. in order to

clear the ship through customs etc. at the government station at Kangu and out of

Laumana on the other side of the border before dark, but to be off Bagga Island in the

light of the next morning. I had just got home for lunch to Ada's house when Jean

arrived to say they had to leave for the "Malaita" in three minutes. What a scatter! All

the last minute things had been in progress but it was time to walk. Ada walked beside

Mr. Voyce to hear all the last minute instructions. More confusion. Mr. Shaw had

changed his mind about when he was leaving so Grenville had time to bring us back in

the Weapons Carrier after our good-byes and to return to the leaving point on the bike.

The others had lunch at Shaw's place while they waited. Such is the uncertain nature

of travel in these parts.

After all the visitors we had gone and we had tidied up, it seemed very quiet to be by

ourselves. My job at this time was to help Ada with the Kihili School. While she took

the girls for sewing I added up the Government attendance returns for Kihili and all

the other schools with my new Exactas purchased on furlough for such tasks. It was a

forerunner of the present day calculator but it required concentration to get the same

answer twice! In the evening Bible Class times I took a series of lessons telling the

girls about the places I had been and experiences I had had in Roviana, Bilua and New

Zealand since I had last seen them. Ada had a lot of responsibility with Mr. Voyce

away so it was important that I stay to help her at this time. Rev. Kemueli and Aliti

from Fiji (Rotuma) were getting the work well started again in Siwai. Sister Merle


Carter couldn't be spared from Teop until after Synod when Mr. Metcalfe said we

could go back together. Meantime there was plenty for me to do at Kihili in the way of

preparing school materials for Kihili and Siwai and the teachers in the villages.

Learning to enjoy and make the most of the present seems to be a very important

lesson.

New Hymn Books

The new hymnbooks Mr. Voyce had worked hard to produce were received with great

joy. The books had a stiff cover and contained 186 hymns in Siwai, 22 Responsive

Lessons, a good number of psalms, the Catechism, some New Testament passages, the

Ten Commandments and orders of service for Communion, Baptisms, Weddings and

Funerals. These books became the prize possession of the school children as well as

their parents. The girls in the dormitories spent hours singing through their favourite

hymns and with so many more to choose from there were new ones to learn. The

hymnbook helped me a lot in learning the language of the Siwai people. When it

rained heavily during the services the steady pounding of the raindrops on the iron

roof meant that a time of extra hymn singing was called for. It was impossible to

preach above the din of the rain.

Quick Discussions

When Mr. and Mrs. Metcalfe arrived off the Cicely unexpectedly I was glad that they

had decided to stay overnight with us. There was a lot to discuss and that takes time.

Mr. Metcalfe was concerned about the training of missionaries and wanted to discuss

his ideas with us. Synod was getting nearer and decisions made there would touch

many people's lives. Only God can give us the wisdom we need and hearing from him

takes more than just time. Morning came and there was a great scramble as usual to

get them ready for the boat as early as possible. While Mr. M. tried to give Ada more

instructions and she tried to stuff more and more facts into her already reeling head,

Mrs. Metcalfe hurried out with a knife and sack for cuttings for her garden and I

prepared some food ready for them to take on the boat. Ada started the school classes

but I had to come back for the beach store keys for Mr. Metcalfe. The jeep wouldn't

start and the fan belt of the weapons' carrier kept breaking so in the end we all had to

walk carrying the things, which seemed to get heavier and heavier along the mile

track. Mr. Metcalfe's voice announced our approach from down the road, as he called

out "Mai gamu" and "Dinghy" in his loudest Yorkshire tones. Sure enough when we

reached the clearing down to the wharf the crew appeared with the dinghy. After a

little look round and good-byes they watched the waves and ran for the dinghy just

before the next wave broke and rushed in. Maning and I waited to see them safely on

the Cicely, waved good-bye and set off on our hotter walk home. Little Tony (one of

the babies we cared for who was later adopted by Mr. and Mrs.Voyce) had followed

us and was tired. He was crying a bit, but at least he had had and interesting morning.

I went with him to his bed at Maning's place and left him with her while I came home

to prepare some more examination papers.


CHAPTER 2:

The Hens in the Rain at Kihili

That night in the middle of Lotu a sudden downpour came on us almost without

warning. With rain still falling no one wanted to go home but as we waited at the door

little 5 year-old Joyce appeared under her father's extra large black umbrella. In the

dark the only clearly visible things we saw were the whites of her large pleading eyes.

They lived next to the church and the umbrella was for Ada and me. We collected all

the girls' precious hymnbooks and ran home under the shelter.

The next day in the rain I looked out of the window to see gray, brown and black

flashes of colour running for shelter with all the strength of their henny legs while a

big black and white duck waddled through the wettest of the clover obviously

enjoying it. The rain continued and I looked out to see the hens all wandering out

beside the patches of the flood with their shoulders hunched and their necks

outstretched. Their eyes were all intent on one thing, worms. Never had I seen such

concentration written on hens' faces. Seldom have I seen them looking more thin and

bedraggled. When the shower was over I saw them break up into two congregations,

one in a circle on the high bare ground to this side of the nearest bomb hole and the

others in single file on a huge fallen log on the other side of the garden. They were all

drying and airing every single one of their feathers because they had been wet to the

skin. The ducks met at our front door and laughed at them with up and down snake

like movements of their fat necks.

There were so many exam papers to mark it was quite a relief to have some "howlers"

to smile over. "The difference between a motor car and a bus is a motor bye." "Afraid

means run away quickly when you see a lion or a tiger." "Depart means keep yourself

from evil." Dora, in writing about some problem in her essay said, "So we took out

our good idea." As I smiled over their mistakes in struggling with English I was very

sure that they were laughing over my mistakes in Siwai. The way to learn is to keep

on trying.

A Strange Experience

About this time Ada told me about a Kieta girl I shall call Mary, who was living in the

girls' house with the others. One Saturday night after Lotu the girls were having their

meal in the house-cook when Mary said she was going back to the dormitory. Later,

when they came inside, they found that she wasn't there and the search for her began.

They all hunted and hunted for her in the dark and after a very long time they found

her lying in the tapioca bushes near the house, crying. They helped her into the house,

as she seemed strange, chewing at everything she could grasp. When she was lying on

her mat she talked somewhat coherently but in fragments never really answering the

questions her friends asked. Sometimes she spoke in her own Kieta language,

sometimes in Siwai and sometimes in pidgin. She thought one of the girls had taken


her dress and her Lotu books, which she had had in the house-cook with her, but no

one could find them. The pain in her head was at times quite severe but eventually she

went to sleep and the others fell asleep near her on their own mats.

In the morning she woke up with her hands tied behind her back! She couldn't have

done this herself and none of the girls had tied her up. She was more coherent, telling

her friends that a little girl from Kieta, who had previously died, had called her out

into the bush and had tied her up.

More strange behaviour followed throughout the day. The girls and Ada kept an eye

on her but at times she was irrational and noisy and at other times floppy and

unresponsive. Eventually, in a good space she consented to take some Phenobarbital

enabling her to sleep. Ada was able to go to bed in the early hours of the morning and

the girls took turns in twos in watching Mary. Through the day they had hunted for her

dress and Lotu books finally finding them out in front of the house beyond our

section. They followed her trail and found that she had been a very long way through

the gardens, bush and long grass.

Ten days later a letter arrived with the normal mail for Mary from her mother. There

could have been no ordinary contact between them but her mother said in the letter

that the Mikai (Witch-doctor) had come to her and told her all about Mary's

experiences while sick and added that she wasn't getting well as quickly as she had

done on other occasions. She was anxious to hear the truth from her daughter. Such

unexplained things happened around us. The spirit world is very close to those who

are constantly aware of it. Mary grew up to be a very fine leader amongst the women

of her area, knowing Jesus was able to help her in every situation. '

Food

As we were expecting visitors on their way to Synod, I made some jars of lemon

honey to make up for our lack in tins of jam. I also made biscuits that usually turn out

well even when the wood is wet and the oven cooks things slowly. More productively,

I collected a good number of cuttings of hibiscus and poinsettia and other things from

round the station and improved the new gardens round Ada's house. We planted lots

of the little pink crocus-like bulbs that flower every six weeks. Rimbi said she would

make custard for dinner while I was outside. When I returned the custard powder,

sugar and milk were sitting in a cup on the edge of the stove. To my puzzled inquiries

about how long it had cooked she said "Do you cook it?"

We were short of sweet potatoes but there was some mature tapioca around the edge

of the potato garden. The tapioca tubers support a straggly bush and to replant for the

next crop you put some pieces of the stem in the ground you have prepared nearby.

These tubers are very dense and have to be prepared carefully. Sometimes they are

grated and made into delicious puddings with coconut milk but for everyday use they

are boiled with some coconut milk added near the end of the cooking time. Any


leftover can be sliced and lightly fried next day This takes away your hunger for a

long time!

When the girls went with me to see the new bridge over the Muliko they had a happy

time in the water. They were racing downstream swimming under water then

gathering prawns in the long grass by the banks on the way back. Prawns are a great

treat usually caught after heavy rains have produced a flood. The bridge was made

with masts and heavy plates of steel from the wreck at the beach and welded together

Years later the Japanese people came to collect all their wrecks and reclaimed our

strong bridges for their scrap metal. The bridges were excellent while they served our

needs.

I was feeling a bit lonely when Ada and the others had left for Synod but I

remembered the verse Jesus had impressed on me, "As my Father has sent me, even so

send I you." I thought that he must have been homesick for heaven sometimes too.

People quickly filled my space as I pinned the top to the skirt of Hopuhopu's dress

while I heard Nujo and Tarakue their reading, helped Sera with her Arithmetic,

marked Hunutei's spelling and Emily's story. I had thought I would write a letter while

they did their evening study but interaction is good. As I needed to look after some of

Ada's classes while she was away I decided to gather the students together at times

and teach them as many new hymns as I could from the recently arrived hymn books.

They all enjoyed this although sometimes it was hard to get the boys to learn the tune

before they improvised a bass part.

Welcome Visitors

On the afternoon of the day I expected another group of travellers on their way to

Synod I had to make dinner for one or seven people. Daylight faded. The moon and

stars came out but the electric light refused to function... I went over to the church to

take Lotu by lamplight. When I arrived home I found that the Voyce's cat had come

into the kitchen, knocked the cover off the big baked pudding and eaten all but the

middle! My little pudding was safe in the cupboard but there had been no room for the

big one. All at once the sound of an approaching jeep heralded my visitors, Effie,

Lucy, Trevor, Doc., Allen, and Alistair McDonald. They said they could stay for two

hours. Trevor and Doc. went off to try to fix the generator but it wasn't possible. In the

dim lamplight I was quite glad that no one could examine the dinner too closely

though they did laugh with me about the naughty cat. They each wanted a bath having

been travelling on the boat for a few days, so in between organizing that and

collecting up the mail to go north I enjoyed snatches of English sentences. The bath

water was boiled in a copper under the house. Lucy and Allen were going straight out

on furlough after Synod. Alice McDonald was looking after their new little son back

in Choiseul. Trevor was building the church at Bilua and looking forward to having

Gloria and the children back with him from furlough. Effie, my special friend, was

encouragingly there, but in no time at all we were saying good-bye. As the jeep was

swallowed up in the night I could scarcely believe that they had come and gone. Alas,


I had forgotten to give them the eggs and the biscuits! Though the friendly girls were

standing with me I have seldom felt so lonely.

An Outing to the Beach

A few afternoons later I picked a bunch of flowers, gathered some five corners (fruit)

and set off for the beach. The girls wanted to visit Mr. Shaw's store and I knew that

Mrs. Shaw was almost due to have her baby. I found that Mrs. Shaw was at Kangu

ready to go to Rabaul but there was another couple at the settlement too as the work of

gathering up pieces of wrecked planes and melting them into aluminium bricks was a

big business. I enjoyed this outing and purchased some salt and batteries while the

girls were choosing their material and soap. Dorcas Moata and her children Dora,

Evalini, John and Margaret came with us. Every chance to see the sea is precious. The

horizon is so far away and the sky is so wide as you stand on the beach! Being

hemmed in by the bush makes you long to be able to see outwards and upwards. Time

after time the girls lined up at the high water mark then ran together down into the

breaking swell. It was the first time Nujo, a new girl from the Uisai mountains, had

been in the sea but after much squirming and squealing Emily eventually shepherded

her into the water. She was terrified at first of the noise and the strength of the waves

but by the time we had to leave she was enjoying it all. We arrived back home just

before sunset, tired and happy with some beach ice-plant cuttings to grow on the edge

of our bomb crater.

David and His Smooth Stones

"In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Paul

wrote that in Romans 8:37 after listing some of the things that might discourage us. I

wanted to preach from this text to encourage my hearers with this truth, so before

hand I made a plasticine model of David, dressed it, made a pouch for his five smooth

stones and plaited a little coconut leaf sling. We know that after he had killed Goliath

he still had four stones left. He was more than a conqueror. He could have dealt with

Goliath's brothers. In Jesus Christ we are able to overcome difficulties without coming

to the end of strength. In Him we can keep going. Even the youngest in the

congregation seemed to get the point as they saw the smooth stones lined up along the

edge of the pulpit. It is a wonderful truth to remember that when we are walking with

Jesus His strength is there for us. I needed visual aids especially because I was not

speaking in their heart languages but I think it is always good to have something to see

as well as to hear.

Pork for Dinner

A pig that continually came rooting round in his potato garden troubled one of the

teachers, Naurong. He went home to Siwai in the weekend and came back with his

hunting dog called Tiger. In a few days we were given a very nice piece of pork, some

for me and a big piece for the girls. Pig owners beware. Keep your pigs inside their


fences or you may lose them! Pigs do a huge amount of damage even in one night and

I was to have many struggles with this type of problem in our mission gardens.

Naurong had recently preached about hiding God's word in your heart. He said that

sometimes we hide bad things because we are ashamed, but we hide good things to

keep them safe. We need to be careful about what we are hiding. Bad things

eventually get found out. God's word hidden in our hearts is always worthwhile. I was

constantly amazed at what Ovini, Henry Moata and the other teachers showed us out

of the Bible verses. Even though English was not their own language the Holy Spirit

interpreted it to them and helped them to express in their own languages or pidgin the

essence of what God is saying which is wonderfully relevant to our situations. Keep

reading the Bible. It is still a very powerful book.

The wind blew and whipped up the waves so much that the Gona. Mr Shaw's boat was

washed on to the beach. All day from after early Lotu until evening our school and

plantation boys joined the Police and Government work boys to get it afloat again.

They worked with ropes from the shore and the wreck to complete this difficult task.

It was a long heavy boat and needed all the manpower that could be mustered to push

and pull. No school that day but while some girls worked on the painting and spring-

cleaning at Ada's house others worked hard in a new patch of garden. They even

managed to have a number of bonfires, burning the twigs and other rubbish that was

too small to bring back for their cooking fires.

Anchored at Buin, Malakuna, Cicely II and the MV Gona by the wharf


CHAPTER 3:

Time for Merle and Pamela to join Kemueli and Aliti at Tonu

At the end of August the people began coming back from Synod, calling in to see us

again on the way. Bob Mannell managed to pick up my 27 small boxes, ex-Malaita,

from Kieta. He stayed at Kihili and after fixing the weapons carrier was able to take

some of them and Merle's boxes and medical things into Siwai ahead of us. At last, on

the 3rd September, Bob was able to take Merle and me to Tonu with the rest of the

cargo, complete with a kitten and plants for the garden. It was wonderful to be able to

get everything up there ready to be unpacked, without having to leave some of it

beside the road somewhere for later transport. Ada and the ones with her had arrived

at Kihili after 9pm the night before so there wasn't much time for talking however

when the others had gone to bed we were able to talk about the highlights, one of

which was the prayer meeting to begin each Synod day.

Bob Mannell driving the Weapons Carrier with Merle Carter on its way to Tonu.

(Pamela took the photo)

We spent the week unpacking, scrubbing, sweeping, nailing (and unnailing), turning

the house and storeroom back into a home. Twelve of my margarine boxes formed the

cupboard in my bedroom and twelve in my office for school supplies and as a

bookshelf. Uncle Norman France had gathered these steady boxes from Ernest Adams

Factory where he was the electrician who designed and looked after the ovens. It was

wonderful to have a place to put things away and with curtains in front of them they

served me for a very long time. These boxes also were highly praised for being small

and easy to handle in transit. When door curtains and such like were found and hung

up our home began to look very pretty. There were no doors, except on the food safe,

but I did fasten a piece of wire with little bells on it to be hooked up inside my curtain

when I went to bed to warn me of any intruder trying to get in. I know that God had


angels on duty round us who kept us safe. Psalms 3 and 4 were comforting to us but it

is also awesome to know that our Heavenly Father is watching over us all the time.

Kemueli, the Fijian minister, and his wife Aliti had done a lot of work establishing

Tonu as a mission station, with houses for boys and teachers, one for the girls and a

maternity ward and a church. Next to his house he had a store and a rice house. Over

the river they had begun to build the hospital. Merle was glad that the maternity ward

was by our house because in the first four weeks she delivered five babies. Being the

only nurse it was particularly hard when the babies came at night after a hard day

seeing to clinics and outpatients. Not long after we arrived the Roman Catholic Father

fell off his motorbike on the swing bridge. The Sisters at Monoitu were away so he

sent for Merle to come to come to see to his wounds. Fortunately, though they were

deep, they healed up well. All through the years the staff of our two mission stations

helped each other out in many different emergencies and on happy occasions too.

Released from Prison

On our first Sunday back at Tonu people from the whole area came to welcome us, in

fact there were so many people that the floor of our class-room church broke on the

women and children's side. Naaru and Pataaku welcomed us and Kemueli preached.

This was followed by Class Meeting, testimony time. I was especially moved when

Mangung (later Isaiah Mangung) from Tonui spoke. He had been released from prison

the day before our journey home so he travelled up with us. He was in prison because

he broke his slate over a girl's head in school one day at Kihili. His temper was

something to be reckoned with and he was not allowed back to school for a time. With

great courage and sincerity he confessed his sin and spoke of his time in prison. He

said he knew he was a 'man-no-good, bilong bikhed na kros' (proud and angry) but he

wanted to be born again as Jesus had told Nicodemus in John 3. (He must have been

reading his New Testament in prison.) He said that he hadn't got the strength to

overcome his bad ways by himself but was very sorry and he knew that Jesus could

help him. I didn't see him after the service but I know that I really prayed for him in

the following days. Actually his story went on to be remarkable and I will write it

when we get up to those on-going miracles. Merle and I prayed that we might be able

to learn the language accurately so that our mouths could be more useful.

Setting up our First Tank

During the week one group of village men came to finish building the girls' dormitory,

others were working on the hospital and the Tonu men were building the church.

Hasing and Namarai put up the tank, a reclaimed fuel tank from an aeroplane, on

really solid posts beside the kitchen so that the water off the iron roof there could be

directed into it. At last we had a tap from which water flowed. The next problem was

to teach our new girls how to turn it on and off. This is an art we have learned from

our earliest days but turning door handles and taps and many other things was not

second nature to them. They could turn it crookedly and wrench it out of its socket. In


a very short time our tank and drums were over-flowing. How to wash a floor other

than just throwing a bucket of water over it is another thing that has to be taught and

demonstrated over and over. As for ironing, I had no idea it was so difficult until I

tried to get my helpers to do it! We have some Mrs. Potts irons to heat up on the stove

but there is an art to manoeuvring them without burning the clothes.

Merle contemplating our first water tank from an aeroplane wreck, 1954

Merle was very busy delivering babies which meant that it was often hard for her to fit

in some sleep as babies come at all times of day and night and are sometimes very

slow in actually arriving. When Merle did clinics a and lots of injections I helped by

writing down the names. The days were full!

On our second Sunday we biked for two hours down to Musiraka to take services

thereabouts. One service had a small attendance because some of the men had been

called out to help the Government truck through the Miwo. Merle was able to see

Mangung's hospital before we were called to a special dinner at Monori's house. On

the way back we called in at Harinai where the twins, Mary and Martha lived. As

before, Martha was thriving but Mary was not so well. Mary recognized me making

me very happy by clinging to me. Joan and I had looked after her over a year before at

Tonu. The afternoon was really hot and many of the congregation had difficulty in

keeping awake but Lotu was held at Sam, 10am, 2.30pm and 6pm on Sundays,

everywhere. At least it gave me the opportunity to preach at two villages on my

Sunday visits. I enjoyed doing it and the people seemed glad to listen to someone

different.

When school classes started I had 51 on the roll, including a number of girls as

borders but attendance depended on government work, the state of pig fences, coughs

and malaria. Mutona and Kuheu helped me with the younger children. The day I

began classes no teachers turned up because they were helping the Tonu people to

make sago to help to feed our boys and their families. Making sago takes teamwork

over several days, as I was to discover later. Our new classroom was one big building


with a floor in it, which made it easier for me to look after all the classes. I divided

them according to reading ability. Preparation for school took up my evenings.

In the afternoons I needed to supervise the girls with their gardens for food and for

laying out the lawns and paths around the houses. One afternoon they caught a

centipede and two snakes. One centipede, sighted on the roof post of our veranda, was

expertly dispatched. Centipedes are clever at escaping!

We needed to be very careful about keeping the ground swept round the outside and

underneath our houses. There were several Japanese foxholes underneath our floor but

the houses were about three feet above the ground so that any trails of white ants

could be noticed quickly. These termites work with great speed. We needed to keep a

close eye on all our high quality hardwood foundation posts because the hungry

creatures would build a mud- casing on the outside of the posts to give them access to

the softer wood of the superstructure as well as books and clothes and everything

inside the house.

Visiting Kiaps, (European Government Officers) visited us, bringing our mail,

whenever they were travelling nearby. Sometimes my students had to go to take their

turn at carrying these officers' cargo. They would join the village men forming a long

line and carrying all the equipment needed for camping out and doing their work.

Each carrier was paid for his work. Some Kiaps were surveying ground, some

inspecting the hygiene of the village settlements, some inspecting health or taking a

census, some were holding court sessions but whatever they were busy with they

enjoyed coming in for a cup of tea and a chat. We enjoyed having someone to fix

things that had us puzzled. It was a great chance to have an English conversation. I

remember one officer saying, after listening to a torrent of my pidgin, "Sister, I do

understand English."

One of the students told me that he would be away for a month to fix his pig fence

because he had been taken to court and fined in the village the evening before. His

pigs had escaped and badly damaged Nawa's potato crop. Pigs can do a lot of damage

in one night!

Sewing Classes

I began sewing classes for the girls with the project of each one making a

handkerchief. This required tacking and then hemming so it took some time.

Threading needles and making a firm start on the first stitch takes a lot of time but it

will be worth the effort in years to come. I seemed to have the usual queues waiting

for my helping hand. The hand machine I had bought needed to be oiled and cleaned

of rust. It was very useful in time but first every girl needed to be able to do tacking,

backstitch and hemming by hand.

Letters from home with family news was always a highlight. The great news that mail

day was that Paul (my brother) and Joan had become engaged and Meriel had got her

driving license. In connection with a youth conference my father wrote a sentence I


loved for two reasons, "Smoke won't boil the kettle. What we need is fire." At that

stage we were hoping to get another section of chimney so that it could go through the

roof instead of sideways. Wet wood and smoke make meal preparation more difficult.

Sometimes everyday work seems to produce just smoke!

Hianu

I went to Tonu village for afternoon Lotu and found Naaru was sick so he asked me to

take the service, a challenge I continually faced but enjoyed. I showed Merle round

the village later meeting up with those who used to be my close neighbours. I missed

Sara and asked Naaru about the family. The children, Neewai, Mitakori, Simon and

Tararu were there but I learned that Sara's husband, Hianu was now harder to find. He

used to be a pastor teacher who had saved Sara in the garden when she picked up a

hand grenade with the rubbish. He took it from her to hurl it in the river but it went off

in his hand. He was an excellent gardener, even with only one hand, but the shell

shock had taken away his normality. Each night he built himself a little shelter near

his garden and faithful Sara would cook him a meal and search for him till she found

him. It was very sad. Mitakori lived with us in the girls' house. Simon and Tararu

came to school each day but Neewai was often down at the coast working with the

men reclaiming metal near Kihili. Sometimes Hianu visited me with pineapples and

other produce but though he talked to us there was not much sense in what he said.

Brave Bomb Disposals Soldiers

Mr. Hume and Mr. Floreston were the first of many bomb disposal men to visit us. As

they shared a cup of tea I began to realize how many men had lost their lives during

the war finding out how bomb fuses of different types work. Apparently they worked

with a tape recorder describing exactly what they were doing. For instance, "I am

turning the nut on the right hand side, one turn, two turns, half a turn ..." Perhaps it

might blow up then, killing the man, but the next man would know not to touch that

screw but to try another one. The men, to whom we were talking, were on the way to

Toira, a village about an hour's walk from us, where they were going to detonate an

unexploded bomb recently found in a garden. Later we heard lots of explosions as the

people had pointed out many bombs to them. We had a small barrage on the mission

station one day when someone's bonfire in the garden caught up with a number of

cartridges that had been gathered in the rubbish.

About this time there was a dreadful wail in the night, "Akai ne, Akai ne, Akai ne!" I

bounded out of bed thinking someone had a centipede bite. Merle was hot on my trail

but when we got to the muli tree I found it was Simon, Hianu's son, who seemed to be

out of his mind. Hasing, who came with him, explained that Simon sometimes had

these turns. Hasing assured me that someone was going to die and that this spirit came

close to Simon and made him sing out and walk about. Up on our veranda Merle

examined Simon and gave him some medicine before sending him home to sleep

again. In the morning he was back at school and quite all right but Merle decided that


some iron tonic and Vitamin B would help him to better health. We didn't hear that

any one died about that time.

After a busy week, with the washing and the baking done, Merle and I celebrated

Saturday by visiting the hospital site to see the latest improvements. The people had

been planting up some sweet potato gardens as food for patients later. The buildings

are on a high, tongue-shaped plateau of land between the Kutana and the Pintai

Rivers. These are fast flowing creeks with steep banks covered in ferns and bush. We

visited the lovely spring down by the Pintai where the water flowed out like a lavish

supply of water, like molten silver from between three very large mossy rocks. The

trees in that grotto locked out the sunlight. Where the water poured from the rock

someone had placed a piece of sago leaf to direct the flow into one channel so that it

looked as if it were pouring out of a lion's mouth in the best fountain tradition. This

spring always produced an abundance of good clean water.

An Unhappy Baby

The next day, Sunday, straight after breakfast, outpatients crowded round our front

door, including a father with a seven-month-old baby girl. When he and his wife had

quarrelled the night before she had run away leaving him with the baby. Merle had

been called to the maternity ward so I made some milk and tried to give it to the little

one. She objected very strongly to my white skin, screaming as loudly as she could. I

gave her back to her father because he obviously thought I was hurting her but he

didn't make much progress either. He just didn't have the beginning of the knack of

giving milk to a baby. Eventually we gave up for a while. He took the baby for a walk

and we went to Lotu. In the afternoon I took the baby into the kitchen out of sight of

her father and managed with a cup and spoon to get about 6 ounces of milk into the

poor frightened little baby. I bathed her and put her to bed in a big basket. When she

settled I sent the father off to find his wife. She started crying again but the girls

helped me by taking turns to carry the baby for walks. We took her to Lotu where she

was very good because they discovered that if they covered her head with a cloth she

didn't know who had her and went to sleep. Later on her mother appeared and the

child was in no doubt of this person's identity as she made up for lost time drinking

happily. We were mightily relieved! The new baby Merle was helping into the world

was born before dark too, so all was quiet in our world again.

60 Children on the School Roll

On Friday afternoons I tried to make workbooks and spelling lists for each class for

the following week as well as apparatus for the children the beginning classes.

Marking the essays of the older children provided the light entertainment. In evening

Lotu the boys were gazing at something in the saksak roof somewhere above us. I

couldn't see what it was but I guessed if might be a snake. I had been reading Agnes

Sandford's book "Healing Light" so in harmony with her, I thought 'I belong to God

and the snake belongs to God so there is nothing but love between me and the snake.'


However I didn't concentrate very well. Afterwards the boys told me it was a very

long centipede, which crawled into the saksak to hide. I hope it comes out at a suitable

time to be caught, not Sunday morning! A centipede can certainly create chaos. They

jump unpredictably and their bite is exceedingly painful. I was very soon able to

distinguish the sound of a centipede walking and also the peculiar munching of

termites eating. We need to know these things.

Merle called me over to the Maternity Ward as she struggled to help a mother from

Morone whose baby was in breach position. Merle, with Esita and myself, worked for

hours doing all we could but finally the baby was stillborn. The poor mother needed

two hot water bottles and extra blankets to get warm when it was all over. The baby

didn't breathe in spite of Merle's best efforts. Such times are very sad but at least the

mother lived through this ordeal.

Visiting Matukori

Kemueli and Aliti went to Matukori and Kakotokori with their children for the Sunday

services. When they were away Naaru asked me again to take his service for him and I

found, as usually happened, that God gave me the message to preach straight away. It

is good to be able to have time to prepare but if there isn't time the thoughts just

tumble out. I enjoy it. I had prayed that there might be someone somewhere who could

take mail down to Kangu for us and in that service there was a stranger who said he

was going that way the next day. God is good.

All the mission boys were invited to Matukori to a big feast to lift the tambu off the

ground of a man who had died long ago. Before the thirty pigs were killed all the

guests with their panpipes had a night of dancing in a circle, to the beat of the slit

gongs. The next day I taught school until 10am, but most of the class was fighting

valiantly to stay awake. After Recess I took the 'slept-last-nights' for singing and we

had a good time. A baby had been born on the road as the mother tried to reach Tonu

in time. Later that night another baby was born and then in the morning Mitakori came

running to tell us that another mother had had her baby by the river. The Maternity

Ward was full and the school roll was also constantly increasing. We had plenty to do.

It was time to build an extension to the maternity ward so as the schoolboys needed to

help with that, I envisioned some extra time to do other things. About 1pm 'George,

the Bomb' from Lancashire and 'Don the Bomb' from Tasmania, arrived on the

doorstep. Merle made lunch for them and they invited themselves back for dinner in

the evening, with their radio, as they were staying at Tonu Village. In the darkness an

audience gathered round outside intrigued with the pidgin session from Port Moresby.

We didn't have a radio and the whole experience was new to those who lived near to

us. The men wanted to play 500 with us but it seemed very complicated to me. The

redeeming feature of the evening was that it taught me to be a little more sociable!

The next day the roof was on the building and part of the floor down; excellent

progress with bush materials and great co-operation. The girls were able to help with


'boning' the saksak leaves so that they could be sewn into strips of thatch by the older

men. It wasn't long before the building was in use. Merle was glad to be able to have

some input into the layout of things inside the building but Kemueli was annoyed at

what ( he felt was her interference. He came from Rotuma in Fiji and when he was

angry he was very frightening.

Kemueli and his family went out to a village on Sunday. Monori failed to arrive to

take our Sunday Lotu but Merle stepped ably into the pulpit. It was Merle's weekend

to cook but as she found she had a patient in labour straight after Lotu, I took over

making dinner. The wood was wet but our trusty bellows puffed the fire into life. The

girls can all direct a steady flow of breath on to a tiny ember but my skill in that art

needs more practice. I don't remember whether the bellows came from army supplies

but I was very grateful for them.

Just as everything was coming to the boil, Father Flannery arrived. He was glad of a

cold drink and was in no hurry to leave so dinner was put on hold. We all need

someone to talk to who can understand what we are saying. After he had gone I took a

snack to Merle who was feeling very hungry. The baby was in trouble with its cord

tightly round its neck but because of Merle's skill the mother was able to rejoice in a

bonny baby daughter, safely delivered. We finally had dinner about three in the

afternoon, but we were glad to be where we were needed.

Later, writing home, I commented that it was time to put everyone to bed. The singing

from the boys' house was a sing-sing chant off key to my ears, and the girls from their

mats were definitely misguided as they sang, "Guide me O Thou great Jehovah". They

couldn't hear each other and in the middle of it all I couldn't think straight. In my spare

moments I had managed to write in 78 Christmas Cards that my mother had designed

and sent out to me. It was October and they were ready to be sent on their way. I was

very rarely up to date with my correspondence but I knew that to have prayer help

from people at home I needed to keep them up 1 to date with what was happening.

Broken Steps

Our back steps fell to bits for which we were truly thankful! I kept my eye on the

making of the new ones, trying to put in a few suggestions without appearing bossy!

Steps are so important to our well-being. Our helpers 1 make their requests of us too.

Recently I received a letter asking me if I had enough mosquitoes for three men! He

meant mosquito nets.

Two new girls, Misinau and Huwereku, came to live with us but Puiri went home

because some boys put mud where the girls sit in the church. The joys of having

teenaged children! Pihani had rubbed his hands, one evening, over work I had put on

the blackboard for the next day's classes. As he couldn't write much at all he had to

suffer me directing his hand while he rewrote, the next day, the work he had spoiled. It

took quite a long time but he, and others, learned a valuable lesson. "


Quarterly Meeting at Kihili

We had been asked to come to Kihili for a Quarterly Meeting as Mr. Metcalfe was

arriving from the Solomons. On Saturday afternoon, when I had given up hope of

seeing the Weapons Carrier arrive and had „ decided that I wasn't going to Kihili,

Ovini arrived on his bike. It was two-thirty in the afternoon but he said the jeep was

waiting at the Sirupai for us and he had come to escort us immediately. What a scurry!

Merle had been up until two in the morning delivering a baby and we had both had a

very busy morning. The boys fixed Merle's bike and by 3.15 we were on our way. The

weather was helpfully cloudy and we peddled that downhill bike ride faster than we

had ever done before. The rivers were reasonable enabling us to reach the Sirupai by

dusk. The jeep lights were not functioning well, making a long weary ride of the next

section but at least we were being carried along to arrive at Kihili after nine. Ada was

surprised to see us but we are learning to live with the unexpected.

Dedicating New Catechists

The next day Mr. Metcalfe led the church services. These included the dedication of

six new catechists: Timothy Toworai, Samson Pataaku, Simon Kirahoni, Jacob

Kukuwe, Solomon Donguhoring, and Henry Moata. These men were each in charge of

a number of Pastor-teachers. On the Monday we had sectional meetings for Kieta,

Uisai, Buin, Siwai and Nagavisi areas ready for the three hour Quarterly Meeting the

following day. We had a memorable Communion Service together on the Wednesday

but in between these happenings there were account books to straighten, minutes to

write and many conversations to enable our points of view to be expressed.

The Journey Home Again On Thursday we set out at 7am in the Weapons Carrier with enough cargo and mail to

last us a long time!

Ovini, Merle and extra passengers

Alas, all went well till our vehicle stopped dead in the middle of the wicked Sirupai, a

very sandy river. We had to unload some of the things and push and heave the vehicle


until finally it reached the other side. Water had found its way into the petrol causing a

three-hour wait during which time I was able to read my hastily gathered up mail.

Later Merle and I decided we would walk on with Tony and a few things with two

small boys to help us. We were just over the Poro River 1½ hours later when the W.C.

caught up with us again but frustratingly in going through the river the works had

again imbibed some water. After a while we walked on again, reaching the

Government Rest House at Aku about 5.30.

Everyone, including me, helping to carry the cargo across the river

to lighten the load for the vehicle.

By the time the "motor car" arrived on the scene about 7pm Ovini and the boys

decided that the water was getting into the petrol through a crack in the pipe leading to

the tank. The old seersucker dress I was wearing lengthened itself as I waded through

every river so I cut about four inches off the hemline with my nail scissors to provide

a bandage for the pipe. There is a story about a woman who had her petticoats cut to

her knees, who then began to shiver and she began to sneeze, but that wasn't my fate

because the hem was wet anyway and that made less dampness to sleep with.

A number of teachers and other people on the move had decided to make Aku their

resting-place for the night so we gathered them all together for Lotu before we settled

down to sleep. Merle and I had some bread buns and opened a tin of cheese for tea.

Ada always provided us with 'tamari' 'food for the road'. She had also given me three

new pandanus rain mats and a big bag of kapok. Kihili kapok trees were very prolific

and we needed to make some pillows. The rain mats were our welcoming beds and the

pillow was big enough for both of us to rest our heads on part of it. It was a cold night.

A furry creature woke me up by chewing my toenail. It was picnic night for the rats

and the mosquitoes.

At 1a.m. a noisy crowd arrived. Merle thought we were surrounded by marauders but I

soon recognized some voices. The mission boys and Kemueli had heard of our

troubles and had arrived to help us to carry everything home. With a little persuasion

we encouraged them to find a space on the floor to have a sleep until morning. What a

night it was! I kept getting the giggles as I thought about all that was happening.


Early in the morning our chariot had yet more water removed from the petrol and after

Lotu we set off again. The next problem was to fix a bridge so once again Merle and I

walked on to be picked up later. We left Tony with the truck so were able to enjoy the

pleasant walk through the jungle before the sun got too hot. We employed our time

sharpening our wits with a text battle, i.e. recalling a Bible verse beginning with the

next letter in the alphabet from a to z. Later we were all seated again on the nicely

purring chariot when we bumped over some holes in the road. There was one bump

too many, which bent something important. This time as we walked on we left the

Weapons Carrier far, far behind us. We stopped at the 'House Drink' just over the

Mopiai River because all that we had had through the morning was a handful of water

at the Miwo River. The 'House Drink' was one of many new similar enterprises set up

beside the road at this time. For two shillings each we had a piece of watermelon, a

drink of tea and some fancy-shaped peanut butter sandwiches. This was very

refreshing. A little way further on we met Naaru and some more teachers coming to

help us. It was a great chance for a rest sitting down in the middle of the road and

swapping the latest news.

Is the truck still coming?

On we went again meeting many people in their gardens, which they were now

making close to the road instead of hidden in the bush as in previous times. The sun

got hotter and the patches of shade fewer and further apart. Our legs kept on going but

it was an effort. At Monoitu Roman Catholic Mission Station we called in to see our

friends, the Sisters, there. They gave us a cool drink, then sandwiches and a real cup

of tea. We always had plenty of talk to share with each other and enjoyed calling in on

each other at such walk-about times. When we stood up again we realized that we

were a bit stiff but that vanished as we pushed on towards home, arriving there about

three in the afternoon. Kousa's baby just waited till we arrived to be born which was

fortunate because he had a lot of mucus in his mouth and would probably have died

without Merle's assistance. When everything was straight again for the next baby we

sank gratefully into our own luxurious beds to rest our weary bones. We must have

walked about 20 miles in those two days.


The truck finally broke down at Harinai and the cargo had to be carried from there.

The next week Ovini sent word for the boys to come to turn the truck around and push

it back over the river so that the government truck could tow it back to Kihili. When I

realized what was happening the boys had already left so I set off with Puiri and Esita

to take the parcel mail to the rendezvous, hurrying all the way and praying that God

would help us to get there in time. They were just pushing the truck through the river

as we arrived so I lent a feeble hand to push it up the other side, Wonderful! It was six

miles to walk home and in between our big journey and this one we had been to

Purikori to take the Sunday Lotu so we were in good shape but we were really glad to

be able to get on with work at Tonu. School for me, but at recess time Merle, called

me to help her in the Maternity ward with a baby that wasn't breathing well.


CHAPTER 4:

New Church Opened Early in the morning of the 13th of November the boys and girls were all busy

sweeping not only the cleared ground but also the clover lawn so that everything was

looking in top condition. The boys covered the floor (ground) in the church with sand.

The girls polished the big brass cartridges and put branches of yellow cassia flowers

into them. The boys added croton leaves and coconut fronds to the display. The two

doorways were closed with coconut fronds. Blue and white monkey faces and other

flowers were threaded on bush vines and looped across the inside of the building, the

whole effect bringing the bush into the building to proclaim the glory of God. Food

was being cooked and in the evening the choir pieces were practised yet again. Two

people gave us pieces of pork and Naaru gave us a rooster as well.

Kemueli, Merle and students getting ready for the feast to open the church, 1954

The next morning Naaru sent a message to say that when the food was ready the bell

would be rung for church. Some time after eleven the procession of men, women,

babies, pots and baskets began to arrive. Children were everywhere and the

excitement was intense. After a hymn and a prayer outside the Rev. Kemueli declared

the church open and removed the barriers from the two doorways. In his sermon

Kemueli spoke about church buildings but then reminded them that each worshipper is

a temple of the Living God. It was a real thrill to have this special place for morning

and evening Lotu and for Sunday Lotus right in the midst of our houses. It was good

to realize as well that the school building was now free to be set up as a school all the

time.

Afterwards, as the sun shone brightly, coconut fronds were set out on t the clover

lawns, and then covered with big green leaves with purple undersides, to receive the

food. What a feast! Sweet potatoes cooked in different ways, yams, fish, pork roasted

in leaves, tapioca puddings in oblong leaf parcels and some in balls cooked in coconut


cream and saucepans of greens in coconut cream and lots more delicacies were set out

on the "table". Everybody was very happy and certainly no one could have remained

hungry. Evening Lotu was another very happy time and I prayed that that building

might become a special meeting place with God for everyone.

Happy Girls After evening Lotu on the day of the church opening Nino's stepfather came to see us

to take Nino away. Her birth family lived on Manus Island but her mother had married

this Siwai man when he had worked there on a plantation. Manus people have really

pale skins and Nino was regarded as extra special in this land of dark-skinned people.

When an older man offered a good bride price to her stepfather it looked as if her

mission days were over but she was allowed to remain with us overnight while we

talked and prayed about it. The prospective husband already had a wife and children

and Nino had no wish to belong to him. She made her wishes clear and if they had

insisted that she marry the man, a Government Officer on his next visit to the area

would have held a court to set her free. She was allowed to stay and remained as a

schoolgirl and later a nurse trainee. The other girls were very happy to have her with

them.

Nino minding Ropiai

A few afternoons later, after a heavy rainstorm, I went to call the girls to sewing class

and found them at the elbow of the river in the muddy water feeling under the bank for

prawns. This is one of their favourite pastimes! Two girls feel under the bank while a

third one stands behind them with a big round net to catch the frightened backwards-

swimming creatures. They had gathered quite a catch so they gave us some and a little

fish as well for our tea. Some of the prawns were as big as my finger and others as big

as my hand but they all had fearsome nippers. On the next gardening afternoon I

helped them to plant the steep banks down to the river near our houses in rows of

pineapples. It is easy to get many side shoots off growing pineapple plants so

multiplication is a joy. They are very prickly though and need to be handled with care,

unless they are the big queen pineapples, which don't have thorns.


Maiha

When I was at Tonu in 1952 Maiha was a young married man who did not come to

school but was very helpful. After a few months of married life his wife died of

cerebral malaria. He was very upset and wrote me a letter asking me to pray for him.

Shortly after that he went away to work on a plantation but I kept on praying for him.

When I returned in 1954 he was not with the other mission boys because Kemueli had

sent him away for being part of some grumbling campaign. I was sorry but a little later

he developed a dreadful cold and came to stay on the station with his relation Kuheu,

who taught the primers. Maiha wanted to be near the outpatients that Merle ran from

our doorstep before the hospital was built. I looked for the courage and an opportunity

to talk to him. My chance came a few days later, after which Maiha went to Kemueli

to ask permission to return to school. That evening he came to me to say that Kemueli

said he could come back if I would let him. I spoke about the need for obedience and

helpfulness and asked him if he had asked Jesus to forgive him. We spoke about

becoming a new person in Jesus. His reply was that he really wanted to follow Jesus,

knowing that Jesus was able to help him on this hard road. He came back to school,

working very diligently and trying to catch up in study to make up for lost time. He

became a good example to the younger students and a big help in the smooth running

of mission life.

As time went on I asked him if he would be prepared to go to Banga to train as a

pastor-teacher. He was pleased to be asked as he had been thinking about it himself. I

was very happy indeed but kept praying that he would keep on following Jesus. Many

people make a good beginning but some give up before they reach the goal. God is so

good. He does hear our prayers and can keep those we have placed in his care.

The others in that senior class were due for a change the following year too. Moimoru,

from Uisai, and Maiha went to Banga and Simon and Misiu went to Teop High

School. Misiu went on to become a doctor in Port Moresby and Simon worked as a

Government Agricultural worker before training later as a minister.

Exams for Everyone

I began with Class One pupils who were all very keen. When I had heard everybody

read except the little mute girl, Ruha, she heard her name mentioned and hurried to my

side, trying very conscientiously to make some sounds. While she watched my lips she

got a better idea of what to do and I resolved to spend more time with her in the future

to help her to speak and read. She was a good listener. The next day I heard each of

the children in the upper classes read and gave them some written tests in spelling and

their beloved Arithmetic. The lower classes had to do their exams on their slates so I

had to mark their work quickly. The older ones with pencils were able to use paper,

which I could mark at home. We have to use English numbers for maths because the

Siwai people have about thirty-five different ways of counting, with different

numerals for different types of things.


English and printing exams were reasonably done but Class 2's health answers showed

a great lack of knowledge. One bright one thought we should drink good water so that

we can have plenty of spit. (I was hoping to confirm the idea that good clean water

kept us from getting sick.) Spitting is a real problem in this T.B.-ridden place so I

didn't want more of that. Other exams were in comprehension, Scripture, General

Knowledge and Social Studies. Moimoru and Misiu were far ahead of the others in

answering the questions, but Kungma, Tutou, Kombarako and Sema did well too.

For a break from exam fever I taught them all "Unto us a boy is born" from the Oxford

book of carols. It was quite hard for them to learn it all in English but they were very

keen to master it for the Christmas service. Tono, who is not a great scholar, helped

Merle to make some desiccated coconut to give variety to our baking.

One afternoon the kitchen girls made a sudden dash to the end of the veranda. I saw a

whole string of people going past our house along the road with one man in front

swinging a stick but the girls recognized that he was the witch doctor trying to divine

who was the cause of a baby's I recent death. (The baby almost certainly died of

natural causes.) His aim was to put a curse on the culprit at the request of the relations

of the baby. They paid him for this service. Fortunately they didn't feel we were to

blame. They made no attempt to hide what they were doing.

About this time we had some tremendous rainstorms and loud bursts of thunder and

lightning. I was chewing a crust at lunchtime when a great flash of lightning and

immediate thunderclap on the roof startled me so much that I almost put my jaw out!

Merle was hiking back from Musiraka through it all and made sure to keep her hands

on the rubber handle grips. It seems as if the lightning seeks out metal things, the iron

roof over our kitchen being a prime target.

The Importance of Pigs

I was washing my hair after lunch on Saturday when I heard people on our steps

discussing where I was.

Esita doing the maternity ward washing.


"She is washing", they said as they heard me tipping out my basin of water. With that

they settled down to wait so I decided to rinse my hair before I appeared looking like a

wet hen.

When I asked what they wanted an old lady told me that she was Rumau’s mother and

needed me to know that it would be difficult for them to bring firewood and potato for

her to our hospital. Rumau was with us waiting to give birth to her first baby. Her

parents were Catholics from Hari village but her husband's parents were Methodists

from Panakei. I assured them that it would be hardfor their daughter to walk to

Monoitu at that time and that we would look after her carefully. The thought struck

me that perhaps the trouble was that her mother wanted to stay and be with her for the

baby's birth. Her husband answered my query quickly. "Oh no," he said, "She has a

little pig." The look on my face made him add, "She feeds it every night and every

morning." Even in spite of my tremendous efforts I fear that more than my inside

smiled. They went off happily in the end and Rumau, who wanted to be a Methodist,

stayed with us.

An Overflowing Congregation

The next day, just as we were waiting for Naaru to signal that it was time for Class

Meeting to begin, people arrived from Panakei with a patient in labour. Poor Merle

was looking forward to Lotu but the pretty pink dress had to be set aside as the white

uniform took its place. People swarmed round the house. Almost every woman was

holding a baby or a young child. Naaru took a long time to come but when he

appeared at the bend in the road there was a sudden surge towards the church. To ring

the bell seemed unnecessary but I rang it for those having a little siesta, who had not

noticed the migration. With Naaru inside and me outside we tried to sandwich more

and more, and still more people into the church, About 60 children were seated on the

platform and every inch of log seating was sat upon. Babies and small children were

nursed of course so that you might say that most of the seats in the middle and on the

right hand side (the women's side) were doubly sat on. A few babies screamed lustily

at this overcrowding so they and their mothers went out and formed the curtains on the

outsides of the window spaces. A log was placed on the ground outside the men's wall

and a rowful of men, the length of the church, sat there. We saw them during the

hymns when we all stood up and when some of them stood to speak of God's

goodness to them, at testimony time. It was a good service with a great sense that we

all belonged together to something big and important, the Family of God, the Church.

Naaru preached about the "No room in the Inn" problem, reminding us to let Jesus into

our hearts, while not allowing Satan to steal Jesus' place in our lives.

In the week that followed the students who had been away at Banga in the Solomons

returned home. Most of the Tonu children went miles down the road with Mutona and

Kuheu to meet the travellers and to help them carry their children and their cargo

home. It was a very wet time so banana leaves enveloped them as they trudged past

our house on the last part of their journey. The next day when the sun shone they came


to shake hands and show us the children in their families. The men and their new

wives had left us as students but they returned as young leaders ready to take their

place in the work and to bring up their little children in a way that honoured Jesus. I

was thrilled to see the difference in Haupe and his wife Puutei. Haupe was a very quiet

boy when he left with his new bride three years before, but it was a fine, broad-

shouldered man who came up our front steps to shake hands with me. He looked every

inch a teacher, not at all like the ineffectual young man I had found at a teaching

practice session at Koau sitting reading his New Testament with his back to his noisy

class. Those days were over. It has made me very happy to see the results of years of

persevering training. Many missionaries have worked together and in different places

to bring about changes that have made a huge difference by the grace of God.


CHAPTER 5:

School holidays

School came to an end for the year and I needed to gather up the reading books and

the slates. I spent part of the afternoon gluing the wooden frames of slates where

necessary. Two girls at a time were going to stay with us for the holidays to help us.

Puiri and Nino stayed first. The lantern, when it fell off the pulpit at evening Lotu, was

broken beyond redemption. Keeping the lamps in good repair was a frequent and

important task.

As Christmas Day was getting nearer the Catholics were carrying a statue of Mary

round all the roads in Siwai. This was quite a procession with banners as well. The

leader chanted "Hail Maria, Mother of God blessed are you among women. Blessed is

the fruit of thy womb." The people answered, "Maria, Mother of God, pray for us." To

cover all the roads in Siwai took many days but they were enthusiastically welcomed

by the faithful. When we heard them coming near to our place I made a dash to

change my torn dress and Merle hunted for her shoes in case Father Flannery should

be amongst them and wanting to pay a social call. Our house was only about five

paces from the road. An old friend from the R.C. village near us brought me two

pineapples and a bunch of bananas to tell me all about the procession. Some in the

procession sought out the Catholic maternity patients and called them to kneel on the

clover at the edge of the road. The inquisitive Methodists stood a little further back.

Afterwards the girls wanted to know if it was really true that Mary had come back to

earth from heaven. Apparently it had been said that the statue came from heaven to the

place where it was found and had only recently been brought to Monoitu. Some

people were taken to 'court' for saying the statue was an idol. The girls wanted to

know if my doll was a Maria too. I had some explaining to do!

Christmas 1955. Mothers and children coming into Tonu.


As many people were coming to enjoy Christmas with us Kemueli, Mutona and

Kuheu took the mission boys into the bush for about four days to find opossums for

the feast. I spent my time finding all the little things I could to wrap up as presents for

those around us on the great day. I dressed a number of peg dolls and found some

extra needles and cottons, some marbles and a ball. We used to buy a big tin of boiled

lollies to use for trade and for extra presents. Merle made fudge and coconut ice. I

cooked some extra trays of biscuits.

In the lead up to Christmas we were given a smoked opossum to keep for the great day

but after it had been in our safe for half an hour we decided we could bear it no longer

and gave it to the girls complete with eyes and claws. They were thrilled and now

have its jawbone hanging in their house so that later they can thread its teeth up as a

necklace. A string of possum teeth is a highly prized possession.

A big flood swept down the Tuning River beside us. These floods come as a wall of

water, sometimes very suddenly. This one swept Puiri, Naaru's wife, off her feet so

that she lost her basket of potato, her sweet corn and her water bottle. Fortunately she

didn't have little Dasake with her. After a while her bruises healed, but it taught us all

to be very careful about crossing rivers. Sometimes floods come down when the sky is

blue and everything looks calm. A cloudburst further inland would make the

difference.

Chosen as Youth Representative

About this time I heard that I had been chosen to be the Youth Representative for the

Methodist Church in New Zealand. That meant that I was the Overseas Sister that they

were to correspond with and pray for. The Youth part included Sunday Schools and I

really enjoyed all the interaction as a result of this. I received many parcels from

Sunday Schools containing all sorts of treasures that the Siwai children were able to

enjoy. Some classes made scrapbooks, which were thoroughly looked at and discussed

in great detail. It was a great privilege to have this extra help and over the years many

people have told me that, because of the contact, they had a lasting interest in mission

work.

Christmas Eve

We were really thrilled to have Sister Ada to stay with us for this special time.

Christmas Eve became a busy day, as Mitakori didn't stay to get her sulpha medicine

properly. Ada came with me to look for her, going first to her parents' house in their

garden. Having led us through the bush on what seemed a long journey though he said

the house wasn't far away. On the way there he pointed out the coconut palm that

marks the spot where Kauma had his drum house in the days when David Pausu first

came to Tonu. We finally came to a clearing where lovely banana palms, peanuts,

pineapples, pumpkins yams and other good things surrounded a house, which had an

earthen floor and looked like an outback shepherd's hut. Domi, being deaf, didn't

know we had come until he looked up and saw us standing beside him. He was grating


tapioca root for the feast. Sara, Mitakori's mother, appeared from inside and said that

her daughter was asleep in their Tonu village house. We set off the other way, down to

the Kutana Stream, round the pig fences and the mission boundary ditch to the village

where we were able to give her, her medicine.

Choirs Singing Through the Night

Halfway through the afternoon some helpers brought us a suitable branch that became

our Christmas tree. We had plenty of people helping us to make it look very pretty. By

9 p.m. the Tonu Women's Choir aided by their small girls and boys enchanted us with

their singing. I was glad to go to bed after that but on the dot of midnight the

Tokunutu choir sang "Glory to God" very well. I got up to give them lollies and then

the procession started as choirs from different villages gathered round our front steps

to sing the good news to us before going to the other houses here and in Tonu Line.

Merle was in the Maternity Ward bringing Rumau's baby into the world. At 1.30 she

called me to help her with a problem that needed another pair of hands. Eventually all

was finished there and we came back to snooze in between choirs. After a little while I

decided to sleep on the sofa in the living room in my dressing gown, so that I was near

to the front steps as the next choir began to sing. For most of the choirs a small boy

had been chosen to hold the lamp high so that the older people could read the words in

their hymnbooks. These children were very tired by daylight! Choirs had come all the

way from distant villages such as Mokorino and Maisua through the night. This

annual carol singing was a real highlight of Christmas for us all.

In the morning we had breakfast early followed by Lotu before we sisters had our

parcel opening time. We had saved recent parcels to be opened on the day. What a

surprise when we found that Ada had carefully carried up, on the handlebars of her

bike, a precious Pyrex dish for us! Our gift to her was a Pyrex dish we had especially

ordered from Sydney for this occasion! All the way up here Ada had been consoling

herself that at least she wouldn't have the breakable dish to manage on the way home.

We had a great laugh and as both dishes were very much needed in our respective

kitchens we enjoyed the joke again each time we used them. My parcel from home

had something from each one in my family bringing waves of love with each

discovery.

Kemueli took the big Lotu outside under the big African Palm Nut trees that Mr.

Voyce had planted before the war. It was all very pleasant and Kemueli preached

about "glory" "peace" and "goodwill". The feast took place in the afternoon, followed

by the Christmas tree but by that time many of the people had already left on their way

home. It rained most afternoons and if the rivers came up a slow-get-away might mean

waiting by a river for the flood to go down. Rain did come and games were

abandoned, then while most people retreated for a sleep, we from overseas had

Christmas cake afternoon tea.

In the days that followed Ada and I sorted out the schools supplies that should come to

Tonu. One night of this brief holiday we played three kinds of dominoes! Another day


I cut Ada's hair very short and gave her a perm. The result was soft and pretty because

the neutralizer wasn't very good but though it probably wasn't long lasting, the general

effect was pleasing. Ada's hair was very fine and curls helped it to be less hot against

her head. That day a pretty little brown-eyed teaching Sister from Sovele came in for a

drink of water on her way to Monoitu. Our contacts with the Catholic Sisters were

always valued and as our house was so close to the road they felt able to call in

whenever they were walking by. She had been walking for many hours and still had

about another hour of trudging along, before she reached the Sisters' House at

Monoitu. In the early days they were not supposed to have a meal with us but that

changed later by Papal Decree and we made up for lost time.

The sick baby Merle was caring for died about 9.30 in the evening. Such an event is

always heart-rending.

The next night there was a big singsing in the rain at Tonui and one man was cut very

badly when his knife slipped out of his hand. They carried him in to us and Merle had

to sew him up. The cut was deep and about a span long. Ada gave the anaesthetic and

I helped Merle with the forceps. First she had to find the two pieces of the tendon to

sew them together again. Next she sewed layers of tissue with blanket stitches Finally

she put 17 stitches in the outside skin. It took over an hour and a half but the man

recovered well without too much pain.

On New Year's Eve I managed to take the midnight service without yawning! A good

crowd came in to say thanks to God for the old year and to ask His blessing on the

new one. January 2nd was a Sunday and Class Meeting so once again crowds of

people came and the service was a long one, as many people wanted to speak. We

were feeling very tired.

Two young men had been seeking to win Nine's hand in marriage. It took much

delicate handling, many prayers and earnest inquiries (as I had been asked to help in

the process) but in the end the 'village court' decided in favour of the suitor whose

father offered the highest bride price. The girls in our house were upset and in Lotu

Nino looked as if she had cried all night. In the end she was allowed to come back to

school and to stay with us until she was married a long time later.

On Monday morning early Ada and some helpers left for Kihili, fortunately arriving at

the Sirupai at the same time as the jeep that had come to meet them. To our great joy

the helpers were able to return with our mail. The

Ladies Guild at Richmond had sent me "Don Camillo's Dilemma' a book which

looked as if it could be funny. How much we enjoyed a little light relief from time to

time. Medicines arrived for Merle too and the next day two carpenters helped Hasing

to make some shelves in the outpatients building to house all the medicines.

My days were filled with preparation of number and reading charts for school. I wrote

these on large pieces of brown paper and nailed them on to sticks with strings to hang

them by. This took a long time but it was fun in between times to visit the and help


Merle with the labelling of the new medicines in neat rows on the shelves. When

Merle dressed the leg wound of the Tonui man she was very pleased with its progress.

Back at the house we found that our really helpful Tono who was working on our

ironing had just received a message from her husband. He had obtained a job with

Aisa, with a place to live near Kihili and wanted her to come. She talked it over and

while we were very sad to see her go we hoped she would be very happy there.

Not having to take school or see to the needs of many boys and girls for the holidays I

was able to enjoy reading "A man called Peter" by Catherine Marshall. How precious

it is to be able to enjoy real fellowship with people of like mind through books. Later

my mother sent me "Mr. Jones meet the Master" a book of Peter Marshall's sermons

which inspired me tremendously in sermon making.


CHAPTER 6:

New Things to Do in 1955

By mid January it was time to say good-bye to students who were to go on to Kihili,

as it was not allowed for our students to go straight from Tonu to other training places.

Kauma, Maiha, Misiu, Simon, Moimoru, Solomon, Haupe and Tahing all set off with

their mats and the rest of their things. I had spent time praying with most of them

separately during the holidays to help them in the choices they had to make and for me

it was quite a hard parting. Most of their fond mothers, fathers, aunts and cousins

shook hands with them outside our house but Naaru and Mutona and a few others

walked on with them. We had been invited to a farewell feast for them at the village

the night before when six pigs had been killed. The women ate with us in Naaru's

house and the men and boys in his meetinghouse. It was a great time of fellowship and

the whole village seemed to be concentrating on good times in the future when these

young people would return as leaders. It was especially hard for Naaru to say good-

bye to Misiu his promising young son of whom he was very fond. Naaru was often

sick and I don't think they saw one another very often after that. Misiu went on to Port

Moresby and became a doctor.

Merle's doctor boy helper went home for his holiday proudly wearing Mr. Shaw's old

sandshoes. Neewai, who worked for Mr. Shaw, had given them to him in a burst of

generosity. While it rained that morning our girl helpers Puiri, Alice, Esita and

Tungori painstakingly took the black seeds out of the ripe kapok pods. It doesn't do to

leave seeds inside kapok pillows because the rats are quickly drawn to them. The next

day was sunny so the new kapok could be spread on mats in the sun and fluffed up.

Baby Miruho

The next day was fine too (12th Jan.) and Pikai from Rataiku arrived with her baby

daughter Miruho. She was over a year old and weighed only 8lb.9 oz, so her poor little

body was just skin and bone.

Miruha as she arrived to be with us.


Merle took the baby into our house and had to send the mother home for a while so

that we could train the baby to eat and drink, to help her to grow. Miruho cried and

slept and cried again but eventually began to respond milk and food. She wasn't used

to being put down to sleep by herself and cried every time we came near to her but

slowly she learned to smile and to understand the routine of her new life. She had two

teeth and learned to sit up a bit. I laughed when I saw a hen looking at her curiously.

Miruho was lying in the shade, on the clover outside, when the hen came near,

stretched her neck, twisted her head so that her eye could get a better view and then

walked away apparently having decided that the 'thing' was human.

On the 17th

Jan a good number of Siwai teachers and Lotu people came to begin

building the hospital ward. The Nagavisi ones came in at sunset after walking all day.

A number of new mission boys came in to take their places in the boys' house and the

next day three new mission girls arrived, Moroi, Kangiri and Huwereku. The whole

place was a hive of industry as posts and saksak (sago leaf thatch) and kanda (bush

vines) were carried in from the bush for the new building.

A Visit from Gordon Cornwell

Midweek Gordon Cornwall pulled up in the Kihili vehicle at sunset on their 14th stop.

They had had petrol blockages all the way and I was amused to see that my skirt hem

was still on duty.

Rev. Gordon Cornwell


With him he had another little baby for us. Doris was from Uisai and about 7months

old. Her mother had died of T.B. and this pretty little child was not well. She joined

Miruho in the babies' room. Miruho had put on over 1lb since she arrived, so we were

encouraged. Gordon came to help us get some limbon (palm bark) from quite a

distance away for the new building. It wasn't easy but Gordon was a resourceful New

Zealander. He mended the lamp, made cupboards, and fixed a tap on a pipe in the

bathroom so that the tank tap is not the only one. He did many other odd jobs as well

to make life easier for us. It was really funny to see one of the girls trying to get water

out of the hole in the tap into the kettle. She had to learn to take the lid off the kettle

and to turn the handle on the tap as well. She also had to learn to turn it off again.

Merle was up the entire night bringing Muku's baby into the world but her other

patient was proving to be a very difficult one. In the morning Gordon set off with

Merle and the patient thinking they might have to try to get to Kangu to the doctor, but

on the way they called in at Monoitu and the Catholic Sisters agreed to take over the

patient. That was a huge help for us but we learned later that the little baby was

stillborn.

Gordon took Quarterly Meeting on Saturday then both services for us on Sunday so

we were really blessed. Tukan, Siron and Tanevi had come with him from Buka and

Kemueli and Aliti invited us all over to their house for a beautifully cooked meal on

the Sunday. Things were going well, as we were all able to work and pray together

and the teachers were willing to go to the appointments that had been worked out for

them. Unity does make the work flourish smoothly. It would be wonderful if it were

always like that.

On Monday morning Gordon left with a great contingent hoping for a ride. He had

great trouble keeping the number of passengers manageable! At Musiraka he took the

marriage service for Emily and Pauru. I had sent a ring to Emily as she requested and

later Pauru brought us a piece of pork. (On furlough I had managed to buy a number

of wedding rings at Woolworth's for these occasions.) They were then on their way to

Goldie College in the Solomons. (Sadly before the end of their three years' training

Pauru cut his toe on coral while playing football and died within the week of tetanus.)

Catechism Questions

I decided to take one catechism question for a week at the beginning of school each

day. They need to know what we believe and what it means. The Ten Commandments

and Jesus' Commandments and the points in the Sermon on the Mount need to be

taught as well as Bible stories. We have plenty of opportunities to cover it all because

we have Lotu night and morning as well as School assembly, and Bible Lessons in

school classes. Outside of school we have Sunday School and Bible Class and I am

really stressing that each student needs to read something from the Bible or the

hymnbook for him/herself each day. They love singing through the hymnbook in their

free time, especially at night. It is good that so many hymns have been based on Bible


verses, especially those written by John and Charles Wesley. The children really

enjoyed the catechism questions and answers at the beginning of each school session.

Paul Mason, Coast Watcher during the War

On a Saturday early in the year Mr. Paul Mason, a fine quiet man and a very special

Coast Watcher during the war, came in to see us. He was a very interesting visitor

who now managed Inus Plantation and was looking for labourers to work for him.

Merle knew him because she used to live at Kekesu near Inus. Mr.and Mrs.Mason

have two young children, Ingrid and Paul. During the war he had had to keep moving

through the bush secretly, all over Bougainville, receiving and sending messages on

his wireless transmitter about the movements of the Japanese planes and ground

soldiers. He lived on sugar cane and taro but had to be careful not leave tell-tale bits of

sugar cane skin etc. beside the paths, that might lead to his capture by the Japanese,

who were very conscious of his presence. The messages Paul Mason sent were very

important, especially in the last days of the war when Yama Moto's plane was shot

down over South Bougainville, not far from where I later lived. All the people of

Bougainville loved him and he was very kind and fair in his dealings with them.

By this time I had over seventy children on the school roll so the classroom was very

full. I found it hard to find a place to put my feet as I moved from group to group!

They all sat on the palm bark floor. A new qirl Kira, came to us from Harinai. She was

later to become my special cook and like a daughter to me. Both her parents had died.

I divided the children into six classes. At first Mutona and I looked after them until

Taima and Kouro were able to join the staff.

Women's Sewing Classes

Once a fortnight we began a sewing class attended by between 40 and 50 women plus

their babies and small children.

Aliti with the mission girls.


In the morning Merle had a great time weighing and looking at the babies and pre-

school children and in the afternoon she gave a talk to the mothers about preparing

fruit or other solids for babies to have daily. I did a Bible Story as well as working

with Merle to help the women to sew, threading needles and getting seams started off.

A few could sew because pre-war Sister Ada had taught them hand sewing. They were

able to get along with making little garments more quickly. After the class it always

took a long time for us to get each piece of work ready for the beginning of the next

class with a threaded needle in position. The women were very keen and their babies

usually slept in their laplap slings on their backs but the ex-babies took a very dim

view of their mothers' preoccupation with a needle and a piece of cloth. The sound of

frustrations and effort made sewing days memorably tiring.

On the day of the first sewing class the girls worked very hard in the garden without

any supervision. I had said they could finish at 5pm but they kept on clearing bush,

heaping rubbish, chopping wood, digging heaps and planting sweet potato until

darkness came. They were very keen, after the holidays, to have a good food garden.

This was all a great help to me. Usually I had to visit them several times through the

afternoon to help them because the boys troubled them a bit. The girls had sharp

tongues too, and that could cause trouble but learning to live in harmony is a big long

lesson. The boys didn't like the girls coming to school and anyway their gardening

usually put the boys to shame. Boys love cutting down trees and opening up new areas

but most of them do not like planting and weeding. Fortunately the boys did well

when it came to building houses.

Sunday School

I began to take Sunday School on Sunday afternoons for all but the oldest school

children but I noticed that the older ones came too and tried to look as if I wouldn't

recognize them as belonging to classes 5 and 6! I tried to do it mostly in Siwai and

they were patient and attentive. I began with them in the church singing and praying

and then had them march over to the classroom singing, "Jesus loves me," in Siwai.

They marched in two lines, boys in one and girls in the other going through their

appropriate doorways. They thought the singing and walking was funny but I told

them that New Zealand children did that in the Cathedral and that made them feel very

important. They loved the story with the flannel-graph and colouring the pictures I had

prepared for them. Afterwards we sang choruses and that is something they always

love. As the older pupils had shown a keenness to join in I decided to get them to help

with the younger ones each week. I hoped the children understood my imperfect

Siwai. They corrected me when they could and I found that by trying to speak their

language I was getting better at doing it.

Shakespeare

I am reminded of an incident that happened in Siwai before the war. One day some

Government Officers were trudging along a bush track when they met a local man. He


offered them a green coconut to drink. This was a very welcome gesture and they

asked him what he wanted in exchange for it. The man, who was a pastor teacher from

the Solomons, said "Nothing. It is for love!" The Officers were astounded and asked

his name. "Shakespeare," he said, to their further surprise! Gideon Shakespeare really

understood what following Jesus was all about and his time of pastoring in the Rataiku

area of Siwai was much appreciated.

Later in the wartime, many New Zealand, Australian and American soldiers had good

reason to be grateful that the living good news of Jesus Christ had made a vital

difference to the lives of these people.

Life went on busily with the usual tensions between the boys and girls, the abundance

of rain, many babies being born and increasing numbers of people attending school

and sewing classes. Another little baby joined Miruho and Doris in the babies' room.

Ropiai's mother was very ill in hospital and as his father taught school in his village, at

6 months old Ropiai joined our family. Tawang, one child we had cared for, for

several years, came to see me one day with Moki and the village men who arrived to

help with the buildings. We were very glad to see each other again and I was glad to

see that the men were friendly to him. His parents hadn't wanted him at birth.

A Pet Hornbill

There was great excitement when Pihani's father brought a tame hornbill to Kemueli

as a present for young Varia. This hornbill was bigger than most of our hens and was

very keen on every kind of fruit. He would fly over to our place and help himself to

any bunches of green bananas that were hanging from the rafters there. He frightened

our little children and tried to eat their food as they sat on the veranda with their plates

beside them. This handsome bird had a very large yellow beak and glossy black

feathers. His long black eyelashes were quite spectacular but as you can understand he

was not at all welcome. When the sound of his wings heralded his approach we rushed

to shoo him away, but he was not easily persuaded to leave. The cat tried to get rid of

this intruder but was really frightened by its beak. Hornbills can be taught to mimic

sounds and are interesting pets but very dirty and persistent. I don't remember what

happened to him in the end, but he had to be removed.

The hornbill wasn't our only distraction. At lunchtime one day a wild long-long man

visited us from Matukori. He was wielding a big stick and when these turns came

upon him he spent his time beating people up. It took Uming, Mutona and Kemueli

some time to grab his stick so that Merle could give him a calming injection.

Eventually they were able to return him to his village. Almost immediately afterwards

a long line of people went past our house with sticks in their hands. It turned out that

they were from Nagavisi being sent to Kangu Hospital by the Kiap who was

on patrol in their area. They would have walked for several days on this trek to

hospital, definitely needing the support of those sticks.


The boys spent a week building their new house and finally got the roof in place on

the Friday.

Many helpers fastening the thatch strips to the rafters.

School boy Maika sewing thatch.

Catechist Philip Mutona sewing a strip of sago leaf thatch.

The girls were busy on their garden at this time and managed to kill four snakes and

twenty-five centipedes in the process. A centipede bit Rummo when she was picking

up rubbish for the fire. The girls had big rubbish fires to deal with the thick secondary

growth they had cut back but thunderstorms and heavy rain meant that we had no need


to fear forest fires, even though it sometimes looked frightening to me. One day, when

I was working with the girls, I threw a three-foot snake we had just killed on their

bonfire. The girls gasped and protested. They were very upset with me. They were

sure that as a result my teeth would fall out. Shortly afterwards I found that the next

commotion was because they had found a small bomb, or maybe a hand grenade.

Rumau helped me and we cleared the ground very carefully round it so that the

bonfires couldn't reach it. We covered it with two weedy pineapple shoots to mark its

position so that we could show the bomb disposals people later where it was.

In my letter home at this time I expressed great comfort in knowing that my parents

and the church family at home were praying for me. With so many girls to look after

and scores of children to teach in school I just knew that I couldn't manage in my own

strength. The girls had to be looked after 24 hours of every day and they seemed to be

perennially at the giggly stage. From waking them up in the morning until I finally got

them to sleep at night I had to know where each one of them was. Outside school

hours they had different duties such as caring for the orphan babies, washing their

clothes in the river, sweeping inside or outside our houses, weeding the clover lawns,

collecting drinking water, cooking their food etc. etc. At night I had to be more or less

conscious of their sleeping or waking, though I found that they gave up prawn hunting

in the moonlight after I threatened to lock their door from the outside. Fortunately the

village people did not hold me responsible for what the boys did at night. They rarely

went to bed when the sleeping bell was rung.

Miruho and her sister Kira Mata


When Kemueli had the boys each day for a week to work on building their house I

was able to help the airls and villaqe children more specifically with their schoolwork.

Usually the girls didn't answer well when the boys were there and a lot of them were

in Primer 1 or 2 when age-wise they should have been in class 5 or 6.

Ropiai was a very good baby, content to drink his bottle by himself when it was

propped up for him. Miruho grew fatter and happier daily but she hated sleeping by

herself and let us know through the night. Doris was good-natured but often unwell.

An Unfortunate Incident

One of the doctor boys became sexually involved with a patient. He came straight

away to tell me about it and though he was very sorry he was not allowed to remain at

hospital. This particular woman had got others into trouble and had been troubling this

helper for days. She was married but her husband was working in Rabaul and

probably hadn't been home for months if not years. This sort of situation of long

absences from home was quite common because there were very few opportunities to

earn any money in Siwai and it led to some very sad incidents. H had been trying to

find a wife for ages but the one his relations wanted him to marry was a Roman

Catholic girl and he wanted to remain a Methodist. After we had talked together H

wanted me to pray for him but I told him that God would hear his prayer too if he was

sincerely sorry. He pleaded with God, reminding Him that Jesus had come into the

world to save those who were sinners not those who were righteous. God heard his

prayer and his life changed but he still had to face the fact that his work at the hospital

was finished. Unfortunately for Merle, Quarterly Meeting decided that, as she had

three others helping her, no replacement was necessary.

Merle is Always Busy

Merle had plenty to do in the hospital across the river and in the maternity ward that

was built near our house as well as supervising our little babies. One day when Merle

was coming home to dinner she was presented with a small boy, Sosana, who had cut

his head open on a rock in the swimming hole in the river. She sent someone over to

me for the pressure lamp so that I would know what was happening. We had Lotu

without waiting for her and when she finally arrived back I discovered that she had

had to suture the wound with five stitches across his forehead. He was a cheerful little

mission boy in Primer 2. About this time Merle was up most of the night delivering

two babies so the following night she went to bed early to make up for lost sleep. I

didn't wake her when an urgent call came from hospital but went over myself to see if

I could cope with the emergency. Two 10-year-old boys vowed they had run into each

other in the dark. One had his eyelid slit almost from side to side and the other had a

gash in his forehead. Merle had to get up to put three stitches in each of them. Next

morning at school I was handed a note from Merle asking me to send a Doctor Boy

over to help her with yet another sewing up case. A little girl had fallen and cut her lip

through. A few days later we received a little baby whose mother had died in the


village after giving birth to her. She was a very pretty baby but weighed only 4lb.1oz.

Soon after arrival she had a hemorrhage and was dying. We had to bury her later that

afternoon. The next night Ariku's wife gave birth to a tiny premature baby who lived

for only a few hours. Sadly we had two babies die in our house in two days but

Ropiai, Miruho and Doris continued to bring us real joy.

A Wonderful Parcel

My mother sent me a wonderful parcel for my birthday. It included a puppet. All the

children loved the puppet with her amazing features including beads and laplap. One

girl exclaimed, "Ana irima teuitana!" (She has been chewing betel nut.) What other

explanation could there be for red lips! The girls were not allowed to chew betel nut at

our place and the boys were discouraged from doing so. Here their lips are black

tinged with pink inside so some explanations were needed. Parcels from home and

from Richmond and Shirley Churches brought us all a great deal of pleasure as well as

help. My desk was heaped high with things I needed to say thank you for, because I

didn't put them away until those letters had been sent. Other things on the desk

included books that people wanted me to mend and charts for school waiting to be

finished.


CHAPTER 7:

A Cremation Ceremony

About this time I was able to borrow a book from the District Office in Buin, called

"Studies in the Anthropology of Bougainville, Solomon Islands" by Douglas L.Oliver,

published in 1949. I found it very interesting because it was mostly about Siwai and

helped me to fit together little bits of information that I had found out.

One Monday Kehu's son, Rehungung, was carried to hospital because he was very

sick. (Scrub Typhus, I think from Rabaul). Kuhu was one of our much-loved older

teachers. His son had been a mission boy but more recently had been away in Rabaul.

He was married to one of my previous mission girls, Miruho, but he had been away

most of their married life. About midnight that night I heard Merle on the veranda and

when I called out she said that the boy had died. By the time I was properly awake I

could hear the wailing from hospital and shortly afterwards the lights of the Tonu

village people going past on the road reflected themselves on the inside of the roof

above my bed. Gradually the wailing waxed louder as they took up his body and

carried it down the hospital road, past our house again and thus to the village.

Quietness followed but I could not go back to sleep quickly for thinking of poor

Miruho and Kehu.

All the next day there was a constant undercurrent of talk but they said shush every

time I appeared to be listening. I wanted to know whether he was to be buried or

cremated so finally I asked the girls after Bible Class that evening. They told me that

he was to be cremated and that they wanted to go because most of them had never

seen a cremation.

Three days later, at 8.30pm, I set out for Tonu village with a bodyguard of 16

especially quiet girls. I found that the cookhouse where the body was lying was filled

to over-flowing with men and women wailing in tune, women on the high notes and

men on the bass. Outside were more would-be mourners. Sara, Mitakori's mother,

came to speak to us and said that it would be midnight before they had Lotu. I caught

a glimpse of a more intense blackness by Hewa's house which I took to be the funeral

pyre but the girls stopped me from going closer saying it was mikisa,-holy.-tambu. I

gathered my flock to me and took them home for a sleep, promising to wake them and

take them back at midnight. About 11 Ropiai woke and cried and Merle said that she

had heard the wailing getting much louder a few minutes before. We got warmly

dressed, called the girls and set out again for the village.

As we arrived we found the people outside finishing the washing of the body. They

had made him a kind of cradle of pieces of limbon, (palm bark that does not burn

readily). They had wrapped his body in two pandanus leaf rain-mats. The coffin was

carried back into the cookhouse where we heard a lot more swishing of water. This

latter proved to be the washing of all the helpers' hands by dipping dishes of water out


of the drum by the house. One man had remained by the washing place crying as if his

heart would break. I thought it was old Kehu and longed to offer some comfort to him

but after about a minute he stopped abruptly and walked away. Then another man

came with a long stick, hooked up the dead boy's laplap and hung it on the funeral

pyre without touching it. Next he picked up the stick that had been beside the laplap

and very gingerly threw it on to the heap.

Mark Naaru called us and we went into the cookhouse where the women were, while

the men were outside. It was Lotu time. We sang 'Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my

Saviour..." then Naaru read the burial service in Siwai. I was impressed with the note

of'rumaru -life', which seemed to run through the whole service. We sang again and

Naaru asked me to pray. After another hymn Naaru asked me what the time was. It

was not much after mid-night but some of the women said they had heard a rooster

crowing. Naaru, after asking me to correct his clock by my watch, said we would be

better to go home again and to come back when the wailing was growing much louder

because it wasn't near enough to morning to light the fire. Once again we trailed the

quarter mile home to bed. At almost Sam I called Merle and woke the girls but Merle

and four of the girls decided that bed was best. It was a very cold night.

They had put the body on the top of the pyre by the time we arrived and were putting

burning brands inside at the bottom, to light the little wood that had been put inside in

a trench first. The fire was burning brightly and I could see that the pyre was about

7feet high and 3feet wide. The big logs were held in place by saplings. Men wandered

round the outside of the pyre, as close to it as they could, wailing with all their might

and holding up a rain-mat to protect themselves from the heat. The women and other

men were standing a bit further back, most of them wailing. (All those who mourned

must be given a piece of pork later.) The fire grew stronger and brighter and slowly

the body was consumed and the top began to fall into the middle. About half past three

I marshalled my girls for the final homeward trek. The wailing and the fire lasted till

the morning star came up and day dawned. The darkness ended and a new day began.

When the ashes had cooled the bones were collected and buried.

For us morning came quickly and the impressions of the night filled our thoughts.

That was the only time I witnessed a cremation. The old men told me that it was very

difficult to find enough of the right logs quickly to build such a big pyre and there

were usually not sufficient able-bodied men about in a small village to complete the

work in a day. Burials were acceptable and much more possible.

The day went on as usual, only more so for me, because teachers from distant villages

had been coming in to fill out the very long forms that the government required about

each of them. It took me half an hour or more to do each one of the teacher's returns

with him at my elbow to answer all my questions! Sometimes I wished we did not

have to be so tied to the Government but they did give us substantial financial help.

Father Flannery came in for morning tea a day or two later with news he had heard on

his radio. There had been a huge earthquake and tidal wave in the Philippines, which


caused at least 400 deaths, and while Australian and N.Z. troops had gone to Malaysia

the U.S. navy was ready for action if China tried to take Formosa. Without a radio we

were unaware of the things happening in other parts of our great wide world.

Easter Time

Easter season came with its death and life messages. Ropiai's mother died at hospital

and little Doris also slipped away to be with Jesus. She was so weak and breathless

with T.B., whimpering whether she was in our arms or in her bed. On her last few

nights, as Merle was busy in the Maternity ward, I had her cot by my bed so that I

could reach my hand through the bars to hold her little hand. This seemed to comfort

her and we couldn't feel sad when Jesus took her. Her short life had been full of pain

and sadness. We buried her that day, Easter Saturday.

Pamela with Doris and Merle with Miruho. 1955

The next morning was Resurrection Day and I preached on the text, "As in Adam all

die even so in Christ shall all be made alive." It is so wonderful to know that it is true.

To illustrate my message I had a caterpillar, a chrysalis and butterfly wings and also a

maize corn seed and a little growing maize plant. 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26 and 35-58

had been translated into Siwai for the service so the women listened and understood

more easily. The men knew more pidgin and usually understood me better than the

women did.

My birthday often falls at Easter time and Merle prepared a lovely box of flowers

from our garden for the girls to give me as if it had come from home. Kemueli and his

family and Mutona joined us in a friendly evening meal together to celebrate this

milestone.

On the next Class Meeting Sunday when people from all the surrounding villages

came here I had 126 children in Junior Church in the school. They loved the flannel-

graph pictures and the chance to do some drawings of their own of the story. I told the

story in my not very fluent Siwai and the children corrected me as I went along.

Sometimes in very exciting parts the correct suggestion came from a pained voice

whose owner was dying to get through the stumbling and know what was going to

happen next. I loved having these opportunities with the children.


CHAPTER 8:

New Zealand Teachers' Gathering

At the beginning of the May school holidays I was able to go to Kihili, for a meeting

about educational work. Kemueli asked Mutona to go with me on the bicycles to look

after me on the journey and especially at the rivers. We left very early but Mutona had

a great deal of trouble with his tyres and after I had had to go back several times to

find him we arranged that he should go first and I would follow. The track was strictly

single file. As we were once again trying to fix his tyre on the other side of the Miwo

we met Kehu coming from Kihili. He was wheeling Merle's bike that had been ridden

by someone else to Kihili to get the mail. Kehu explained to me with many flourishes

that there was nothing wrong with the bike except that it was too small for his six-foot

length. The bike was sports model with the broken seat tied down with bandages. He

gave me a demonstration that had me shaking with laughter as he receded into the

distance, a mass of bent arms and legs on top of a frail bandaged collection of

machinery. Finally Mutona's offending tyre was fixed and we set off again.

Ovini had not reached the Sirupai when we arrived there but we met him not far away

trying to fix his spark plugs. Eventually Mutona rode my bike the rest of the way

while I enjoyed being in the jeep with Ovini, the packages and the difficult bike. It

was pleasant to be under the canvas roof out of the sun, travelling along with no effort

on my part. Ovini was saying, "What happens when Sister Ada goes on furlough? Are

you coming to Kihili? I answered with three very common but very bad words, "Mi no

laik."(I don't want to.) The jeep stopped dead in horror. Again Ovini had to clean all

the spark plugs. He tried to get away with a quick fix but the jeep refused to move. My

sin had been unthinkably awful. In the end we drew up at the Kihili parsonage about

1pm where Mr. and Mrs.Voyce were waiting for me. They looked very well after their

leave and we had a chat over a cup of tea before I came over to Ada's place.

It was wonderful to be with Ada again. We had time to talk as we prepared for the

arrival of Effie from Roviana, Myra and Trevor from Bilua, Nancy from Choiseul,

Norma from Kekesu, Allen from Banga and George arrived a little later. I was everso

grateful to have the chance of this break away from Tonu especially with the

opportunity to talk with so many friends in English. We talked about Junior School

(Kinda) village schools, consolidated schools and school visiting. Later we discussed

Effie's work in helping with teacher training for the students at Banga and proposals of

Kihili and the District Girls' School. It was good to be able to share each other's

problems with Grants-in-aid, Sunday School programmes and lots of other day-to-day

things as well. The ministers went to a conference in Kieta. Thelma didn't arrive

because a speedboat damaged the float of the Catalina and it had to return to Port

Moresby without finishing the mail run.


Beautiful Kihili

I was amazed to see how quickly the cuttings I had planted nine months before had

grown into big shrubs. It was especially lovely in the evenings and early mornings. At

night the growing moon was turning the garden into a wonderland but as the sun set

with a display of pink clouds behind the stiff branches of the kapok trees it looked like

one big patchwork picture, herringboned in black. Unfortunately the mosquitoes had

sharpened their tongues and no thickness of material seemed barrier enough to their

onslaught. However I was happy to find that the boys from Tonu were doing well at

school and that Ovini found them to be good workers in the gardens.

There was a lot more talk on the beach a few days later as we waited to say good-bye

to those going home again on the Malakuna, the Cicely and a bit later on the

Mandalay. The Mandalay had to have its water pipe welded by Mr. Shaw before they

could leave. We still had the Quarterly Meeting to deal with but when all that was

completed we were able to leave early the next day for Tonu. Kemueli rode with me.

"Are you alive?" they said.

I was dreadfully tired by the time we reached Harinai so Kemueli offered to carry my

bike across the swing bridge for me. While he went back for his bike I lay down on

the grass in the middle of the road and put my hat over my face. A few minutes later I

heard an agitated "Sister" and sat up to see four astonished boys evidently relieved to

find that I could sit up. They thought I had fallen off my bike or was dying. They were

very concerned and I felt I would always be looked after if I had an accident. We still

had a number of uphill miles to go but we made it home. Merle biked down the forty

plus miles to Kihili the next day 'to deliver a gift for Lorraine' as Kemueli put it in

evening prayers. Lorraine is Ovini's wife.

Babies are a Special Gift

While she was away, I was busy delivering similar 'gifts' at Tonu. The first was Moni

and Lempo's baby. She had been very ill with the current flu and high temperatures

but worst of all her baby was in breach position. Nino was helping me but we were not

in an easy situation. Better amenities were yet to be built. Moni was my first case

without a trained nurse and we spent a long difficult night struggling to bring a poor

little baby into the world. The baby did not survive the ordeal in spite of all my efforts

to get the little one to breathe, but Moni held on to life, needing much tender loving

care over a number of days to bring her very high temperature down. (Ten years later

she had a daughter, her second baby, whom she forgivingly called Pamela.) It wasn't

long before I had my second case alone and everything went really well for mother

and baby and therefore for me too. Another mother didn't get further than her village

before her baby was born but all was well and they arrived at hospital later to enjoy

the benefits of being there. GOD IS SO GOOD.


Another Emergency

About half an hour after I had climbed into bed after seeing that everyone was

comfortable, loud crying and calls of "Sister, Sister' sent me flying down the steps

again. This time it was Mitakori who was writhing in pain from a centipede bite. The

creature had bitten her then swung its tail round to inject its poison and that is

excruciating, as I was personally to find out later. Morphine would have helped but I

was not allowed to give it. Instead I bathed her finger in kerosene and gave her two

aspros but they didn't take the pain away. In the end I took her into my room to rest so

that the other girls could get some sleep. Mitakori was very brave and tried not to cry

but sometimes all the twisting and lip biting in the world was not enough to give the

relief that crying sometimes brings. We fell asleep about 4am but that end of the night

is short!

School and women's sewing class as well as the care of our own babies filled up my

week but on Friday I had a pleasant surprise. Three bomb disposals men called in to

deal with the hand grenade I had reported. It was late afternoon when they stopped for

a cup of tea before they set up camp at the village further on. I invited them back to

dinner, as I was glad to have their company with the chance to hear the latest world

news. They enjoyed the meal that included three kinds of bush greens, sweet potato,

pumpkin and some tinned meat, but they considerately didn't stay late knowing that I

had to be up early in the morning. They said that the grenade I had reported was

dangerous and that we shouldn't touch them.

A comforting letter from Merle with reassuring instructions helped me to keep on

coping with all that needed to be done. I had delivered three babies in 36 hours as well

as running the school and all the other things that had to be done with babies and girls.

Sister Dolorita at Monoitu sent a note to say that she was home again and ready to

help if I needed her. Two sick babies arrived with their parents so I gratefully asked

them to go to Monoitu. They were not pleased to have a further hour's walk but I

helped them on their way to the main road and they turned to shake hands with me

before they left so I felt forgiven. These little children had very high temperatures and

we were always concerned about malaria. My lack of medical knowledge and other

duties made this option better for them as well as for me.

Dr. Tuza, a new Australian from Hungary, but now the Government Doctor from

Kangu, was on his rounds of the villages so the people were frightened to be caught

with a sick baby for which they were not getting treatment. Merle hiked home from

Kihili the next day feeling very tired on arrival but a very difficult maternity patient

kept her away from bed until 3am.

One day in June I was much colder than usual when I got up and after shivering my

way through school until recess I came home for a cardigan and two Aralen tablets. I

was only back at school for an hour before I retreated to my bed with a quilt, a

blanket, a hot water bottle and all my clothes in an effort to get warm. It was gastric

malaria and I was better again in a few days after much time spent lying down. The


girls went home because it was Queen's Birthday Weekend. What a blessing! Merle

was glad to rest a bit too between her many duties. At lunchtime we were able to look

out over the clover lawn to the church with its backdrop of trees under the lovely wide

sky and murmur about how peaceful life was. We wondered why we ever complain

about the noise but the wondering would cease about sunset when the students all

arrived back. We love them all and would miss them terribly if they didn't turn up.

Peanut Butter

On sewing day I saw that the girls had almost finished their new laplaps with

embroidered seams and their names framed by a spray of flowers in the corner. Merle

had made some very good peanut butter. Turning the handle of the mincer was hard

work. If anyone had been especially naughty we gave this task as an effective lipulipu

(punishment), but sometimes when our stocks of this spread were low we had to do it

ourselves! We grew our own peanuts but they were also easy to buy from people who

came to the door with produce to sell such as tomatoes, beans, bananas or pineapples.

Musiama

About this time Musiama of Nagavisi provided much drama. He was a notable man

wanted for murder and other crimes but when the police tried to catch him his friends

always managed to help him escape. One Sunday, as we sat in Lotu, most of the

congregation found a crack in the wall or even stood up to look as Mr. Hook and his

cargo carriers followed by Musiama, chained to a police boy or two, filed past. They

would all have been very glad to finally arrive at the prison many miles away on the

coast at Kangu. The Catholic Sisters and village people who lived near his village

were also very glad that the source of their fear had gone.

The weeks went by filled with the usual tasks. I took time to look at the contents of

some boxes in my study room and found that the white ants had begun an invasion

and had eaten almost all my Papuan Readers. Further hunting revealed that the boxes

lined with tarred paper had managed to keep the termites from the contents. It takes

constant vigilance to make sure that white ants don't get the upper hand.

Babies

Many new babies were born including another son for Aliti and Kemueli. They named

him Charles Susou. We had baby Inata staying with us, as she had not been thriving in

the village. Mavinu, her mother, came to learn how to make up powdered milk for her

and especially how to keep everything as clean as possible in the process. Her father,

Korimotu, is a very careful doctor boy in Mihero village so all will be well eventually.

Our other babies, Ropiai and Miruho had learned to crawl, amusing each other with

their private giggles. When baby Inata cried Miruho would crawl up to the cot and put

her hand through the bars to hold the baby's hand very tenderly. She couldn't stand up

alone but was able to pull herself up and walk round the cot. One baby born while

Merle had a cold was very slow to breathe so Merle called me to come from school to


breathe into the little one. He took hold of life, but weakly, so had to be tube-fed for a

few days until he learned how to suck for himself.

Maasi, Kumei, Mark, Puriri & Miriam, Heqa & Ada, Mana & Harusa.

Nineteen girls kept me very busy as I tried to keep track of all their activities. One girl

left a spade in the garden overnight and it disappeared. Another girl couldn't find her

mission knife, (machete). It was quite difficult to make everyone put things back in

their right places every day. Putting soap in the baby's eyes and drying the bottoms of

saucepans with the tea towels were problems to be fixed.


CHAPTER 9:

Evening Lotu

"Day is dying in the west,

Heaven is touching earth with rest;

Wait and worship white the night,

Sets her evening lamps alight

Through all the sky.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts;

Heaven and earth are full of Thee,

Heaven and earth are praising Thee,

O Lord most High."

MaryArtemisia Lathbury.

The roosters were giving their final crow.

The crickets were making the air quiver with their two notes.

The drum in the village was beating out its invitation to Lotu.

Ropiai was sobbing himself to sleep having got caught in the gate, trying to crawl to

me to escape bedtime. My peaceful mood was broken by Misinau showing me the

potato she thought was her fair share for my approval, informing me in an agonized

tone that Tapua had three and she the virtuous one had only two; but hers were larger

so I sent them both off. Serving food fairly is always a problem. Another girl arrived

wanting a spade and asking me all about where it was though she was born with two

very good eyes. Close on her heels came Merle who said that the baby had arrived and

asked if tea was ready. It was, so we ate and enjoyed our scrambled eggs, cucumber

and bananas.

Rev. S.G.Andrews The Rev. Stan Andrews, General Secretary of the Mission Board in New Zealand

Came to Visit us With the Rev. Voyce. The day before they arrived we reached the

final peak of preparations as the paths were weeded and swept till every unwanted

thing died for shame, except some very lively things that hide in the leaf walls and

limbon floors of the girls' house. These bed bugs come to us in the girls' mats when

they arrive from their villages but even our weekly war against them doesn't seem to

reduce their number for long. In honour of the visitors we made a very determined

effort to get rid of these pests. First I asked Mori to wash the floor then I began to

spray every inch with Shellite, an insecticide. After that I swept the room with a stiff

sago leaf broom and found some creatures that were still alive. The girls helped me by

sweeping the underneath side of the flooring followed by a team of five girls coming

inside and jumping all over the floor to dislodge these most unwelcome bed bugs. The

roosters called the hens and chickens for the feast that fell to the ground! A girl tried

to kill a freckle on the back of my neck. What a game it was. This performance of

some sweeping the top of the floor, alternating with others working underneath lasted


a long time. Finally I did all the girls' heads with anti-mite lotion and my own with

insect repellant before coming in for a hot wash from head to toe, lest something more

than a freckle had settled on me.

Saturday morning saw the girls sweeping the grounds feverishly again and I heard one

of them telling the wind not to blow down any more leaves. About noon we lined the

road and sang 'Onward Christian Soldiers' to welcome the visitors who were just

longing for the cup of tea quickly brewed for them. After lunch we talked until the sun

began to run down the sky and it was cool enough for our guests to visit the school

buildings and the hospital. (Siwai people have a special word to indicate our 3pm time

as the time when the sun appears to turn downwards in a hurry to meet the horizon by

about 5.30pm. It indicates that time is short because darkness is coming. Time to come

home from the garden.)

Rev.Kemueli Pita and Aliti and their sons

Varea, Joseph and Charles Susau from Rotuma, Fiji.

We had a big welcome service that night as many people had come in to stay on the

station for the weekend. On Sunday morning there were over a thousand people

gathered under the shady trees for a very happy service. Numerous village choirs sang

anthems they had been practising for weeks. The Rev. Andrews baptized Kemueli and


Aliti's two younger children. Mr. Andrews had been a missionary in Fiji and had

taught Kemueli there, The text for his sermon was "Jesus said, I am the way." He

spoke amongst other things about roads he had recently been on in the New Guinea

Highlands and we found it all very interesting. Mr.Voyce interpreted it all afterwards

so that everyone could understand. The huge feast that followed was really enjoyed by

all the families that had gathered, men and women and children together, in a way that

would never have happened before the people learned to trust in Jesus and thus to trust

each other.

August 1955, the Rev. S.G.Andrews baptised two younger children.

Before the sun set, Kemueii, Aliti, the catechists, Merle and I had a - beautiful

communion service together in the church with our visiting - ministers. We really

appreciated the very few times in those days that we - were able to celebrate

communion. Next day there was a farewell feast and dancing, before the jeep carried

our friends away back to Kihili. For us it was a time to remember and talk about for

ages.

Earthquake Season Merle went to Synod at Choiseul but Dusa came to help me.

One very hot day there was lots of lightning and thunder that sounded like all the

saucepans crashing on the kitchen roof at once. We were also in a season of many

earthquakes but not a great deal of damage was done. In a letter from Ada she told me

that her only calamity was that the tomato soup tipped into the pineapple jelly, in the

fridge, I presume. Our stove chimney, which doesn't reach the roof, fell from its

precarious place and emptied its soot in a neat heap on the kitchen floor. Kemueii was

away visiting Nagavisi villages so Aliti and I encouraged each other. At this time I

had 86 students at school and 19 girls boarding near me. Dusa, Timothy Kutomai's


widow, came to help me with the babies, the girls and the maternity ward and I was

increasingly grateful as the days and weeks went by.

Ropiai bit the top off the teat on his bottle so he was promoted to drinking from a

tumbler. He looked like a young hippopotamus swallowing a river. He loved it

because he could get so much more in one gulp than he did with the bottle. Miruho

took her first steps alone and I envisioned her running to meet Merle when she

returned. The men who were replacing the Government Rest House at Tonu Line

made plaited bamboo walls for it. I was very surprised and amused to see that they had

put the word "HOME" into the plaiting. I am sure that would bring a smile to the lips

of those who wearily came to rest there. It was Neewai's idea. He brought me five

lovely tomatoes and didn't want anything for them. He nearly died of Scrub Typhus

when he was in Rabaul but now he was being very helpful building a new home for

his mother and father and younger brothers and sister. His father Hianu, who suffered

badly from a hand grenade explosion, had come back from the bush to live in the

village. He is a good gardener but limited for building work by having only one hand.

Paul Mason with his wife and two children arrived to stay in the village while Paul

was recruiting labourers for his plantation at Inus. I really enjoyed seeing them and

invited them to dinner one evening. Everyone loves to see white children and both

young Paul and Ingrid are fair, sturdy and adventurous. Mrs. Mason was always full of

stories and when her quiet husband starts to talk his war experiences as a Coast

Watcher are fascinating. He is much loved by the local people and they are glad to

work for him.

Our little cat, Meow, had three kittens but, as many girls had their names on the kitten

list, some will be disappointed. For years the "Pussy List" had to be fairly consulted

and there was never any danger of running out of candidates for the beautiful little

kittens who were taken home to their villages. Sadly once or twice a small brother

loved a kitten to death but mostly they were treasured members of the family. They

kept the rats and mice from eating the sweet potatoes and the rice. The people loved

and cared for their hens and roosters too but sadly some cats got a taste for chickens.

We all welcomed Merle with great relief when she returned one Friday from Synod.

She had plenty of news to share including the fact that Ada was to look after a Girls'

School at Kihili. Other news was that I was to go to Kihili on the Monday to supervise

the exams for the students who wanted to go to Goldie College, Banga in the New

Year. That meant sorting out lots of things and packing up in a hurry but I had my

sermon prepared for Sunday about pruning. With a branch from a lime tree and my

secateurs I was able to make my points clearly. That night about 7.30 we really were

glad that Merle was home.

Violence and Mercy A young woman arrived from a distant village at our front door with three deep gashes

in her head, one of them very close to her eye. Her husband had taken to her with an

axe and very nearly killed her. We placed her on the table in the living room and


Merle gathered the things she would need from the hospital. It was dark and the little

lanterns didn't give much light but fortunately my torch had good batteries. The

patient and her relatives were Catholics but they decided that it was better for us to

help her than to take her another hour further down the road. After a while young

Father Fahey arrived from Monoitu. He managed to get the big lamp going but battled

with nausea as he held it in the best place for Merle to see what she was doing. For

more than three hours we prayed and worked together as Merle cleaned up each

wound and put in the necessary stitches. Our God is merciful and helped us through

this terrible task. The weary patient slept on the table that night watched over by her

relatives. In a week or so she was well enough for the inevitable court case and in time

her wounds healed while she was in prison for the adultery that had angered her

husband. I can't remember whether he also was put in prison for attacking her so

viciously.

Philip came with me the next day on our nearly 7-hour bike ride to Kihili. It was Jean

Voyce's twenty-first birthday so I enjoyed the celebrations. Each day of that week I

supervised the exams for the many candidates and though I couldn't afford to write

letters I did get one glove knitted! It was very pleasant, as usual, to stay with the

Voyce family. Ada was in New Zealand. Saturday's ride home took ten hours as it was

uphill and we had bike troubles, but the next day I was back in the pulpit preaching

about prayer.

T.B.Tests The other excitement of this time was the Mantoux test for T.B. that was done on

every person in Siwai. We had to shepherd everyone on our station down to a village

near Monoitu. There we all had the test pricked into our arms and the local people all

got 3ccs of Penicillin as well. Many of the school children had a bad reaction but I

was able the next week to have a B.C.G. injection for which I was grateful because

T.B. is very common in Siwai. The ones with a positive reaction had to go to Kangu

for an X-ray and this provided a big logistical problem for the Government. Not only

was Kangu two days' walk away but the people would also need somewhere to stay.

Government Visitors A new kitchen, things everywhere, and Government visitors arrived!

The carpenters made us a wonderfully stable new kitchen bathroom and dining alcove.

It was great to have the chimney going through the roof and a door on the bathroom! It

took time and in the meantime the usual kitchen things were accommodated on the

veranda. Mr. Voyce sent up a bath for us from Kihili and in time taps brought water

inside from the tanks. Now that we had a little more roofing iron we were able to

catch more water. In the middle of this upheaval it was found that there were white

ants eating the flooring under the five ply sheets on the living room floor so all that

had to be uplifted and treated promptly.


What a surprise it was when the No. 1 Government Officer from Kangu, Mr. Gow, arrived with his wife in the middle of this muddle but they were very thoughtful, and cheerfully climbed over things to find a place to sit down. We thoroughly enjoyed their visit, fitted in on their return from Boku where Mr. Hook was in charge. He lived alone and I am sure he was encouraged to see them too. When they went with Merle to see the hospital I hurried to call the girls back from the potato garden. It was time for "finish work" but I also wanted them to see Mrs.Gow. She was a tiny, dainty woman with red finger and toenails, wearing pretty sandals, gray pedal pushers with buttons below the knee, and a lemon blouse printed in an Hawaiian pattern. On her loose gray curls a coolie type hat of natural and red straw shielded her laughing brown eyes. She was such a nice natural person as well as being their senior Govt. Official's wife. She was far more natural than any non-missionary European woman I had met in this part of the world. Most of them were striving consciously or unconsciously to be elite but she allowed herself to be like a long lost friend. What a lift such visitors gave us just by coming where we were.

The New Classrooms The next task for the carpenters, Anungu and Tapara, was to build new classrooms. The school building that had been built before I returned was one room, 36ft. by 24ft., with a palm bark floor about four feet off the ground. There were no desks and all the children sat on the floor. With 92 children and 5 teachers in the same space it was not easy. Fortunately we seldom had 100 attendance on any single day. One of the distractions I found difficult was the continual sound of voices. Those under the floor were asking those above them to show the exact crack that the slate pencil fell through! Gray slate pencils in stirred up gray dust! I would climb down the steps and get all of my class back on top but a sudden flood of Primer one children would descend as they began their writing lesson. I really looked forward to the day when the rooms would all be on the ground. The carpenters built log seats on posts in the ground and then corresponding log desks to go with them at the appropriate height for the children who were to sit there. I had to bring a sample child each time they were being built to get these desks and forms at a satisfactory level. I was even able to organize a sloping blackboard on the front wall for each teacher. In all my teaching in New Zealand after the war I had never had the joy of being in a real classroom except as a student teacher. Here the government supplied us with blackboard paint so as long as we could find a suitable piece of wood we had a new blackboard. When a tea chest could be spared from storage duties this provided four pieces of plywood for blackboards but we were able to have some new hardboard too. It was quite a long time before slates were replaced with exercise books but in the meantime paper from Armed Services supplies left at Torokina provided something for letters and special notes. This source also gave us some New Testaments and Army and Navy hymnbooks, which were highly prized.

Meow Surprised by Golly One evening as we were eating our tea by lamplight we saw Meow suddenly come

down the wall to my study windowsill. A black Golly with brightly striped trousers, a

present from a lady in our church at home, was sitting there, propped up and waiting


for Ropiai or Miruho to play with him. Meow caught sight of him and got the fright of

her brave young life. Being an excellent ratter she decided to stalk this new monster. It

was terribly funny to watch as she slowly and stealthily came forward. Each glide was

followed by a pause. First she smelt one unusual leg then slowly she allowed her nose

to smell right up Golly's body until his bold eyes met hers and she knew in that instant

that he was harmless. Poor Golly! He was only trying to be friends. She jumped down

and started chasing a cockroach. At least they move. Meow had five kittens on Merle's

chair but was content to look after them in the box cupboard by the table. This meant

we had our meals enlivened by the squeaks of the little Meows. She is an excellent

mouser and looks after her babies very well.

Ropiai explored the edge of the riverbank by the girls' house too closely and rolled

about 12 feet down to the base of a tree, which saved him from the stones and the

stream. I heard the agitated girls shouting and by the time I arrived Kombarako had

retrieved him. His cries were to express his indignation at having yet another wash in

the river before he was brought up the cliff path again. He cheerfully stretched out his

arms to me as he often does and I found that his only injury was a small graze. Thanks

be to God!

Ropiai and Miruho went home At the beginning of the holidays Ropiai and Miruho went back to live in their villages.

Ropiai's father's face was wreathed in smiles when he took his healthy young son

home to begin a new life in the village. His mother had died in hospital but he had

never really known her. Piku was glad to have Miruho to look after again too. She had

certainly grown into a different child from the sad bundle of flesh and bones that we

first saw. Then she was only 8 pounds at 18 months and very malnourished. Now she

was cheerful, full of life and loving all food. Both these children went back to the

same village so they would see one another from time to time to continue the

friendship they had had together at our house.

Merle ready to give Ropiai to his father.


CHAPTER 10:

Christmas Celebrations

The school children were busy having extra practices of the Christmas Pageant.

Kakapasa was Joseph for this year and Kira Rehab was Mary. Domi, Kangisai and

Hihisa were shepherds and Kingona, Kungma and Pihkaku were the wise men. Taima,

Noru, Komoru, Hongopo, Kamu and Nene were representing various other nations.

The rest of the upper classes were to sit in a semicircle round them to sing appropriate

carols. Some of the girls became angels when I hunted through my pieces of material

to find suitable drapes for everyone. The ones doing the singing had flowers in their

hair as their 'dress-up'. I even made a new dress for my much-loved doll in her role as

the baby Jesus. They loved doing this little bit of drama.

Eight boys carried the harvest of peanuts down to Kihili and were able to return three

days later with the projector and battery from Kihili so that everyone could see the

New Guinea Highlands films that the Mission Board had sent to Mr. Voyce. This was

a very special treat. While the boys were away we planted more peanuts near the

house but the hens saw us doing it and that was that. Two hens had insisted in laying

their eggs in my bedroom but eventually the eggs that I allowed them to keep were

hatched and they continued their motherly work outside.

Exams and marking were finished. I had heard everyone read, some two at a time I

must confess. In our last Bible Class time I invited those who wanted to, to write their

names in my special red-covered notebook to make it clear to everyone that they had

decided to follow Jesus. Many took that opportunity seriously and I still have that little

book. I think that most of them have kept on growing in Jesus.

A Picnic at the Beach

The girls finished all the weeding of the peanuts, pineapples and potatoes ready for the

holidays and were able to make tapioca puddings in the stone oven for the next day's

adventure. We left home about 20 to 8 for the ten mile walk to the beach with

Kemueii and the boys setting fast pace, arriving at Moreka about 10 past 10am. The

final hazard was a one-plank bridge over the lagoon, reputed to be the home of

crocodiles. I crossed it on my hands and knees much to the consternation of those

before and after me anxious to reach the sea at the edge of the steep sloping beach.

The girls were really intrigued with the ocean, especially those who had not seen it

before. Some daring ones very soon got used to the idea and started swimming in the

surprisingly calm water beyond the first breaker. The others dug for shellfish and only

after a considerable time did their laplaps get wet. They thought that the sea was

pushy because of the innocent wave at the edge. Some of them stayed in the water

from the minute we arrived till 2pm when I had to call them all out to start the long

uphill walk home again. The sun was very hot, especially on the black sand, but the

sandflies didn't follow us into the cooling water. The girls found that their corncobs


and pieces of tapioca pudding tasted wonderful when dipped in the salt water. Back at

the village the students washed the salt water off their skins in the river, then we set

off home happily chewing at sugar cane pieces that Mauroko and Lydia gave us. The

road home seemed very long. I heard Misinau commenting that an evil spirit had

stretched it while we were enjoying the beach. At the Panakei turn off we got caught

in the long threatened pelting rain accompanied by thunder and lightning. A very wet

bedraggled bunch finally arrived home at 20 past 5 just before it got dark, a much

longer journey than the morning one. We were all stiff and tired so our closing Lotu

was short. I asked them to preach to the people in their villages over the holidays by

their blameless lives, good works and soft tongues. Next morning nearly all of them

were able to go home. Moni, Kira Mata, Esita and Misinau stayed to help us for the

first part of the holidays. Each of the girls had the chance to work for us for a while in

the holidays to earn a new dress. It kept me busy at the sewing machine but it was

worth it for their help and to see the great joy they had in owning a dress.

Christmas Eve Choirs

They were all back for Christmas Eve, when we had a present ready for each student,

from the things that church people in New Zealand, especially my mother, had sent us

in parcels. The girls went off to sing carols to the nearby village people returning to

sing to Jesus in the church and then to us by 10.30. They each received a lolly from us

but the village people had given them treasures of salt, soap, sugar cane, pineapples

and coconuts. What joy! Throughout the night, village choirs from far and near came

to sing, first at the church and then at our front steps. As any hymn was counted as a

carol to them I heard strains of "O day of rest and gladness" at midnight, then a male

voice choir at the girls' dormitory steps singing "Saviour while my heart is tender, I

would yield that heart to Thee"... .singing in Siwai of course! It was an up and down

night but it is always a very special one here. Carol singing is the most loved part of

Christmas.

On Christmas Day we opened our presents in the parcels we had refrained from

opening earlier and enjoyed many happy surprises, like the long-limbed little figure

that the girls immediately called Ikai Pakai (Stick Insect). With his flexible arms and

legs he became a favourite, helping at Sunday School and even on the pulpit. Merle

gave me a broach that I still treasure

We had a lazy day on Boxing Day, as was our custom after all the people had gone

home. On Christmas Day the nurse was always very busy seeing babies and children,

pregnant mothers and old people who did not usually make the journey to Tonu unless

they were really ill. But for the day after Christmas I had a new book to read from the

Ladies Guild in the church at home. It was the enthralling "A Lamp is Heavy". I

couldn't put it down! Other things didn't get done while I was transported to funny

situations in a nurse's life.


Merle and I Go to Kekesu

A few days later Merle and I had a fairly trouble free bike ride to Kihili, helping each

other through the rivers as our planned helpers had to keep fixing their bikes. At the

beach we found the Malakuna had arrived, ready to take us north the following

evening. We bought some bread from Aisa and were able to have a comfortable night

in the Voyces' house, though they were away at Skotalan. We went aboard the

Malakuna early next evening while the crew waited for 10pm, the correct hour to

leave Kihili, so that we were able to see the reefs round Kieta in daylight the next

morning. Biti from Roviana was the captain. My old friend from 1951, Rumata

seemed to officiate at the Primus for all meal getting. Baby Sue's father Akaveroi, was

asleep in the dinghy. He and some others from Rotokas were coming along to help

with the loading of the timber. We had Lotu with the crew on the boat then retreated

to the bunks. It was moonlight and Biti and Rumata shared duty at the wheel. Every

now and then I saw a hand holding a match to the clock to find out what the time was.

Davinia, one of the boat’s crew, Merle, Rewa

on the Malakuna going to Kekesu.

Sunrise at sea was beautiful. The water was calm. We went ashore at Kieta before the

dew had gone from the grass and the trees. Merle needed to see Joe Tack Long, as she

had to give him details of some cases coming on the Tulagi, so we enjoyed seeing the

beautiful things in his store. While we were looking round he asked us if we would

like a cup of tea which we accepted with thanks. The cup of tea turned into two fried

eggs, two pieces of fish with bread and butter as well! That was a great treat. Back on

the Malakuna we travelled up the coast, skirting the places where the waves crashed

on the reefs. The white sand-fringed islets took our eyes towards the bluish bush clad

hills, back and back, higher and higher to the central mountains of Bougainville. At

10.30am, the crew stopped the engine so that they could hear the radio sked with

Roviana thus we received the news that Gloria and Trevor Shepherd had a new son,

Denis John, born on the 26th Dec.


About midday we reach Mabiri where the crew unloaded some goods from Kieta for

them and went on to the point to load some timber. We were able to go ashore and

spend time with the families working there. We had a lovely lunch with them before

climbing back on the boat. As the Shaw family was not at home we passed

Numanuma without calling in but were close enough to appreciate the gardens with

their bright croton hedges and flowering trees and shrubs.

Our next stop was Tearaka where Daniel Palavi and his wife Vasiti were in charge.

They are from Tonga. Their two children, Sami and Robin soon came to the beach

with Davinia and Rewa to meet us. Thelma had gone back to Kekesu by canoe to get

ready for our arrival. We stayed the night at Tearaka but were on our way again

straight after breakfast and Lotu. Vasiti had made us two wonderful meals in our short

stay. Because the sea was calm we were able to go ashore at Hovinu instead of

Vapahan. Thelma was waiting on the stony beach as we and our luggage went ashore

in outrigger canoes. It was fun and nothing much got wet. The Malakuna went round

to Vapahan to unload the timber while we walked up a much shorter path to Kekesu. It

was very pretty but after the climb up the hill we were glad to have a cold drink in the

sisters' house. In the afternoon we settled in after having a good rest. This was the

beginning of our first Sisters and Maramas' retreat. The men folk were able to go to

Synods and other meetings but the women were very seldom able to leave their

stations.

Thelma and Rewa’s hospitality

Thelma and Rewa prepared lovely meals for us giving us a wonderful holiday in this

very pleasant place.

Davinia, Thelma, Merle and Rewa.

We had studies, discussions and prayer times together before morning tea then time

outside under the shady trees doing fancy work for Davinia's Glory Box. (She was


married to the Rev. Philip Taylor in October) Lunch outside followed by another long

rest then more fancy work filled in the day till sunset. In the evening we went over to

George and Nancy Carter's house where, with the light generated by the water wheel,

we were able to see Rewa, Davinia and Thelma's coloured slides. Davinia had a

projector. The water wheel seemed to be labouring so a bell was rung to signal the

need for a helper down by the beach to turn it off. Next day we found that it needed

repairs and while Thelma fixes most things this needed some specialized help.

We took turns with leading the studies and discussions about Jesus' words from the

cross, from a study called "The Seven Windows of Calvary". I, for one, was very glad

to have time to talk things over with my sisters. We also took turns with Close of Day

before we gratefully went to our beds. The sound of the sea breaking on the stony

beach soon lulled us to sleep. We were all tired and so glad of this holiday. We

enjoyed singing together too, going through the hymnbook. One afternoon we heard

some gramophone records while we did our fancywork. On the Saturday afternoon we

walked to the Roman Catholic Mission Station at Tearouki to visit the sisters there

who are very friendly with the sisters at Kekesu. Dr. Mary Leo and Sister Mary Rita

met us and took us to see the new European patients hospital. Other sisters joined us

on the verandah for a fun filled afternoon with an amazing afternoon tea. We left

about 5pm and reached home about sunset. Rewa found that the cow hadn't been

milked so I helped her to find it and even tried to help her with the milking by

lamplight, when her fingers got tired. Afterwards we had to flounder through the

paddock in the dark and cross the creek above the water wheel because it was so

flooded.

Sunday Lotu and then our final study knitted us together even more. Thelma showed

me the library in her school set up. She is very good at everything and it has been

great to see the results of her work. Her garden is lovely and the meals were

wonderful. I helped Rewa too when she went down to see to the patients at hospital

and fed the calf for her. It was such a treat to be together with the others. We went on

board the boat in the evening and slept there so that the crew could get under way at

the appropriate time of 4.30 am. We were heading for Sohano.

Northwards on the Malakuna

As the sea was choppy on this part of our journey I was glad to stay lying on the deck

and felt no need of breakfast. When we tied up at the Sohano wharf Davinia dashed up

to the Post Office looking for the mail and the rest of us went to Miss Covers' house.

She was a teacher at the Sohano School and friendly with us. She also had a toilet, a

great blessing to boat travellers! We had to hurry off to the other side of Buka Passage

to the wharf on Buka mainland where Chinatown and especially Wong Yu's store was

like the hub of our world. Wong Yu in his usual hospitable way gave us a lemon drink

and a chocolate each before taking us in his green truck to the airfield nearby.

Sister Effie Harkness stepped off the plane for a short time before continuing on to

Barakoma in the Solomons. I was so thrilled to see her again, looking very well and


pretty after her furlough. We were sorry to learn that she would be back for only a

short time as her elderly mother and father needed her help at home in Auckland.

Sister June Hilder had come on the plane with her and came with us to Sohano on her

way to her appointment at Skotalan. Miss Covers gave us all lunch before we

continued up the west coast. Skotalan looks very inviting perched on the hillside

surrounded by green grass and coconut palms. Petals Island, just opposite this landing

place is very flat and closely populated. Mr. Voyce was on the wharf to meet us and

when we finally reached the sisters' house away up the hill, we were rewarded with a

beautiful sunset over the sea. At evening Lotu crowds of people from Petals and other

places gathered together to welcome June, who was to work with Davinia. We were

included in the welcome as well and choirs and a wedding added to the happy service,

but once back at the house our great desire was fall asleep on a bed that didn't move

about.

Next day we set off on our return journey with Mr. Voyce, who was going to Saposa

on the North West coast of Bougainville. Mrs. Voyce stayed at Skotalan as she was

sick with Malaria and her ulcerated leg (from a coral wound) was giving her a lot of

trouble. The boat also had troubles so while it was being fixed at Sohano we stayed

again with friendly Miss Covers. The next day Merle and I caught the Catalina at

Sohano for the joy of a flight down to Buin. As we flew over Kekesu, Rewa and

Thelma were out with mirrors flashing their greetings to us! Mr. Hook was at Tonolai

Harbour to meet the plane in Leslie Tong Lep's little boat. The sea was rough when we

got outside the harbour so we got splashed a bit but the ever-welcome mailbags had

arrived safely. Mr. Chung lent us his jeep and driver to help us back to Kihili from

Momot's place, where we went ashore. Hihisa and Nene had come down from Tonu

for the mail and, with Kanamare, were able to help us back to Tonu the next day.

After leaving things ship-shape in the Voyce household we set off early. I was feeling

so well that I was even able to bike up some of the little hills but by the end of the

journey I was thoroughly worn out as usual. I had a pack on the handlebars and

another on the carrier. It is a long way from Kihili to Tonu. We drank at most of the

rivers but that didn't stop us from having four cups of tea and a glass of muli water

when we arrived atAliti's place.

In the evening we went to Tonu Line to Naaru's house for a feast in honour of

Huhutoru's daughter's first birthday. The first birthday is always a very important

occasion, marked with a feast and a special sort of 'baptism'. All the invited guests

bring something for the baby or a shilling. ItwasahappyLotu.

As I was kneeling by my bed praying before climbing inside the mosquito net that

night I heard a noise near my window and said, "Do pa?" (Who are you?) To which

the answer came "Mi" (It's me). I continued "Jewo, do wa harung?" (What do you

want?) The answer was that his wife was in labour and had got as far as the teacher's

house. Merle went with the husband and I went to get some things from the maternity

ward. We were able to bring the patient to the ward and it wasn't long before the new

baby arrived. Finally we could all go gratefully to bed.


Kira and Iroja came to help us for the week, earning a dress, which I made for each of

them. I also mended the bellows on the organ and fixed up one of the reeds, which had

grown some verdigris. Another holiday task was letter writing, an on-going task that

never seemed to bring me up to date. I was very glad to receive letters and was

thankful for the prayers prayed and the interest shown in the work we were doing. I

really enjoyed writing too but it was hard to find time for everyone. We were also

invited to another first birthday celebration. This time it was for John Anungu, Muku

and Kakapasa's son and therefore Naaru's grandson. Kakapasa took one service on

Sunday and Misiu, his brother, took the other. During the following week they left for

further studies. Misiu eventually went to Port Moresby where he studied to become a

doctor.

By Saturday 21st January 1956 many of the school students were back and really

pleased to see each other again. Kira, Iroja and Tungori gladly welcomed Sera,

Kangiri, and Kombarawo from the area near Nagavisi and Moroi and Esita, Asapi and

Mitakori came from nearer villages. Later Tapua and Tonse joined them. Many boys

also arrived and we began a week of weeding the food gardens and the station grounds

on the Monday.


CHAPTER 11:

Misikori

Misikori, from Nagavisi, had been with us for a week or so but we were very glad

when he followed the students who were going down the road to Kihili. They were

going for further training. Misikori was a village pastor-teacher but he had been

overcome by problems. Early in the morning he was given to long loud and substantial

prayers. Most mornings I was awakened by the sound of his praying outside the

church. He prayed in pidgin but the content of his prayer was "Papa God in heaven,

you must give good thoughts to Sister Pamela. There is no one on earth who can save

her from her sins. Only you can do that so I am asking you to teach her your ways so

that she can teach us about you. " It was a very humbling experience to find myself

still in bed when he was up and praying for me. He would appear by our house

reading his English New Testament in his unintelligible singsong, punctuated with

little dances. I found him hard to accommodate. He felt that everyone should own

everything and stores should be abolished. Other than that he proclaimed loudly that

Jesus Christ was in his body and God was in his head. He carried a heavy walking

stick like a cross and he nearly cried when he kept asking us if we were going to hang

him on the cross. When he was at Kihili the teachers there held night and morning

prayer meetings on his behalf. The Doctor at Kangu allowed him a three-week trial

before probably sending him to Port Moresby for treatment, but he improved enough

to be able to come back to Tonu. I was quite glad when he decided not to stay with us

as a student but to return to his own village with this wife and son.

I was to meet him again many times but especially when I lived in the Nagavisi area

near his village. That is another story for later, but suffice to say here that he later

explained to me the curse put on his life in the Duke of York Islands. He transferred

this to me but both of us have been set free through the power of Jesus Christ who is

supreme over all evil spirits. In 1956 I didn't understand what it was all about so was

unable to deal with it. God is very merciful in the way he guards and keeps the ones he

sends out to do his work. His timing is perfect.

While the weeding was going on I was sorting out the schoolwork for the coming

year. Merle helped me to sort out all my Social studies pictures into their correct

scrapbooks. With no libraries to consult, any pictures for all kinds of lessons were a

great help. The carpenters were busy making desks and seats for the new classrooms

from logs of wood. When school began the following week Mutona and Kirahoni had

classes one and two in the church and I had 32 in Classes 5 and 6 in my room and 18

in classes 3and 4 until another teacher could come. On Sunday I had 82 children in

Sunday School so the work was growing. Merle helped me with class three when she

could. Mutona wanted to retire from teaching but his real problem was that his pig

fence needed to be mended. This was crucial. One pig can do a lot of damage in one

night so he needed time off to fix it. Neewai began to teach class. Later, when his

permit to enter P.N.G. was granted, Nelson Ivapitu from Bilua came with his family to


join our staff. I taught with him in Bilua in 1953 and was very pleased to see them

again.

A Centipede in the Thatch

At this time I gave them the thoughts from the World Day of Prayer leaflet for that

year linking them with the rest of the women in the world. In the middle of all this I

had a bad cough and tried to keep fever away with medicine. As I preached on Sunday

morning a centipede roaming around in the saksak thatch above Aliti's head held the

congregation's attention with far greater intensity than I was able to produce. Over

these days and nights Merle delivered a number of babies. Tonu maternity ward was a

very busy place and Merle was on 24-hour call!

Letters and photos from home kept me in touch with the events surrounding my sister

Rosemary's marriage to Hamish Roake. When the girls saw the photos they could

hardly believe that I was not the one in the photos. They were very interested in my

family at home and loved the parcels my mother sent as well as all the interest of

belonging to people in New Zealand. We are one family really. I asked for ones in

Christchurch who wanted a prayer challenge to adopt one of my needy pupils such as

Deviri, whose badly crippled body and consequent inferiority complex caused some

problems at school. Real prayer always makes a difference, and I was grateful to all

those who helped us in this way.

One Monday morning the boys were up at 1am to go down the road past Harinai to

collect our medicines and other cargo. By lunch time all but the 44 gal. Drum of

kerosene had arrived, proving how much more willing to help the boys were these

days. Mr.Voyce sent up sixty hymnbooks and the same number of gospels of Mark for

sale, but as the girls had no money they worked for us to earn them. In their sewing

classes the girls made loose cloth covers to protect their precious hymnbooks. These

they embroidered distinctively and the boys really wanted them. I felt that the girls

were unable to say "No" to the boys who wanted their covers but Moroi assured me

that everyone was happy and the boys had said "Thank you". The girls were pleased to

make another one, from the pieces of material I had received from New Zealand.

Harvesting Our Rice

While the boys were on carrying duties the girls busy harvesting our rice, as the

weather was hot (90 F.) and dry. We cut it stalk by stalk, straightened it and tied it in

bundles with the strong skin of the wild banana plants. It was a long job and very

prickly, cutting the skin of our hands and arms. Afterwards it was hung up in a safe

place to dry out thoroughly, and then later it had to be taken to Konga to the

government agricultural station to be hulled. They had 5x25lb.flour tins full of rice but

when hulled this produced just 23lb. A lot of the rice was not well formed but the girls

were thrilled with it. It was for Thanksgiving but I bought it so that the money could

go to Thanksgiving and the girls could have a meal of rice on very special occasions.


Suri Season

February is suri season, loved by everyone. Suri is like a big white bull-rush. At this

time the singing tops are brought out and spun on the paths near the streams where the

suri grows, to cause the heads to fatten up quickly. We really enjoyed this addition to

our diet sometimes cooking the heads in coconut milk, sometimes boiling it and

covering it with a cheese or curry sauce. Other new seed heads were brought to us to

try too and we loved them all. Sometimes people brought us lovely mushrooms that

had grown on the trunks of felled sago palms. The Siwai people had more than thirty

different kinds of bush leaves and seeds that they gathered to enhance their evening

meals, each in their season.

A Moonlit Rainbow

One night about this time the moon was particularly bright and beautiful. As we filed

out of the classroom after evening Bible Class we looked up at the wide-open sky with

wonder. Moroi said, "Look at the rainbow!" Sure enough my unbelief had to give way

as I came out into the moonlight and looked away to the west. With the moon behind

us we could see a distinct but not very colourful bow curving over the clouds by the

big nut tree. We gazed until our minds had stored up yet another picture of the beauty

round about us. They wanted to hear the story of the first rainbow over again but I

didn't get a chance to tell the whole story because they kept chiming in with the parts

they already knew. On such nights everything was so soaked in dew that it glistened

and shone. The long coconut fronds looked as if each leaflet was encased in glowing

smooth ice. I would have loved to go for a walk but I knew that I needed my full quota

of sleep. The locals however rarely make an attempt to resist the attraction of the

moon. In the villages they dance and sing or sit in its light while they talk and make

baskets.

Kemueli was home from his village visiting for Easter and crowds came in to worship

with us on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Kirahoni helped me with the big groups of

children that I looked after on these occasions. I was working on some simple pattern

prayers for children to pray, which Nene helped me to translate into Siwai. My mother

sent me a helpful book on prayer by Frank Laubach who had written, "Teaching the

World to Read". That book helped missionaries in many countries to create good

primers to start people off in being literate in their own languages.

Lightning

Terrific lightning struck as we were working in the garden. I had my umbrella up so

that I could go on marking books but when a second jagged streak of lightning came

in a straight line along the ground with fire on top of it, followed immediately by

thunder, the girls shrieked, "Go home". I hesitated but it happened again so with all

speed we set off sloshing through the garden and keeping away from the trees. Once


on the road I was pleased that my umbrella was keeping my books and me dry but

Esita exclaimed, "It's your red umbrella!" She implored me not to come near her. The

worn foot-track down the grassy road was like a glassy river, however we reached

home drenched, but safely, in spite of my umbrella. (I know now that they were right.

Lightning goes for the thing that is sticking up the highest.)

Even worm-hunting hens had thought better of the weather for a while and stayed

under the shelter. Usually after the first rain has fallen they come out from their hiding

places to seek meaty food. I was tickled to I see them one evening standing on the

slightly raised ground with their backs to the pale sun fluffing out their feathers, trying

to get as dry as possible before nightfall. The local people do a similar thing. On cold

mornings you see them crouching in a band of sunlight with their backs to the sun,

getting warm. To be really conditioned to life here I think we all should borrow a little

duck oil. I recorded one and a half inches of rain in a straight-sided container one

afternoon. Later I bought a rain gauge and kept records for years.

We had been having a number of earthquakes as well as storms. At times we could see

the plumes of cloud billowing out from our nearest volcano, Mt. Bangana in the

distance.


CHAPTER 12:

District Girls' School

As Sister Ada had returned she was able to start her special task of looking after the

new Girls' School at Kihili. From Tonu, Sera Paripari, Pookuma and Iroja were the

first to go. We had a little feast to mark the occasion. The girls made 25 tapioca

puddings wrapped in leaves ready to put on the hot stones in the mumu they had

prepared. These were to cook all night ready to be taken on the journey next day as

'tamari', 'food for the road'. They cooked sweet potatoes for the evening meal to which

we added some tinned meat. The meal was topped off with a bunch of bananas. Rain

rather spoiled the enthusiasm for games but they always enjoy themselves singing

through the hymnbook and that can be done in any weather.

By May Ada had thirty girls. Thelma had escorted the Teop girls there and was able to

help Ada for a little while. It is a very big task to look after so many girls day and

night every day of the week without an assistant. There is much to do with supervision

of school and gardens and meals as well as the teaching and preparation of lessons.

Dora Rande is taking over the teaching of the other children on the station.

Meanwhile at Tonu in early April we had days of heavy rain made more depressing by

the fact that Merle had several babies in a row that were still born or didn't live long.

This trend was reversed with eleven new little ones making a safe appearance in the

next few weeks. One of the babies that died belonged to Kirahoni and his wife Muku.

Their little son had died several weeks before delivery but it was still very sad. Their

three lovely little daughters who had, what Siwai people call "uto panui", eyes like the

morning star, comforted them! Their house was near ours so we knew them well and

felt their sorrow.

My birthday was marked with flowers and song as Merle worked hard in the

background to make it happen. Gerberas and zinnias with tiny pink roses and fern

leaves arrived first but later Parai climbed a tree and brought me a spray of orchids.

Merle had done some nice baking and made special meals and there were some

presents as well. We even had a game of dominoes in the evening for a celebration.

New Teachers Arrive from the Solomons

Nelson Ivapitu with his wife Mavis, and their children Virginia, Wilson and James

arrived with John Betakera, his wife Grace and their new little son David to join our

staff. We were truly grateful!!! Both families were salt-water people from the

Solomons and quite unused to walking long a distances. They broke their journey at

Musiraka and our girls went down to help them carry the children over the last miles.

They spoke well in English but as they didn't know pidgin and ours didn't know

Roviana it was difficult for a while. I gave Nelson the top class to teach hoping that

they would respond well to the English challenge while I concentrated on getting class

five up to a better standard.


Building the Jubilee Church

Kemueli had been very busy with his village visiting and he enthused people from

everywhere to help to build a much bigger church that would house the crowds that

often gather here. It was nearly forty years since the good news of Jesus had come to

Siwai. Some brought in bundles of sago leaf and others carried strips of palm bark.

Soon these were sewn together into strips of thatch, heaped up and ready to be tied in

place on the rafters. They were making the best house they could and many of the

posts were stripped of bark and smoothed. Kemueli allotted various sections of the

roof to different villages so life at Tonu was very busy. They put the strips of thatch

very close together to make the roof waterproof for a long time. They are taking great

pride in making this a building that will be of lasting beauty as well as strength and

comfort. In the meantime we had our big services under the pink blossom tree and the

yellow cassia.

Teachers and other village men carrying in a post for the church.

Parcel from Home

A parcel arrived from home with chewing gum to help us to mend the holes in the

kitchen roof but much more wonderful was the lovely birthday cake that arrived in

very good order. Starr Daily once said that food cooked with love was much more

easily digested than food cooked out of duty. I knew that we were going to have many

happy times savouring that cake little by little. There were many other little surprises

in the parcel too as usual. I was thrilled about the plastic bags! They were a novelty in

those days. I had managed to send a number of parcels of Buin baskets home. These

baskets, made by the men, are very fine and strong but not waterproof. The women

made theirs of coconut or pandanus leaves.

The parcel contained a 'blow-up' globe, which was wonderful, and put to frequent use.

The boys as well as the girls loved to hug it and study all the names on it. There was

also a copy of "Isles of Solomon" by C.T.Luxton. I really enjoyed reading this history


of the church in the Solomons and used it to help me teach that history to the students

over many years so that now my copy is a bit worse for wear but still loved.

A new medical assistant from the government, Mr.Gannon, called in and gave us

some real meat, potatoes, onions, butter and cheese, which were his freezer goods and

unable to be taken further on patrol in the bush. What a treat! He enjoyed Merle's

baking and said so! We found some eggs and biscuits for him to take with him.

One night I felt something flat between my dress and petticoat and decided to shake it

out. It was just as well I did because it was a real scorpion, not just the straight tailed

one that doesn't hurt so much I was so glad that it was round the front and I hadn't sat

on it. How grateful I am that God protects us so amazingly.

The Agricultural Station at Konga

We were thrilled that a European Agricultural Officer, Mr. Tomlinson, was coming to

live at Konga to look after the work there and our area. This was great for us in many

ways as he had a vehicle and received mail regularly. The rice huller was there and

they began to grow demonstration plots of coffee and cocoa and other things. With

this new neighbour at Konga and Mr. Hook at Boku beyond us we were now far less

isolated. It also meant that the village men were able to stay at home and earn money

from cash crops instead of having to go to the Kieta side of the island to work on

plantations. Mostly it is the women who look after pigs but the men need to keep the

pig fences in good repair. The people were able to make some money from rice and

peanuts from time to time.

The little deaf and dumb girl, Ruha, was beginning to read. I took her with all the little

children for half an hour before the rest of the school started.

She made sounds from time to time, usually shrieks, which made me | jump, as they

were so loud and unexpected. She became very good at looking after the little children

in the village.

Samson Pataaku

Samson Pataaku was our senior catechist and a very reliable teacher. He was chosen

as a candidate to be trained as a minister and I was given the task of teaching him

Theology from the textbook "What a Christian Believes and Why" by Hunter. He

came in one afternoon a week from June onwards and we both enjoyed these sessions

very much. In later years I was asked to help Samson Mangung and John Zaie in the

same way and they also went on to become distinguished ministers. More often I was

helping Local Preachers to improve their sermons and services. These studies were

also a help to me as part of what I had to learn for my Local Preachers Exams in New

Zealand. Pataaku had to be ready to be examined by the ministers at Synod in August

so I had to make each chapter as simple as possible so that we could cover the ground

in time with understanding.


Merle and the general hospital buildings, 1955.

Merle's Busy Birthday

Merle had a busy birthday, firstly weighing many babies as their mothers had come in

for sewing class. We had over 70 women that day. After our special dinner she had to

deliver a baby before late bedtime. There were over a hundred on the sewing class roll

but fortunately they didn't all manage to come every time. I suppose 80 had toddlers or

babies or both, so the din was quite terrific when the toddlers particularly took

exception to their mothers being so engrossed in the sewing. When the grass was dry

enough some of them could go and sit on the lawn outside, which made the afternoon

less wearing for us. Afterwards we checked all their work so that when they picked up

their little garments again they would have a threaded needle with the next stitch

started to help them to get going by themselves without joining the endless queue for

our attention. The favourite thing to sew was a small pair of pants that they call

trousers. Merle cut them out from any piece of material that could possibly be big

enough. When they had finished the garment complete with elastic they bought them

for one shilling, or a bunch of bananas, or six eggs, or a lot of tomatoes, or a good

handful of beans, or something else from their gardens. Trousers stay on much better

than laplaps, so were popular for the young ones at school too. The seams were all

French seams for strength. Some women progressed to making sunsuits or dresses for

Sundays for their little ones. Patchwork blankets with flat fell seams were made from

even the smallest scraps of material. All of these were sewn by hand of course. Any

pieces of plastic material were made into bags as waterproof carriers for hymnbooks

and special things in this wet world.

People came to see us all the time every day of the week and this was good, as it was

the people we had come to help. Certainly our life was full of opportunities for really

getting to know the folk and we prayed that our lives might be kept blameless through

the power of Jesus Christ under this scrutiny. No part of day or night was hidden.


I permed my hair one Saturday and on Monday morning Dongoho tapped the shoulder

of the girl next to her as I arrived at school, saying in Siwai," Look, she has made her

hair crooked," I tried hard not to laugh. As it was Monday we sang the national

anthem after roll call and had a special prayer for the Queen and for those in our

government, before each class went out with their teacher to their own classroom.

Keeping in Touch

Each year my mother designed and made unique Christmas cards and sent them out to

me early enough for me to write in each one. In this way I was able to catch up on my

correspondence once a year sending each one off with a Papua New Guinea stamp.

My parents also sent out newsletters for me using pieces from my letters home. All

this was a great blessing to the work at Tonu and I am sure that their efforts made a

great difference to the results of the time I spent there. We were team members

working together.

An Arson Attack

Early one morning Maning came into hospital with burnt shoulders. She and the

young child in her care had been asleep in their comfortable garden house, "huru pau",

when someone wakened them by shining his torch through the doorway. They went

back to sleep but woke later to find the house on fire round the doorway. They had put

out their usual fire with water before they went to sleep on the platform at the end of

the room. Maning had to break the log- cabin-like wall to allow her to escape with

little Parung, her mat, pillow and blanket. She went back in to get her husband's box

and things and it was then that she got burnt. The whole structure burnt to the ground.

These "huru pau" houses are very special to Siwai people and a place where they keep

their special treasures. They enjoy living in them but the government requires each

family to build a "line house" in the village, making it easier for the Kiaps to ensure

law and order. Maning recovered but as far as I know the arsonist was never

discovered. The flames in the roof haunted Parung for a long time.

New Church at Panakei

The time had come for Kemueli Pita and family to be farewelled from Siwai and to

mark the occasion he was asked to open the new Church at Panakei on Class Meeting

Day when people from every village would be gathered together. Merle was to have

gone to represent us but, as she had a patient in labour, I went instead. We had school

till nearly 10am when I rushed home to see whether the baby had been born. No

progress there so I saucerized my tea and ate a biscuit while I tied up my sandshoes,

collected my hymnbook and New Testament before racing off. I knew it would take

more than an hour to get there and the service was to begin at 11am. Aliti and her

children and Mavis with her little ones had left with the others earlier. Wilson,

Nelson's two year old son rode on his father's shoulders ahead of me and Inata, a baby

we used to look after followed me comfortably slung in a laplap on her mother's back.

All round me, in front and behind were very excited mission girls. At the stony creek


we turned off the road into the bush on the short cut. The path through the bush was

shady except where people were making gardens. We passed one woman with a bone

through her nose heaping up dry branches and rubbish ready for a bonfire. Her two

shorthaired brown and white dogs stared at us with interest but without showing any

signs of resenting our presence. Another woman was weeding her sweet potato crop.

They were obviously Catholics or they would have been hurrying along with us. Soon

we left the bush and rejoined the road as it went its purposeful way under shady trees

and across stretches of bright sunlight. We crossed over several beautifully made

plank bridges with roofs over them to keep the decking in good repair. Nearer to

Panakei we passed the row of coconuts that were planted along the edge of the road

'on the day the Queen got her hat'. As soon as my dripping form was sighted coming

round the end of the village and down towards the church the drum was beaten in the

traditional manner to tell everyone that Lotu was about to begin. My hair and my dress

back and front were very wet with perspiration, but it is all part of the game. It was

five past eleven!

The church was beautiful inside and out, decorated with fronds for the occasion, but it

was always beautiful because it had been so well built. We had a hymn and a prayer

outside and then filed in to sit on the flattened log seats. Kemueli led the service and

spoke from 11 Corinthians 13:11 "Finally brethren, farewell. Mend your ways, heed

my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will

be with you." Many people spoke in the testimony part of the service and then

afterwards we all came outside for the feast. This was set out on a very long table in

front of the church with the food covered by big leaves. While we were in Lotu, a man

with a bow and arrows had kept watch lest any hungry dog should try to get a

mouthful before grace was sung. I could see this dedicated figure through the window

during the sermon.

Counting With a Fern Frond

While we were all seated beside the table Kauma, who had designed the church and

especially the decorations, came wandering past us with a bunch of fern fronds under

his arm and one in his hands. Carefully, one by one he was nipping off a piece of

leaflet for every person present. When he had finished he counted all the stumps and

said that there were 229 people sitting down at the feast. The Panakei hosts were not

sitting with us as they were serving and others had already gone so maybe there were

as many as 275 people present. It was a good feast with plenty of sweet potato, tapioca

"sausages" cooked in boiling coconut oil, green leaves cooked in coconut milk and an

abundance of pieces of roosters and pigs. There were bones for every baby to suck and

more than enough food for even the hungriest souls to enjoy.

On the way home we turned aside to yet another track and came through some

different bush. It was very pretty with gullies down to the creek beds. One creek bed

was especially lovely with the water flowing over tiny stones in the deep shade under


very thick sago palms. So we arrived home to share the news of the day with Merle

and to hear of the new baby born to Mahki and Kindi in our absence.

Mistaken Dawn

I woke to the sound of footsteps on the back steps by my doorway. It was very bright

moonlight and about 3.15am. I asked who it was and received the answer "Ni". I

recognized the voice and sleepily told her that it wasn't time to light the fire yet, but

she didn't hear me. I heard her scraping the ashes out of the grate and found it

necessary to get up and explain that though it was as light as day neither Merle nor I

were keen to have breakfast in all that much hurry. Mitakori went off back to bed and

to sleep and so did I! Moonlight is very lovely here and exceedingly bright.

"The Star of Hope" Rebuilt by Wesley Leonard

Mr. Leonard, from Canada had been working at Kihili completely renovating the

weapons carrier, which had been a wonderful help to us but needed a radical overhaul.

After Mr. Leonard had taken it to bits completely and put it together again he made it

a corrugated iron roof and painted it silver He arrived up to visit us with Mr- Voyce

and also our much needed groceries and school supplies one sunny mid-day and we

were astonished at its radiant splendour. They stayed for the weekend, which was a

great treat. Mr. Leonard not only mended all the troublesome things that had beaten

our ingenuity but also assessed the possibility of generating hydro electric power

between our two rivers.

Wesley Leonard and the “Star of Hope”.

Mr. Voyce took the big service under the trees because so many people had come in to

say good-bye to the Kemueli family. In the evening I was thrilled when Ruth Nino,


Miriam Tungori, Dorcas Asapi, John Kupiraki, Matthew Simou and Jacob Kuijaka

were baptized. These were students I had been -mothering'. The next day "The Star of

Hope and its passengers were off to Kihili.

Two weeks later Mr. Leonard and Ovini arrived to see us again with wire mesh doors

on the back of the vehicle now named "The Calaboose" As wen as fixing things this

time they brought some slides of New Zealand and Canada to entertain us after Lotu.

For the Siwai farewell service for Kemueli and family, 962 people were present. He

preached about building on good foundations and afterwards we had communion,

using leaves for communion glasses. The feast was huge and featured fish, opossum,

pigs, fowls as well as plenty of sweet potatoes, and the usual vegetables.

Goodbye

Next morning, after tearful goodbyes, Kemueli, Aliti and their children left in the

shining vehicle for Kihili. It was holiday time so we went with them ready for

Quarterly Meeting the next day. We had a good journey without accident and though

we were bogged down twice we were able to regain momentum quickly. It was a real

pleasure to travel so comfortably all the way.

The boys and girls at Tonu went on holiday while Merle came with me to Kihili.

Mavis and Nelson Ivapitu looked after our house while we were away. Kigona and

Rupokei were looking after the hospital and Mavis and Parai cared for the Maternity

Ward. Merle came to Kihili so that she could mind Ada's girls while Ada and I were

allowed to go to Synod at Roviana via Choiseul. We travelled that way on the Cicely

II as Sister Jessie Grant was on board on her way back to Sasamunga.

Pamela on the swing bridge at Harinai.


CHAPTER 13:

Synod at Roviana

After Lotu we started our journey to Synod in the Weapons Carrier as far as the beach.

The sea looked calm and the moon was riding between the clouds across the sky as the

boat's crew brought the dinghy up the sand to collect our luggage. Our turn came next

and soon the anchor was pulled up and we were on our way to the Shortland Islands

about 10 p.m. At first we sat on the deck at the back until it became a little cold.

From Kihili Beach to Ozama Twomey in a dinghy.

The others went down below to the bunks while I found my sleeping bag and secured

a place to sleep on the deck. Fine drizzle powdered my face so I moved my position

from time to time. At 1 a.m. we tied up at the Laumana wharf and I went below to

sleep for the rest of the night. Laumana is a very pretty island plantation with a

gracious home near the wharf. Mr. and Mrs. Hammot lived here and had the duty of

"clearing" the boats going to and from the Solomons.

When morning dawned and breakfast on the boat had been enjoyed, Mr.Voyce went

up to the house with the boat's papers. We followed later to join the Hammot family

and others gathered on the wide veranda, which was well supplied with chairs. These

friendly people have created a great venue for exchanging news with the travellers on


the small ships that were continually calling in. The sea was fairly calm so we were

able to go straight across the area where there are usually tide rips and on down the

Choiseul coast to arrive at Sasamunga just after dark. (If it had been rough we would

have had to sail differently arriving after midday the following day.) We found Lucy

Money and Nancy Ball and the others at Sasamunga entertaining people from the

"Corvette" already anchored in the bay. This ship had brought U.N.O. team on a yaws

campaign. They waited for us to disembark so that we could all enjoy dinner together.

Because Ada's cold was worse she had a bath and went straight to bed. The other

visitors spoke to the Lotu people about their campaign and followed this with a picture

show! Great excitement!! The first film was of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth 11,

which I really enjoyed, but after that I couldn't keep awake so accepted the offer of

Jessie's bed. She made herself comfortable in the lounge. The house is very close to

the beach and the sound of the sea breaking on the shore soon lulled me to sleep. This

mission station is a very pretty and peaceful place.

Sailing On

In the morning it was time to say goodbye to Nancy, Jessie, Mrs. Alice McDonald and

the five children. Alistair McDonald and Lucy joined Ada, Mr. and Mrs. Voyce and

myself on our journey to Munda, sailing down "The Slot" and bypassing Bilua. We

had morning tea at the usual time but after that no one thought of food again until late

afternoon, though, in spite of the choppy sea, nobody was actually sick. I chose to stay

on deck but got burned by the wind, sun and the glare so crawled into my sleeping bag

and lay across the stern by the steps to the cabin. All the bunks down below were

filled. The waves sprinkled my face and hair till my glasses needed windscreen

wipers! About 5pm, in the shelter of another island, we were able to have a cup of tea

and some tomato sandwiches. With that soft food I lost a filling from my tooth. The

cold wind sent me down below to snuggle up on a bunk beside Ada.

Inside the lagoon the sea was smooth but very soon Lucy warned us, saying, "In two

minutes we will be there." What a scurry ensued. With only one side of my hair

combed, (salt-water tangles are hard to undo) I climbed onto the wharf to meet

everybody.

The Rev. and Mrs. Metcalfe, Bob and Mavis Mannell, Rev. Alex and Sheena Watson,

Mary Addison, Norma Neutze, Audrey Grice were gathered there to greet us. Soon

Effie Harkness and Olive Money were with us too, welcoming us to the Sister's House

where we were glad to have supper a bath and bed. The next morning Dr. Gerald

Hoult, a doctor and a dentist, agreed to look at my tooth. He fixed the filling and

found two more teeth that needed attention. I was so grateful for this. In the late

afternoon I went with Audrey to take the girl boarders down to the beach for a swim

as the sun was setting in a brilliant display.

After Lotu the Malakuna still hadn't arrived with George Carter, Gordon Cornwell,

Trevor Shepherd, June Hilder, John Taufa, Daniel Palavi and all the local

Bougainville representatives. Those in charge of the next day's preaching plan were


looking for someone to help so I volunteered. Effie said she would come with me to

see the village people, as she had no Sunday school that day. When the Malakuna

finally arrived George was very glad that I was to take his place, as he was not a good

sailor.

Village Visiting

We left about 6.30 the following morning in the Vecta, going through the very pretty

Wonawona Lagoon, which is full of small bush clad islands, fringed with coconut

palms. We reached appointed place, Mandau, about Sam and Alex Watson and

Alistair McDonald went on to two other preaching places. Mandau village was strung

out near the sea, with the houses dotted about in the thick cushion-like grass that

covered the coral. Flowering hibiscus and frangipani bushes brought lively colour and

sweet scent to the scene. We were well looked after with drinking coconuts and a meal

of sweet potato and chicken before the service! I really enjoyed preaching on the text,

"Without me you can do nothing." The choir sang in soft harmony. After we had

shaken hands with everyone the teacher, Edwin, said that the women, including his

wife Violet, were coming to sit and talk with us as friends. That was a lovely surprise,

much appreciated. It is important to talk with our guests as well as to feed them.

About eight women and some little girls spread banana leaves on the floor. Potatoes,

fish, shell fish, chicken soup and other good things were laid out in dishes on the

leaves and after Edwin had said grace he left us to enjoy each other and the food.

Afterwards I preached again for the afternoon service and they listened well to both

services though I spoke in English. When the Vecta came back with Alex Watson they

asked him to take two baptisms, which he did very simply and meaningfully. Off we

sailed into the sunset, which was beautiful but not good for reefs. Bump, bump, bump

and alas we were stuck. Alex swam round and helped the crew to push us off into the

channel again. As we came towards Roviana the captain made sure that the beacons,

wharf and house lights were lined up, showing us the way to the wharf. Praise God we

were safely home again.

The following day some of us were invited up to the Chairman's house on Kokengolo

hill above the mission station. From this vantage point the Metcalfes had a splendid

wide view of the islands in the lagoon all around this part of New Georgia. The sea is

a blend of wonderful colours and the scores of bush-clad islands edged with cream

sand make a picture of paradise.

Synod time was very busy for everyone. Typing reports and balance sheets, checking

the figures on the adding machine, and recording minutes from various committees are

all tasks that computers and photocopiers would make short work of today. The

sessions, when we all sat down together, would begin at 7am and go on until 12.30

with a short break mid-morning for the chance to stand and have a welcome cup of

tea. The backless bench seats seemed very hard! More of the same followed in the

afternoons and evenings, but there were some chances for time off.


One Saturday afternoon Norma loaned me a bathing costume and we walked about a

mile to a beautiful pool at Kindu. It was not far inland from the sea, but surprisingly

the water was lovely, cold fresh water bubbling up from a spring in a pretty grotto. It

was about 30yds.long and 10yds wide. The bottom was white coral sand but the water

looked a delicate green-blue shade, paler than the colour of the water over the coral

reefs. Seldom have I enjoyed a swim more than I enjoyed that one.

Sunday was special for services and time to wear our best dresses, of pretty materials

in rainbow colours. There were nine Sisters there that year enjoying the company and

good fellowship with all the other staff members, men and women. We even had the

joy of a special service together in English. MaryAddison, Norma Neutze, June

Hilderand Lucy Money were nurses; Effie Harkness, Audrey Grice, Ada Lee and

myself teachers, while Olive Money did accounting and secretarial work often with

Lucy's help. It was just wonderful to be together.

I was amazed at the efforts of the local girls in doing the flowers for the services. The

tall brass cartridges were well polished with Brasso, then the tall stiff-stalked ground

orchids that grow so well in the Munda coral, were arranged like a huge Victorian

posy. The centre might be white then a ring of mauve followed by more white and

edged with a collar of fern leaves. Ground orchids range in colour from white through

pink to mauves and purples. They also had hibiscus of many many colours to work

with. They pierced these blooms with the strong midribs from sago leaves or coconut

fronds of different lengths to make pretty displays. Hibiscus flowers live only one day

in or out of water. They had lovely canna lilies too.

On the 9th September 1956, at the afternoon service, Scotter Bo and his wife Mary

were nominated by their minister, Alistair McDonald, as candidates for the missionary

work in the Highlands of P.N.G. It was wonderful to hear their testimonies and to be

part of the group that sent them out to this work. After this, two leaders, Solomon Alu

and Simon Rigamu, were introduced by their ministers as the ones who had been

chosen to go to New Zealand on a visit to the churches there. (They stayed in

Christchurch with my parents for part of the time.) Next Mr. Voyce introduced

Samson Pataaku and Mr. Metcalfe introduced Joeli Zio as candidates for the native

ministry. These senior men spoke earnestly of God's call to them. It was very

encouraging to realize that the church was growing and going forward to meet the

next generations.

I was thrilled to meet some of the girls I had known when I lived here in 1953.

Spontaneously they sang to me some of the songs I had taught them previously. That

was special because in those days I wasn't able to talk with them much in Roviana.

Obviously some happy memories had lived on.

Many decisions were made to be put to the Mission Board in New Zealand for their

approval or otherwise. One that interested me was the possibility of a house of

permanent materials at Tonu. Mr. Voyce felt that the time was right and this did in

fact become a reality. They also asked that Mary Addison be appointed to Tonu as the


nurse there. In the end we had ten happy years together before Mary came back to

nurse in New Zealand and to be near her mother.

The sound of the buki (conch shell) called us all to hurry down to our last meeting.

We had high hopes of finishing all the estimates and

Board suggestions as well as the minutes so that we could begin our various journeys

home that evening. About 5pm George Carter read the last minutes and we all stood

while the Chairman, Rev Metcalfe and Secretary, Rev. Shepherd signed the book then

while we were still standing, Mr. Metcalfe led us in our final prayer. I was conscious

of a wonderful sense of peace. It seemed to me that we were all in wonderful unity;

that though we sometimes disagreed with each other yet we were all very close friends

because we had lived through many of the same kinds of joys and problems. It was

just like Paul said, "many members but one body." Mr. Metcalfe, the head, led us all

as one to the throne of God.

The Journey Home from Synod

After the finishing service there was a great old scramble. Gordon drove the ‘Green

Hornet’ round to collect the luggage from the various houses and put it on to the

appropriate boats. Most of us had been almost packed since the day before, ready for

instant take-off, but there are always some last minute things to do. I was thrilled to

find that I was allowed to travel to Bilua on the Cicely II and thus was able to visit my

friends there en route home. I shared this part of the journey with George Gordon,

June and Alistair.

We had chicken, roast potatoes, pumpkin and greens for our farewell meal at the

Sisters' house. It was probably more hilarious than usual because we nine were sorry

to be saying good-bye to each other and we covered it up with mirth. We had so

enjoyed our time together.

The buki sounded and then the drums calling us to the wharf for evening Lotu. The

Malakuna was tied up at the end of the wharf and the Cicely was tied to the Malakuna.

We sang a hymn together as the last stragglers arrived then Mr.Metcalfe read some of

the verses from Psalm 107 especially verses 38-32 about the sailors who called out to

God when they were in trouble on the sea. As the moon and the stars shone down on

us he prayed for us all. Much hand shaking followed as we said good-bye to the white

and black friends we were leaving behind. When I thought I had been round the whole

circle I dashed over the Malakuna to the Cicely to see if my things were safely there.

Hands grasped mine from all directions. As I emerged from the cabin Audrey and

Mrs. Metcalfe were on the Malakuna waiting to say good-bye. I was so glad that I

hadn't missed them in the dark.

The Cicely slid out first over the moonlit water but before we were through the

markers at the sides of the channel George realized that we had left Gordon behind.

We stopped round the corner at Banga, visiting the Halls at the College, until the

Malakuna came by and slowed down to let Gordon off at the wharf to sail with us.


Casting off our ropes at the wharf we rolled our way through the night until in the

morning we were near Bilua. We spent a whole day there with Myra and Joy and I

was able to see the new church and the school, to spend time with Ailsa and even to

go over to Ozama Island to renew my friendship with some of the leprosy patients

there. There was so much synod news to share with Myra that the day went very

quickly. Mark Pivo and his wife were glad to hear how Mavis, their daughter, and

Nelson and the children were getting on at Tonu. Rene was at the wharf and Elsie and

Sito with their lovely baby. In my time at Bilua in 1953 I had found many friends and

we were excited to see each other again.

As we pulled away from the wharf at dusk to sail through the gap in the reef, we

passed the good ship Mandalay coming in to collect Alistair McDonald to take him

back to Choiseul.

George, who was not a good sailor, went to his bunk immediately but June, Gordon

and I watched the Bilua lights till they went from our sight as we turned round the end

of Vella. The coast slipped past us in the moonlight as we sang hymns and storied

together. Gordon, a Navy man a in the war, didn't want to lie down till we were safely

through Bagga Passage and out in the open sea so we kept him company on the deck.

The boats-crew were fine sailors but I think all of us were glad to have Gordon with us

when we sailed in difficult places. When the swell grew heavier and the islands round

the Vella coast receded we went down to our bunks till daybreak.

We had breakfast near the Shortland Islands and when we tied up at the Laumana

wharf, the men went ashore at 10am, to present the necessary m papers to customs for

clearance from the Solomon Islands. June and I were intrigued by the layers of fish in

the clear green water under the wharf. The bottom was white sand so we could see the

layers of fish very clearly. Near the top of the water were dear little tiny fish and on

the next layer down were a much more numerous gathering of slightly larger ones that

swam in formations almost like playing "The Grand old Duke of York". Underneath

them were some football jersey fish with black bands on their yellow and cream

bodies. A different shoal of graceful fish swam among them while at the same level

tiny blue fish played hide-and-seek round the wharf piles amongst the barnacles

growing there. As we looked deeper we saw a lovely big flat fish, just right for

breakfast! Deeper still were a whole tribe of fat, more ordinary shaped fish and

amongst them " one big enough for our dinner! At this juncture Mrs. Hammet and

Gordon came down the steps from the homestead veranda so I went along the wharf to

meet them. I had collected up the things Myra had sent for the Gurney family, as their

house had recently burned down on this very pretty island plantation.

As we sailed on towards Kangu we had morning tea then I packed up my things. We

stopped at the hospital first where Gordon went ashore to get a clearance for us from

the doctor. Mr. Wern the Assistant District Officer was there too so he attended to our

re-entry papers, saving us from the need to stop again at the Government Office. We


were able to make our way along the coast to the Japanese Wreck where we went

ashore and made our way on foot up to Kihili.

Buin Show Day 15th September 1956

The day after our arrival was the much-anticipated 4th Annual Buin Show. Hundreds

of local people had come from their villages in Siwai, Buin, Uisai, Nagavisi and even

Kieta down to the coast at Kangu. There were also 46 white people and their children

present, including Catholic Sisters and Fathers, all the Government officers and their

wives, plantation people and store-keepers, ourselves and the missionaries who were

on their way back from Synod, more than I had ever seen together on Bougainville

before. We were all invited to a luncheon in the unfinished new hospital so it was a

great chance to meet one another. I don't think that such a large crowd of expatriates

has ever gathered at Kangu again, or anywhere else in Buin. Previously entries for the

competitions had been gathered to be judged and the prizes were awarded in the early

afternoon. Hand writing, drawing, sewing, woven mats and baskets, cane work and

chairs, spears and axe handles, model canoes and houses even a model of a cremation

pyre were all on display. Vegetables and fruit of many kinds filled another large

shelter. There was so much to see on this very hot bright morning. Mr. Atkinson, the

District Officer from Sohano was in charge of festivities but the friendly crowd was so

huge the loud speaker really couldn't reach everyone. A great sports programme was

arranged for the afternoon but when heavy rain pelted down tired, sunburned people

were glad to have the excuse to start walking home again. On these occasions there is

always the concern that the rivers might come up and stop you from getting back to

your village that day.

The next day Mr. Voyce asked me to preach at the morning service, which I was very

glad to do, using a modified version of my talk for Synod. "Jesus said, I am the

truth.... If you continue in my word you shall know the truth and the truth shall make

you free."

The following day Tuma brought us home in the Weapons Carrier. How glad we were

to be back. I painted two beds that we had been given and sawed the legs of Merle's

bed to make them even. The children hadn't yet returned from holiday so we had time

catch up on what needed to be done. Mr.and Mrs. Voyce visited us at the end of

September to discuss the up-coming Jubilee and also where new buildings should be

built.

My Grandfather, the Rev. Samuel John Webb

In the next mail I learned that my much loved grandfather, the Rev. Samuel John

Webb, had died just two days before my sister Rosemary gave birth to her first child, a

son, Simon Roake. (23rd and 25th September 1956) My mother wrote, "The king is

dead. Long live the king." Simon was his first great-grandchild and we pray that he

will follow in his great grandfather's example of a very productive life. Grandpa could

play any instrument and indeed invent new ones, but though music was as much part


of his life as breathing his great passion was to preach in pulpits or on street corners to

make sure that people would know that Jesus longed to give them new life. After

collapsing two or three times in the pulpit, that avenue was closed to him in his

seventies but he joined the Salvation Army to preach and play his instruments in the

Square in Christchurch. He loved to talk to the old men who congregated in various

bus shelters there, often inviting destitute ones to come home with him. In his early

eighties when he became ill my parents took him into our home. He longed to go to be

with Jesus now that he felt no longer useful. One morning as a cup of tea was offered

to him he said, "Is that you, Rosa? I thought it would have been the angels this

morning." I really praise God for all that Grandpa taught me and especially for his

love and prayers. He taught me to play the violin and when I went overseas he sent me

The Christian Herald, which I read eagerly. I look forward to meeting him again in

God's good time.


CHAPTER 14:

Forty years of Methodist Mission work in South Bougainville 1916-

1956

We called this time the Jubilee, at 40 years, as there were still many people living who

could remember the days before the light came. There were some German Roman

Catholic Fathers on Bougainville before that time but when the Siwai people saw the

difference that Jesus had made on the lives of their trading partners in Mono they

wanted this new way for themselves, and sent a message to the Rev. J.F.Goldie in

Roviana asking for a teacher. (See "Isles of Solomon" by C.T.J.Luxton Chapter 7,

Pages 105-109 for the recorded history of these times.)

Monori and Naaru with Ovini, Kemueli.

Opening the Jubilee Church.

Mr. Goldie and Mr. Wheen came to the beach at Mamagota in 1916 and went 5 miles

up to the inland village of Harinai to talk to the chief men. As a result of these talks

Daniel Sireheti, Shadrach Peuhai and Paul Sai were appointed to this place and later

David Pausu and Chillion Kiau were sent by steamer and were met by Harinai natives

who took them up to other Siwai places. For the Jubilee new churches had been built

at Mamagota and Harinai and these were visited and dedicated on Sunday 14th

October, at the beginning of the days of Jubilee. David Pausu had begun the work at

Tonu, which had become the main mission station for the area. David was my very

real friend and wise advisor. His amazing story needs to be told in a separate chapter.

By Thursday afternoon crowds of visitors were arriving including ministers Trevor

Shepherd, Alistair McDonald, and John Taufa. Doctor Hoult was there and many

leaders from other areas of Bougainville and the Solomons. Mark Pivo and Harry

were from Bilua, Siron from Buka, Mosesu from Teop, Gideon Shakespeare Kaigasi

and Kiau from Roviana. It was a very happy time of being together.


Early on Jubilee Day Alistair McDonald killed the pig for the cooks to prepare for the

feast. I was able to join Trevor, Alistair, Doctor and some other folk in the truck to go

to the beach at Mamagota, where we walked across the rickety one plank bridge over

the dark waters of the lagoon to the edge of the sea. (The village men had put a rattan

cane handrail up for us so I didn't need to crawl over this time.) Crocodiles live in this

lagoon but with all the noise we were making we didn't need to worry. We were there

remembering the bravery of Mr. Goldie and Mr.Wheen as they met the rather

fearsome looking local people on the beach, that day forty years before. They had not

expected to go inland but accepting the invitation of the delegation they walked in the

rain five miles up to their village to spend the night, in their company. The results of

that meeting have been momentous.

Ovini, Kemueli, Pamela, Merle.

1500 at the Service at Tonu

When we arrived back at Tonu we were amazed to see so many people. Mr. Voyce

estimated that there were 1,500 people present. The service began almost straight

away with 11 choirs longing to sing to us and many other people waiting to speak.

Mark Naaru presented the church to the Secretary of Synod, Trevor Shepherd, in the

absence of the Chairman. Trevor replied with a suitable word then many others

brought greeting from other places. Some teachers from earlier days spoke of the


beginnings of the work in this area. Old David had some great stories to tell of the

changes in forty years. After all that the people enjoyed their feast but, though there

was to have been a football match, most people hurried away to beat the rain!

New Land for Food Gardens

Later in the week Trevor, Alistair and I went with Ariku and Naaru to view the land

that they were willing to allow the mission to use for food gardens for the students.

This was hard walking through bush, up hill and down dale for most of the morning.

A few days later we went over an adjoining piece that Kuna was allowing us to use as

well. The problem of having enough garden ground for students' food had almost

caused us to have to go to another place. We hoped and prayed that this land would

not be contested but that we would actually be allowed to use it. God was merciful and

in time we had wonderful gardens there and years later the Tonu High School was

built there.

Merle was pleased to have Doctor Hoult's help in examining many village patients

who had come to Tonu for the celebrations. One day I was called in as an extra

assistant while Doctor and Merle cut out a 14oz. fatty cyst from a man's back.

On Sunday Doctor preached at two Rataiku villages while Trevor preached at Tonu in

the morning and then at Purikori with Merle in the afternoon. I took Alistair and Ada

to Panakei. We all arrived back at Tonu about 5.30, just before dark after a very happy

day.

In the evening Alistair took evening Lotu using three small tins of kerosene with

wicks in them to illustrate his story about how sharing our light is the best way to keep

it. The fun began when the lights were to go out. Alistair blew and nearly lost his

eyebrows, and then Merle threw some sand from the floor in it and splashed the

flames around. The suggestion from the congregation was to find a flat stick. A

coconut frond stem quickly and easily ended the drama.

We Were Given a Radio!

On Tuesday it was time for Ada and her girls to go back to Kihili in the Cicely II after

they had walked at least part of the way to the beach.

Some set off walking early and others left later in the weapons carrier to change places

with them half way. It was a memorable visit for everyone. I was so glad because in

the midst of this a radio had arrived as a gift for us from the Young people of the

Methodist Church at home. With help from the missionary men present an aerial was

set up and we heard news from 2YA New Zealand.

Mr. Voyce had been busy superintending the construction of a paddock for the cattle

we were to look after and the young bull arrived not many days later. It seemed so

huge compared with pigs! Many adventures followed especially when a cow arrived

as well.


Beware of Falling Trees

Another exciting event happened at this time too as a woman arrived one afternoon as

Merle and I were taking sewing outside under a tree. I can see the awful sight now.

The woman hadn't wanted to move from where her husband was chopping down a tree

and as it fell some branches peeled her scalp off from one ear to the other. They had

walked all the way from Sikurai, many miles. I was Merle's assistant as she sorted out

the mess and then put in 26 sutures. The woman recovered very well by the grace of

God and everyone learned again the lesson about falling trees.


CHAPTER 15:

Sister Merle Carter Left for England

After Jubilee school went back to normal and preparation for Merle's departure for

London became pressing. I made her a hat and mittens of the same green wool jersey

that her dress and jacket were made of and the outfit looked really good. I also

crocheted her a maroon chenille hat, which I trimmed with little pearls. (In those days

we wore hats!) Sister Mary Addison arrived here a week before Merle left and was

able to help her finish the jersey she was knitting. We were all able to be part of the

farewell dinner that gave us the chance to say goodbye in style.

Merle Carter, Mary Addison, Clarie Wills, Pamela Beaumont.

Clarrie Wills, Builder from Timaru, Joined Us

Clarrie Wills had also arrived to begin building our house and the girls' dormitory and

Wesley Leonard was often with us as he drove the rejuvenated weapons carrier to

deliver building materials to us, before he left to return to Canada. We also had to

make numerous trips with the students to the beach at Moreka, where much of the

timber had been put ashore. The planks had to be carried from the beach, across the

lagoon, through the swamp and up to the place where the vehicle could later pick them

up. This was a difficult task but they all helped together in spite of pouring rain or

strong sunshine. I went to the beach with the boys and girls to encourage them.

At one stage I was carrying one length of timber on my shoulder with Nino at the

other end of it. Progress was slow and after a while I felt the load being lifted off my

shoulder and saw that Kauma had set me free. He had the end of a piece of timber on

each shoulder with two girls behind him each carrying the other end of one of the

planks. I realized that my most useful contribution was to see that the bucket was kept

full of drinking water from the spring and that it was fairly shared out amongst

everyone. When it came time to go back home to Tonu I gathered all the girls together

to start walking with them. Clarrie took the bike for the first part of the journey and


left it against a tree further up the road for me to have a turn of riding. Taking

turnabout we were able to keep everyone moving along. At times the rain poured

down, soaking us and even getting into my waterproof watch. I had to send it down to

Sydney to Mr. Brochert to be fixed.

Very unusual calm sea allowed the Malakuna

to land this timber on Mamagota Beach.

Clarrie was great at fixing things like the holes in the iron over the stove in the kitchen

part of our leaf dwelling. While he waited for all the materials for the new house he

arranged a tap for us over the basin in the old bathroom, a tremendous boon. It was

Clarrie too who fixed up an aerial and earth for our new radio so that we were able to

receive news from 2YA in New Zealand. He also took my little organ to bits and

mended the bellows with tarred paper so that I could enjoy playing it again. This man '

from Timaru and was cheerful company for everyone. The carpenters he was working

with gladly learned a great deal from him because he was thoughtful and patient as

well as being very good and neat in his work. All the boys on the station appreciated

him too and that helped me with the overall running of Tonu.


The concrete foundations and piles for under the floor for our house were set in place

and others built for the adjoining Girls' Dormitory for which the New Zealand

Methodist Women's Fellowship paid. The children were busy part of every morning

carrying sand and gravel up from the river for the concrete. Those who deserved some

punishment found that they had to carry extra sand. It was a great deterrent to

naughtiness.

Kira, Men, Moroi, Ruha, Agnes, Miri

Tungori, Tapua, Moroi, Mitakori

In the afternoons the girls started their new garden on the land we had recently been

allocated. To get there we went across the grass behind the school then down the bank

by the swimming pool, but on the other side of the razorback cliff. Next we climbed

over the pig fence and wound our way amongst the sago palms and other trees till we

came to another bank to clamber down before we crossed a stony creek. Up the path

on the other side, just around the corner there is a beautiful view of a very high cliff


clothed in bush with a good sprinkling of tree ferns amongst it. This is the bank of the

next river we walked through. It was wider and swifter than the creek and when it

rained hard the girls had to hurry home from the garden lest they be caught in a flood.

The water usually looked cool and inviting here mirroring the bush on either side

where the water flowed calmly over deep places before splashing over the stones by

the crossing. On the other side we went through old David Pausu's suri plants, then the

rice plot, next his corn, his peanuts, his sweet potatoes and finally his yam and taro

gardens bordered with banana palms all carefully tended. The girl's garden adjoined

his and before Christmas they had planted sweet potatoes and cooking bananas ready

for the next year. After I had started them on their work for the afternoon I had to go

back to the house to work on exams and other school tasks. I am sure that they had

some swimming as well as gardening in my absence. There were plenty of springs in

the rocky river banks and they would carry water back to their thirsty friends in leaves

that they carefully folded for the purpose. I loved going back to see their progress and

bring them back in the late afternoon, when the light was softer about an hour before

sunset. It was like a walk through the Botanical Gardens except that there is much

more colour in gardens at home.

Soon it was time for exams. Peter Nene, one of Sari's children, was dux of the school

that year. The extensive work in the food gardens went on apace, even in the pouring

rain, so that there would be plenty to eat after the holidays. We worked really hard and

I ended up in bed with two rugs, the eiderdown quilt, a hot water bottle and some

malaria medicine but by morning I was much better.

On very wet nights the students had their own Lotu in their houses. I let them choose

their own leader on these occasions and they loved it. The girls particularly loved

singing through the hymnbook until they fell asleep. This gave us a free evening to get

letters written.

A Visit from Mr. Taylor

Visitors were very welcome though they were almost always unexpected. Late one

afternoon, just as I was adding some cocoa to flavour the slightly fusty semolina

custard I was cooking, I heard a European voice enquiring whether any one was home.

It was Mr. Taylor, the Government schoolteacher from Konga. He was having bicycle

tyre trouble on his way back home, and as a good neighbour for about five years, he

was glad to pop in. While we shared a cup of tea it began to pour with rain again so he

gladly accepted the invitation to stay to dinner. The rain didn't ease but we enjoyed a

great evening hearing all the news, and eventually he accepted a bed for the night in

Clarrie's house. I was very glad to hear his ideas on Government educational matters

as I was in a muddle over all their circulars. He was shortly to go on leave then to

return as the senior educational officer for the whole of Bougainville-Buka, living at

Sohano. Friendly relationships are invaluable.

The next day after lunch the Weapons carrier arrived with Mr. Voyce and we were

able to sort out the internal space arrangements for the new house. Clarrie had made


careful plans so that we could each have one and Mr. Voyce approved of it. Clarrie

also was glad to report that the new maternity ward would be ready by Christmas,

which was great news as the old one was being so thoroughly digested by the white

ants it was unsafe. The new one had a concrete floor and sheet iron walls with gaps

between the floor and the wall and also spaces at the top between the walls and the

roof.

Christmas Eve was a Very Busy Day!

Mary and the nurses transferred the maternity ward things over to the new building,

ready for it to be dedicated the next day.

I went with the girls to cut down a Christmas Tree. We hauled it up an almost

perpendicular bank, like ants carrying a big beetle up a tree trunk. We called and

called and finally help arrived to enable us to get over the edge at the top. The tree was

a bush one with pretty pink flowers on its many branches. The girls decorated it while

I continued to sort out the presents for 20 girls and 30 boys from Tonu and about 50

village teachers. The Methodist Youth Department parcel from New Zealand and

other parcels from home ensured that there was something for every one.

While our girls were out singing carols to the village people I prepared my sermon for

Christmas Day. The village choirs began singing to us soon after evening Lotu and

continued coming all through the night. About 2am when our girls were safely in bed I

went to bed myself. At first I got up at intervals to show my appreciation but finally a

sleepy Happy Christmas was all that I could manage until the last one at 5.30 when I

realized that day had begun.

At breakfast Mary, Clarrie and I shared the presents that we had kept back from home

parcels for this moment. We were interrupted by the girls telling us that the calves

were out of their paddock. Pandemonium reigned while we herded the animals


together and finally got them back inside. Most of the students were frightened of

these big animals.

When I rang the first bell for the service the wise men, shepherds, angels and Mary

and Joseph (Mavis and Nelson) came over to our house to be dressed up in the

garments I had prepared for them. When all this was complete the next bell warned

the crowds of people to head for the church or a shady place within earshot. I took the

service because I wanted to keep everything moving. We had 7 choirs to fit in with the

pageant and everything else. While the congregation sang "O come all ye faithful" in

Siwai which is definitely their favourite, the people came to the front to put their

shilling into the offering basket for the young church in the New Guinea Highlands.

During my short sermon I saw that Miruho, the baby we had returned to her mother,

had recognized me with smiles from the back or the church. What a happy time we all

had together.

The New Maternity Ward

After a short break Ovini opened the new Maternity Ward as all the people gathered

round to give thanks for this well appointed new building.

The 2nd Maternity Ward, 1957

During the night Mary arrived just in time for Pirih to have her baby there while the

Mission boys sang a carol outside. It was a real day for babies! After the ward was

opened Mary weighed all the babies whose mothers had come with them for the

Christmas celebrations, and that took a long time. That Maternity ward was very well

used for many years. It was light and airy and a good design, but later a larger building

needed to take its place and it became an extra indoor place for the piles of washing

that go with a busy ward. The nurses and patients were able to store their food and

firewood there as well.

Ovini and Lorraine and family were with us for Christmas dinner in the evening,

returning to Kihili on Boxing Day. Miss Covers, the Government School Teacher at

Sohano came up with Tuma on the return trip to stay with us for a few days. She read

three of my books while she was with us. Mary was very busy nursing a young boy

with cerebral Malaria. He seemed to be getting better with Mary's constant care but in

the end he collapsed and died on the last day of the year. Mary was very upset so we


went back to hospital to have Lotu with them using the lovely reading and prayer from

the children's burial service in the new hymnbook.

Ovini and Lorraine with Agnes and Caleb.

New Years Eve 1956

On New Years Eve the students from Banga had arrived home so I arranged for

Haupe, a newly qualified pastor-teacher, to take the Watch Night Service. We decided

to stay up until it was time to join everyone in the church at 11.30pm. While we were

waiting a huge centipede fell out of the thatched roof on to the floor at our feet in the

living room. I was glad that the lamps were lit and we were able to deal with it with

out any one being hurt. After that excitement we rang the bell and people from

everywhere filled the big church. I gave Haupe my clock so that he could see the right

time to announce the New Year. Midnight came and went and Haupe went on and on

preaching. Text after text was thoroughly dealt with as we struggled not to fall off our

seats as sleep tried to overtake us. Finally at 1am the New Year was announced! Later

as I received my clock back, I asked Haupe why he didn't stop at midnight and he said

that he saw the big number on the clock and thought that that could not be the new

beginning. We entered into 1957 in a way I have never forgotten.

The first of January was a drizzly day but I took Clarrie and Miss Covers on a walk

through a particularly pretty section of original bush where there were many kinds of

beautiful ferns. After meeting the road we came back another way through a different

sort of bush. We enjoyed it and returned to find that Mary had made us some

wonderful hot soup. She had stayed home because she tired.

A Journey Round the Ruhuaku Villages

The next morning Mary and I put our bikes on the weapons carrier and accompanied

Miss Govers for the first part of her journey back to Kihili Tuma was driving and as

we said goodbye, he set our bikes down near the Musiraka turn off. Musiraka and

Duisei were deserted as everyone was away at their gardens. At Mangung's hospital


we found just one sick patient, an old man called Pauru. We talked to him for a while

to cheer him up then Monori's son appeared to find out why we had come- a very

natural question. After meeting Ruthie, a past pupil of ours, and her children, we

traveled on to the House Kiap for a rest. Our lunch included a favourite for such times,

a small ripe pineapple cut in half and eaten with a spoon. It provided a drink as well as

sweet nourishment and was easy to carry. At Hurai we noticed that they were making

a new church with great care for all the extra decorative binding details in the roofing

tha showed they wanted to really honour God. At Musimiinoi Kehu's wife met us and

showed us round the village. Three prize sashes from the Bum show were hanging on

the wall of one veranda. At Kunu we met quite a few people. There in the centre of the

village was a pit with a big board in it where the women danced at night celebrating

some special event with two women at a time in the pit stamping their feet to mark the

rhythm. There too we saw a house with a little clover lawn and a flower garden. May

there be many more flower garden lovers.

Kutingori

Next we called briefly at an R.C. village before travelling on up the road to Kutingori.

I had never been inside this village before and it was a pleasant surprise. A side road

led us down a deep dip. Leaving our bikes at the top against a coconut palm we

walked down and across the river. The villaqe was high on the bank and there was

Tawang wearing the trousers I had made him in 1951! He had grown a little but not

much. I was everso glad to see him again. Iroja was there and Uming-s wife

surrounded by lots of friendly children who ran behind us when we left and solemnly

shook our hands to say goodbye further up the road. There were many boggy parts on

the next piece of road but in a while we reached Konga We went to have a look at the

Mopiai River far down below the edge of the cliff where we were standing. It looked

so like New Zealand it made me homesick. The bush on the other side and the water

dashing over great boulders could have been somewhere on our West Coast. As we

stood on a cleared grassy patch the Government School teacher, Malim and his wife

Salome came over to speak to us inviting us into their home for a lemon drink. The

school and the hospital are part way down the cliff.

As we climbed the hill again we met Stephen Sukina and Mary Kira coming home

with Nara and Maria for a holiday. They were going across the river up into the

Rataiku area. I asked Sukina to plan my Nagavisi trip for me between the 19th and

26th January. I would visit his school up there.

Time was going quickly but as there was a lot of down hill on the next stretch of road

our weary legs managed fairly well. Near Panakei we saw Esita coming home from

her garden but we couldn't stay there. We arrived home at Tonu after 6pm worn out

but glad about such an interesting day. For Mary, poor soul, two women had arrived at

the ward in labour. Two new little babies were eventually born before she could have

a rest in her bed!


We discovered that Clarrie and later Mary had hepatitis! They both felt unwell and

needed to rest as much as possible but neither of them was particularly good at resting.

Eventually they both got better and I was spared from catching the germs. Other

people in South Bougainville had it too. God is so merciful to us and helps us in all

kinds of trials. It was especially hard for Clarrie to be confined to bed with no male

company to cheer him up. He was glad that we had been given the radio and that he

could hear lots of news from 2YA. My glasses snapped in the middle of the nose

bridge but Clarrie was able to mend them neatly. Plastic isn't as everlasting as we

thought i would be but Clarrie rises to the challenge for all kinds of fixing.

Clarrie on the girls’ stilts.

Amongst other holiday jobs I made applique embroidered sacking covers for the three

sponge rubber footstools made from the nose shields of bombs. When we have a

chance to sit down it is great to have the added comfort of putting our feet up. Since

the covers are washable it doesn't matter if our feet are a bit dirty. Rain, rain, glorious

rain means mud and more mud but it is good.

Our New 'Little House’

Clarrie designed and made us a really wonderful toilet from two and a half drums set

in concrete so that we no longer lived with the daily fear of falling through the floor

into the dismal abyss below. The usual way for making a toilet was to dig a huge hole

and then to lay timbers across the top covered with strong leaves and sand abutting a

box in the centre. The trouble was that the white ants went to work on the soft timbers

and you had to be careful to step on to the strongest parts of the floor. Clarrie's model

had fibrolite walls and an iron roof with only two chewing-gum-needing holes, but

best of all it had a door, not just a doorway. I made a trellis round the outside planted

with honeysuckle and crotons and a sweet-scented large yellow-flowered creeper to

make it a beauty spot.

Drums that had come to us with army supplies from Torokina eventually I began to

wear out. For our washing and the maternity ward washing the copper rested in a


drum, housed under a sheet of old iron. The copper fire was very important but when

the drum began to disintegrate it was necessary to make sure that no-one got scalded

feet from the boiling I washing. As each load was lifted out of the copper it was taken

down to the Kutana creek to be rinsed, unless copious rain made rinsing possible in

buckets nearby. The next stage, in wet weather was to hang every thing on the lines

round our veranda hoping for a breeze to aid the drying.

Progress

Clarrie struggled on with the building on his days of feeling well. Village men helped

to get the prepared walls standing up and eventually the roof and floors were in place.

The stove in the kitchen was set into a block of concrete. The outside walls were made

of fibrolite, the roof of aluminium, inside walls of 3ply from Bulolo in New Guinea.

The ceilings were made of pinex. While Clarrie and the two carpenters, Anungu and

lamu, built our house and the girls' dormitory other men were setting up the recycled

Quonset huts nearby on concrete floors. Clarrie was directing all this work as well

creating a 60foot three classroom block on one side of the lawn and a block of the

same size but divided into chapel and school library/storeroom on the other. It was a

major effort. Mr. Voyce kept the materials coming by road and God mercifully

blessed us. Mary and Clarrie and I were a good team. We took day about for saying

grace at meals and taking our prayers together at the end of the evening. This was very

important because it meant we dealt with all the little irritations and frustrations

together before they could fester into bad feelings and it also meant that we could

share our joys with each other too. We each took services on the station and in the

villages as well.


CHAPTER 16:

A Journey Through Nagavisi Villages, 21st-28th January 1957

With my two ex-army haversacks packed up and my sleeping bag and lilo fastened in

a roll we were ready to leave Tonu shortly after breakfast. With my watch away being

mended in Sydney I went by sun time for the week. Simeon, a teacher and students,

Nene from Siwai and Nembango and Rupunai from Nagavisi walked with me,

carrying my things, and the teachers we visited helped us along the way. The first

rivers we waded through were only thigh deep at the most and the walk along the bush

roads was very pleasant. Boku Government Station is built on a series of plateaus high

above the Uhai River. We crossed over three of the braided streams of this wide river

safely and continued on to the Methodist villages of Pikei and Boku by early

afternoon. We were to stay the night here so I asked the women who welcomed us to

boil some water for me so that I could make some cocoa. Both these villages were full

of energetic children, taught byAhai and Maimoi, Pastor Teachers here at this time.

When Ahai arrived home from his garden I had the chance to talk with him about his

family and the school. We had worked together before at Tonu in 1952. After I had

taken Lotu with Psalm 128 about children growing up as a blessing, Ahai brought us

some lovely soup followed by sweet potato, suri and greens. I was very tired so was

glad to be able to set my lilo on the floor ofAhai's nearly finished new house.

Nembango slept with me and Nene and Rupunai were given another room to sleep in.

Sleep is a great blessing!

Early next morning I was up early and away down to the river below us for a wash. In

my early Bible reading I was impressed by Philippians 1: 29 which I remembered later

in the day as my legs became almost too tired to put one foot in front of the other.

Ukang, who had been one of the orphans that Mrs. Voyce had cared for, offered to

come with us from Pikei as our guide and he proved to be a great help. We went

through many rivers and by noon we had reached Rarenai where a man wanted to talk

to me about the possibility of having a pastor for his village. While we waited for

Kopisa to appear I lay down for a rest. Some shy women gathered in the shade nearby

but our best communication was smiling. We had no common language. Kopisa and

Ukang appeared with green coconuts. That coconut drink and the soft flesh of half of

one really put life back into me. It had been a long time since breakfast and we still

had many miles to go. After this we were constantly up hill and down dale, crossing

creeks at the bottom of the valleys until we reached Haunai where Uming was the

teacher. A swim in the deep pool in the river here washed away my utter weariness. At

sunset, just as Uming gave me a wonderful meal, hurrying people ran past the house

rushing to see the flood that was coming down the river. I had my meal first and then

joined the crowd amazed at the swirling muddy torrent that was completely

uncrossable! I was glad I had enjoyed my wash earlier! At Lotu time I spoke in pidgin

about the story of Solomon's dream. The pastors in each place could understand me


and my main aim was to bring them encouragement in looking after their people.

Uming put up a mosquito net over my lilo for which I was very grateful.

We left Haunai early next morning and Uming and Kopisa came with us to help us

over the first rivers. Up and down we went for miles through lovely bush. At one stage

the path led down into a beautiful little valley where the houses of the Seventh Day

village folk were surrounded by oblongs of yellow crotons. The mountains up on our

horizon made this place look like a piece of the West Coast of New Zealand. Here a

woman was weeding and another was straightening out her almost dry pandanus

leaves, ready to weave a mat. We exchanged smiles with them all and I learned that

the greeting here is Tambe'.

Just past this village we met a mighty rushing river. Part of it was a good waist deep

but Pesupava and Ukang helped me across. We celebrated afterwards with a piece of

sugar cane each to chew. My helpers reminded me that one must not spit out the

'bones' on the road but throw them away carefully. On and on we went past the R.C.

villages and the road to Kieta. My left shoe hurt so much that I took it off. The trouble

was that these sandshoes had built in sponge rubber insoles and as they had been wet

for days they were now too small for me. Near here we saw a very good pig fence

being constructed. Every post was right beside the next one, and each post was

expected to grow so that no pig would escape from there! We had arrived at Bereriki.

Teacher Ukura was out weeding his clover lawn! How gladly we sank down to rest. I

kicked off my other shoe! In a while Nembango put some of my clothes on the clover

to dry but I lay down and fell asleep. Someone cooked some food for us then it was

time to set out again in the hot early afternoon sunshine. We went through Waruwaru

and saw Sianikei. Between them was a little building with the sign "TRAED STOER".

I sat on a stump and the others shared the coconut they had been carrying with me.

Ukura had come with us and he produced some neatly cut sugar cane as well.

Thoughtful people are a great blessing.

On we climbed to Baradiu at the foot of a mountain shaped like a huge inverted V.

Mountains were all round us but from the road we caught a glimpse of the SEA far

away. All the gardens were fenced and everything was on a slope. The foundation

posts of the houses were all accommodated to the mountainside too. Hosts of friendly

people were living here. Korenopo had made a wonderful bed and a table in the room

where I was to sleep. The bed was about 9ft. wide and nearly the whole village came

in to watch my lilo being blown up. I showed them some pictures and told them some

stories then Nembango suggested that we go for a wash. What a walk! Down the cliff

side we went, then through lovely bush we trailed for about a quarter of a mile till we

came to another cliff. Down we clambered again and there was the river looking as if I

was right back at Arthurs Pass. The same bluish-green water rushed down in jumps

amongst mighty boulders. We had a lovely wash, so cold and refreshing. Three little

children had come with us, one of them clad only in the shell money beads round her

waist. On our return she helped me up the hill, especially at the place where the shelf

was a bit narrow for one of my fat feet. Her big sister carried a length of bamboo full


of water back home for her mother. Mothers wore bones through their ears and most

of the children were wearing shell money or necklaces of opossum teeth and tiny trade

beads. While tea was cooking other busy hands were busy making a 'little house' for

me. "Tomorrow", I heard them say, "We will put the saksak back again." They had

taken some saksak thatch from some other house for the sake of my privacy. What a

burden I was to them but they were very kind. At Lotu I spoke to them about Jesus

being so willing to help the Centurion's servant. He loves us all. Afterwards I talked

for a while to lots of people and finally was able to go to bed. (From memory I think

that this was the village where many others decided, when they thought I was asleep,

to find a space in this room to go to sleep as well.)

Mt.Bangana

Morning dawned with a bright pink sky behind the three mountain peaks to the east.

Away to the northwest Mt. Bangana was puffing out white smoke. Everything was

beautiful and the chill in the air suggested home. In Lotu I spoke about prayer from

Luke 11. I had enjoyed my own quiet time in the church but soon we were part of the

family again. I nursed a little girl whose mother had recently died. Father had the baby

and she was evidently happy to enjoy my arms around her even as I was thrilled to

have a trusting child to cuddle. Breakfast was a feast of taro, watercress and chicken

served with the lovely soup from the big saucepan.

I noted that Baradiu needed one blackboard, thirteen slates and some slate pencils. At

each place the teachers were able to tell me of their needs and show me what they had

been doing. I was so glad to have these chances to see what was really happening

away up in these isolated places.

Soon we were on our way again with Korenopo joining us on our downward trail

where steep gullies lead us to rivers and then up again to the next ridge. The turquoise

water showed the presence of the copper that was to be mined nearby in later years.

Up and up we climbed seemingly forever but when we reached the top there was

Kariha's house and a heavenly welcome. When I had collected my breath again we

had Lotu where I spoke about the parable of the pounds and our need to make good

use of the opportunities God gives us. Kariha had learned his culinary skills from Mrs.

Voyce and later I very much enjoyed his soup, with its hint of curry. Afterwards I

talked quietly with this gracious pastor, inspired and encouraged by him here on top of

the world. Many years later I was his neighbour in a village by the sea where I spent a

year checking and typing up the nearly completed New Testament in Siwai with

Stephen Iroro.

After a little while we walked to Osiangi, the village Nembango and Rupunai called

home. Opura, one of our mission girls, was at the edge ' of the village leaning over a

pig fence to welcome us. She had been sick and unable to come down to Tonu. There

was a lot ofT.B. amongst these people. Beyond her the people made a line so that we

could shake hands with each person as we walked up towards the teacher's house.

After a coconut drink we had Lotu remembering the woman at the well, Jesus and


living water. We mingled together for quite a long time, being friends and enjoying

the babies and children. I took photos including one of the TultuI (Government

appointed leader) who was Nembango's guardian. The small boys were playing "kick"

enthusiastically with a tennis ball.

Nembango and Rupunai spent the night here but after the rain the others took me on to

the next village, Nukui, where Isaiah Misang was waiting to welcome us. He took me

down to the Ore River for a wash almost straight away. The large pool was deep, the

clear water a lovely shade of green flowing over flat white stones. There was room to

swim here. Misang \ collected a bucketful of water from a spring in the bank on the

other side of the river to carry up to his house. The flood did come but raced down , to

sea as quickly as it came. Up in the village Kuri and Misang took me to see a deep

cliff nearby, dropping at least 100feet down to the river. From this vantage point we

could again see the sea away in the west. This time in Lotu I spoke of God's mercy to

us though we are so undeserving, illustrated by the story of David sparing Saul. God is

so good to us.

I was glad to go to bed early here but the teachers who had travelled with me went

over to the house-Lotu to enjoy a time of hymn singing together. It sounded really

good to me and I know that for each of those lonely teachers it was a priceless

fellowship. Most of these teachers were from Siwai and Nagavisi was a different

culture from the one they were used to.

In the morning Ukang fried up some slices of sweet potato for me and heated up the

chicken soup. That meal and the one Misang gave me the night before were set out on

a table and served with skill that showed Mrs.Voyce's training years before. Several

small village groups round here wanted to join together and it happened later. I saw

some of the place before going on to Batameku where two children filled my water

bottles for me from a spring. Kungke was waiting for us at Muaino where I had a rest

and took Lotu. Always the people were hungry to hear what God gave me to tell them.

At this place it was the last few verses of 1 Corinthians 15. A coconut drink and a

piece of pineapple were fuel for the next climb upwards to Okaru. From there we

pressed on up the ridge to Rotari where old windswept trees and tree ferns lined the

way. After shaking hands with all the people we went into the church to sing and sing

through the rain. Nearly twenty years later I came to live in this area for three years

and I found that when the rain hammered on the roof the children all began to sing as

they went on with their written work in school. Rain is very noisy but very unifying

even if isolating. You can't hear anyone but you are close to all those sheltering with

you.

When the rain stopped I was frozen. I gathered the children and taught them some

action songs to get us all warm.

We came back down to Okaru where Bana had made us some soup with little peppers

in it that really heated our insides. Unfortunately we had a long way still to go so

saying goodbye to Bana and Namarai and their people we set off through the bush,


wary of tree roots. Cold and tired and sometimes dizzy we hurried through the

gathering twilight to Pisikulu. My sore toe was very swollen and tender. When we

were able to go to bed we were still very cold. I gave out Nivaquine tablets but for me

it wasn't enough to break the fever. Half of me was burning hot and the other half cold

as ice. I took another tablet and Rupunai boiled some water in my little tin billy and

filled my two water flasks, one for me and one for Nembango, who was also struck

down. The water bottle made me warm but I spent most of the nigh waiting to be sick.

In the snatches of sleep that did come I was dreaming wild Nivaquine dreams of

brightly coloured lumps colliding with different coloured lumps at great speed with

frantic results. In the morning I was slightly better. I was able to eat some food and

take Lotu then we set of early on our next journey. Sometimes we were on a fairly flat

path but often we were going up and down deep gullies, Nene held my hand to help

me over some of the worst places. Near the top of each ridge I felt "seasick" with the

sudden up and down changes of altitude. I kept thinking of the song of the little

engine, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...." Eventually we were at the top of

the last ridge and far below us we could see Sirura away down by the Uhai River. I

threw my stick ahead of me and began to climb down backwards, hanging on to roots

and things until I reached the stick and threw it further down again. At one stage I got

stuck between a rock and a tree but I managed to continue by hanging on to a bush

rope. In the swampy ground at the bottom there were lots of little begonias, pink and

white. Rupunai filled my water bottles at one lovely little stream. Soon we were at the

edge of the beautiful green-blue water of the great river. The huge boulders were hot

and nice to rest on, drying out my dress a bit. Soon we were on the drier path to Sirura

where Stephen Sukina had set up a mission station school for the people of this whole

area. Wherever he worked Sukina made a great difference. He put into practice the

good lessons that he had learned in many places and from many people but especially

from the Voyce family. Sukina had saved Mr.Voyce's life at Torokina when he set Mr.

Voyce free from the wire that was electrocuting him. Minister's hair was white from

that day. Sukina was waiting for us with some pineapple and a drink. His mission

children, 28 boys and girls, were all working in the school potato garden. I was free to

lie down for a rest.

That night I had some fish that school children had caught in the river added to the

other good things Sukina had prepared. The others had freshly caught opossum but

fortunately I wasn't offered any. "Liklik dog" is not my favourite food. Rupunai was

always trying to find something to do for me. His mother had died and he was

obviously glad to have me for an extra mother.

The next day was Sunday and the people from Iru village came over the hills to join in

our Lotu times. I preached from the verse,' Whereas I was blind, now I can see.'

Simeon took the afternoon Lotu preaching about Jesus the Light of the world, and at

both services Sukina's school choir sang very well. Later I was able to talk with

Sukina and the other teachers about their needs. I wanted to try to make them a


Nagavisi language reading primer. Meanwhile they learn in Siwai and from English

reading books from the government.

Clarrie had sent me letter to say that Mr.Wearne, the chief Government Officer for our

area, was arriving to survey the ground for our new food gardens at Tonu. This meant

that I had to try to return on Monday. For Lotu early in the morning we went up to the

level where the school was built. To get to this level we had to follow a steep stony

path then pull ourselves up the cliff by grabbing the two vines tied to tree stumps,

which were hanging there for that purpose. My foot almost dislodged a big stone but

fortunately it didn't roll away until Sukina pushed it over when everyone below us was

out of the way. It was time to say goodbye so we set off for Iru, over the ridges and

through the creeks. At Iru we only had time to shake hands with everyone before

walking on the down hill trail from that lofty village. All of us were happy, singing

hymns as we went along. Ukang, Simeon and Nene were so jubilant that they cut

some lengths of bamboo for panpipes and went dancing on. Noon found us at Mihero

where we had a rest, enjoying some pineapples that Timothy Korimotu, (doctor boy,

teacher and pastor), grew so well. We still had a long way to go with some big rivers

to cross but we arrived home at Tonu in the late afternoon just as the rain began to fall.

God, our loving Heavenly Father, had blessed our going out and our coming in.

It was good to have a cup of tea with Mary and Clarrie, catching up with all the news.

Mary helped me to make the four dresses for our helpers for the week and four

tailored laplaps for the boys who had helped me on the walkabout. There were school

workbooks and requests from teachers to see to and the preaching plan for all our 32

Siwai villages to work out for the coming four months, as well as many more things

that needed to be done, but mercifully every day is followed by a night.


CHAPTER 17:

Triplets were Born at Tonu to Tapukoi and Tamahe

16th February 1957 was a very special day at Tonu. It was a hot windy afternoon

when Mary received a call for help from nearby Tonu village. Tapukoi had had one

baby and there was obviously another one waiting to be born. Mary helped her with

the second baby then to Tapukoi's horror, she found that a third little baby was not far

away. The slow procession to the maternity ward must have been dreadful for the poor

distressed mother but by 7pm she had three new little daughters. The babies weighed

5lb., 41b.7oz.and 3lb 14oz. The tiny one was just a little handful but perfectly formed

like her sisters. Tapukoi asked us to take the last one into our care, so Beryl joined our

family. Later I made her a tiny pale green nightdress, as she was too small for the

usual little jackets we put on the babies. Clarrie gave up waiting for us to cook dinner

and made fried bread with fried eggs for our tea in celebration! The three babies grew

up to be healthy children who have since each had children of their own. Tapukoi and

Tamahe already had three other children. I knew them well because as they returned

from their garden each evening Tapukoi often sent one of them to ask me for a fire

stick from my stove to help to get her own fire going.

Triplets born 16/2/57. Dongoho with Tohi,

Peema with Beryl and mother Tapukoi with Komura.

The next day Mary delivered two more babies, for two mothers, and the hospital was

full of patients as well. I walked to Panakei to take the service there. On the way I

heard a strong wind coming and then saw the coconut trees in narrow strip bent and

waving in the wind while those a bit further away were scarcely moving. That evening

as I was taking Lotu an even bigger roar grew and when it hit us the children were

frightened. In the din of the wind and later heavy rain we sang, "Sing we the King

who is coming to reign" at the tops of our voices. By the time we had finished every

verse things were a bit quieter and the roof was still in place. Praise the Lord! During


the week Clarrie was busy finishing our house and beginning on the framing up of the

girl's' dormitory.

Noose with her twin boys, born 7/4/57.

Mary is holding the smaller one.

A good group of keen students joined my evening classes for those wanting to learn

how to preach and on Tuesday afternoons local preachers and other interested village

folk came to Tonu for Bible Study and preaching classes. I really loved taking these

classes because I knew that in the end they would reach far more people with the good

news more effectively than I could manage. Girls sewing classes were on Thursdays.

On Monday night the prefects and teachers' meetings began to make a real difference

in the behaviour on the station. Clarrie was a great help in all of this. We were trying

to get the boys as well as the girls to give up smoking.

Letters and parcels from home were a tremendous encouragement to us all. My

mother and father had had Solomon Alu from Bilua and Simon Rigamu from Teop

staying with them to their mutual benefit. My brother Paul and his new wife Joan had

just celebrated their wedding and my sister Rosemary and her husband Hamish were

the proud parents of Simon, the first of a new generation. Meriel and Althea were busy

finding their places in the grown up world. My cousin sent a well sealed Earnest

Adams cake which Clarrie wanted me to hurry to say thank you for so that we could

eat it. When sea mail arrived it was like an extra Christmas! My supply of "Mendits"

for fixing saucepans was down to the last one when the new supply arrived. Most

students, in fact almost everyone had at least one oval Japanese saucepan left over

from the war but they wore out with the constant cleaning. Our cooking was done over

open fires.

It was a great milestone when Beryl slept through the night. She didn't keep it up but

sometimes we had a good sleep. She was growing well and each week a different girl

was her primary carer, but we gave her any bottle she needed at night. I put down

Beryl's weight gain beside the carer's name to encourage them. In fact I was giving all

the girls marks for their work with the children, in the house or wherever to encourage

them to go the second mile.


Wild Honey

One day I found that the girls had left early for the garden. When I caught up with

them they had a fire of dry coconut leaves under the branch of a tree where the honey

was. The smoke was driving the bees away and Motiau was standing on the end of the

branch chopping with the axe to break the wood away from round the hole. The rest of

the girls were standing round under the tree clamouring for a piece of the honeycomb.

The tiny black bees were not very pleased but they don't sting like our bees.

At the end of April we had a grand opening for the new house. We were sad that

because of the heavy rain and mighty floods Mr.and Mrs. Voyce were unable to join

us, but the same rain had made our old house very uncomfortable and the move was

necessary. Clarrie took the service outside the house, and then opened the door for all

to come inside. As they came through I gave each one some boiled lollies in place of

the customary pork feast. The boys, having examined our part of the house I went in

to see the baby in her room then on into the girls' room. They took their mats and

dresses and ran off with them to hide them outside via the back steps. What bedlam

reigned! Eventually the visitors were ushered out the front door with a goodbye lolly

each as the door was shut behind them. We had dinner when the tumult died down and

felt glad that we didn't have a house opening every day.


CHAPTER 18:

"The Palace Beautiful" Built by Clarrie Wills and His Team

The new house was painted with dark green doors and windowsills. The walls were

gray with pale pink batons over the joins in the fibrolite. On the front door I painted

the name "The Palace Beautiful" from Pilgrim's Progress. This was the house where

Christian rested on his journey, helped by the sisters who lived there, Charity,

Prudence and Piety. He gained his Armour there when he slept in the room called

Peace. I hope that the girls who live with us will be similarly helped. The story of

Pilgrim's Progress is much loved and often told as a serial in evening Lotu.

Pamela and Mary on the steps of “The Palace Beautiful”.

The gardens we have made round the house have beautiful gerberas and, with orchids

on the oil palm tree and pink and white lilies at the edge of the lawn. A shady tree

often covered in bright red flowers grew between the house and the riverbank. Tiny

P.N.G. mint grew through the clover lawn so that we could always tell when someone

was wandering round.

Inside most of the plywood walls were oiled and varnished but the kitchen was

painted pale blue. The big veranda off which all the rooms opened was a wonderful

place for the children to be fed while wires spanning the rafters there were excellent

for completing the drying of our washing, and the babies' as well as the maternity

ward washing.


The next day I was helping Clarrie to write our welcome notice on a big sheet of iron

when Tuma arrived with Sister Beulah Reeves, Sister Ada Lee's co-teacher at the

District Girls' School Kihili. She was a very welcome guest and began by helping us

with the sign.

On one side the sign said:-

WELCOME TO

TONU METHODIST MISSION Grace to you and peace from God our Father

And the Lord Jesus Christ. 11 Corinthians 1:2.f

The other side for departing visitors to read said: -

TONU METHODIST MISSION

COME AGAIN.

It was hung across the road between two trees near the Pintai River and remained

there for many years.

Good weather allowed the truck to get through.

The Visitors' Book

Beulah helped me by ruling up our new visitors' book, a treasure of history now

stretching over the years to 1989, containing many interesting signatures because we

always had lots of visitors. The next day was Sunday and while Clarrie left early to

take services in one direction Beulah and I set off early towards the Rataiku area with

Kangiri and Nino to help us. At Konga we saw Mr. Tomlin, the Agricultural Officer,

by his doorstep. He promised us a cup of tea on our return, a welcome thought. We

turned at the crossroads and walked on and on up the path to Sikurai. We learned later

that Konga is 250ft. above sea level and Sikurai just on 500ft. There was plenty of

time to talk together. Eventually around a bend we saw the ledge where the village

rested surrounded by clover lawns. Hatagor welcomed us and rang the Lotu bell as

soon as I had changed my shoes and combed my hair. The little church was packed

with people, some I knew and some I hadn't seen before. Beulah sat with me on the


wider pulpit seat and sang a hymn in English as an Anthem to add to my preaching.

Hatagor was a teacher from Buka and his wife brought us a lovely meal later, which

included a big fish, caught in the Mopiai River below us. We had a rest on their

veranda before saying our goodbyes and beginning our return journey. We were both

very tired and indulged in several rests along the way much to the amusement of our

companions who are much more used to walking miles and miles. At Kinerui we took

the next service for another congregation. Rokonong and his wife Dowa were the Lotu

leaders here and they had prepared another lovely meal for us. We enjoyed the soup

especially.

Quonset Hut, now Assembly Hall with Library and School Store.

As we neared Konga Mr. Tomlin's dog came bounding out to greet us. I was a bit

frightened but when his master spoke a quiet word he became a model escort. We

thankfully subsided in his cushioned chairs as he brought us a lemon drink followed

by a cup of tea. He took us to see his big new rice huller and peanut sheller, wonderful

helps for the new crops people were growing. We couldn't stay long as the sun was

slipping down the sky and we had about 7 more miles to walk. It was easier walking

in the late afternoon and when we arrived home Mary had dinner waiting for us.

Beulah took evening Lotu then she played the organ and we had a grand time singing

hymns till it was bedtime for every one. Next morning it was time for Beulah to go

back to Kihili leaving us all with lots of happy memories.

The very big underground concrete tank was not complete when the rains and floods

had come but when the following dry spell had finished we were able to receive water

into its copious interior. This water had to be pumped each day with a hand pump up

into the drum in our roof space to give pressure for water to the kitchen and bathroom.

Water flowing from a tap is a huge blessing!


All the triplets were gaining weight consistently and Beryl began to sleep through the

night, apart from a cry and the need to be changed about 3am, so we rejoiced greatly.

We all needed our sleep.

Mr.Taylor came on Wednesday and stayed until Friday to thoroughly inspect every

class in the school. At first I was so nervous that I couldn't add up the class totals.

Nothing would come into my head and I had to tell him that I couldn't do it with him

watching me. He was very understanding and taught me lots of points I should

remember to get our school lined up according to Government standards, which was

the Australian way and different from New Zealand plans. I had my own Admission

Register in an exercise book but he helped me to write it all into a proper book. He

said the school was not up to standard in oral work because I had to leave the different

classes to do too much written work on their own. Spoken English is what the

government was aiming for.

As Mr. Taylor had taught at Konga school in this area before he became an inspector

he really knew that Siwai people are very shy about speaking out loud about anything

that they are not absolutely sure about. They would much rather write the answer on

their slates. If asked to reply they would raise their eyebrows for "Yes" or put out their

bottom lips for "No" rather than actually utter something. Other groups on

Bougainville were much more willing to speak even if they really didn't know the

answer. I found this out as I taught later at the Girls' School. Mr. Taylor and I had

commiserated about this problem before.

Mr. Taylor wrote in his report that Tonu really needed a European Minister to come so

that I could concentrate on teaching. It left me feeling that I was a great failure but I

knew that what he said was true. I was trying to cover too much ground. It was a

mercy that we had school holidays after this visit! Either we would be recognized as a

school or not according to his report. Meantime we had to wait and just get on with

the tasks at hand.


CHAPTER 19:

August Rain

The rain came pouring down day after day and our favourite game became measuring

the rainfall in a tin. When I wrote home on the 11th August we had measured 2 VA

inches of rain that day and 2 the day before. It took a while to convince the girls that I

had not put the tin in the gerbera garden by mistake. It had been emptied and carefully

brought inside several times before everyone got the message. Now they joined in the

fun. Opeti's fat white ducks were having a glorious time but the hens and chickens

didn't think it was funny. One hen lost two half grown chicks when she flew to her

perch over the Kutana and 2 of her 5 didn't make the grade. The river was very

flooded and carried them off. It was too wet for work in the afternoon but I was

mistaken when I thought that I was keeping my students dry by not sending them to

the gardens. When I came back from preparing the next week's work books with the

teachers, I found the boys and girls on the high banks of the Tuning getting the

coconuts that swirled by in the rising flood. The river was up six feet or more. The

children on the top spotted the coconuts in the muddy water and the brave souls below

would swim out from the undergrowth at the sides or dash down the cliff like

parachuters and make a grab. Great fun!!! Wonderful coconuts!!! The rain continued

and the floods grew deeper. One day we measured 4and 3/4ins. and so it went on.

Another day we recorded 11 ins in 12 hours. That may have been the August that I

recorded 38ins for the month but I am not sure because I left my records with the

Agricultural Dept. at Konga. It was always very wet in August. I was feeling very glad

that the girls and baby and ourselves were all under the same good roof.

I needed to go to take Lotu with the boys and found the water, in places, was over the

tops of my gumboots. In the hour that I was away another 4 ins. fell. As I finished the

prayer one of the boys said, "Bris em i mek nais." The bridge is shaking. They thought

that we should move the landrover that was sheltering under the roof that covered the

bridge. We pushed the vehicle as far as we could up the road though that wasn't far as

the incline was steep. The landrover was immobile because it was missing some parts

that were away being mended.

Back home we prayed together that either the rain would cease of we would have the

courage to cope with it. More of the banks round us were crashing into the river and

the girls were frightened. I tried to get them to go to sleep after we had sung together

and promised that I would not lock their door so that they could get out quickly if

necessary. Clarrie offered to stay the night with us so I gratefully made up a bed for

him on the window seat in the lounge. The boys' cookhouse and about 10 feet of the

bank that it stood on had crashed into the river with a great rumble. The rain was still

pouring down and the river looked like the sea as white waves came down the river

adding a couple of inches to the depth each time. I kept trying to get the girls to come

away from the edge of the bank but one or two kept going back to check until finally I

heard them say that the river was going down. We all slept eventually. It was a relief


in the morning to see through my window that the roof was still over the Kutana

Bridge. In Lotu that morning Kumuka showed real thankfulness to God for his mercy

towards us during the night.

Bridge at Tonu over the Kutana.

Later we found that nearly all the bridges round about had been washed away and the

village people had had an equally frightening time. Flooded rivers are very powerful.

When the sun finally came out the boys and girls had a wonderful time making rafts of

banana trunks and sailing them down on the current then towing them back to do it all

again. I had the girls weeding their peanut garden and they told me that they were

fishing! It certainly looked more like a paddy-rice field than a peanut garden.

One of the mission boys sometimes acted very strangely. At this time he was worse

than usual. Apparently when he slept he could rest in the rafters even sleeping while

hanging from a rafter by one hand. He seemed to have terrific strength to break posts

with his bare hands. He sometimes went round and round in a funny hopping step.

One morning he had a dead hen in one hand and a sharp knife in the other. I tried to

take the knife from him but the boys stopped me. Since it was sharp I decided to

comply but I was very grateful that he didn't hurt any one with the knife. He flew up

the steps, through the boys' house and out the door at the other end impossibly

quickly. After a week of two he came into his right mind again and I was able to talk

with him about his problem. I knew that Jesus could help him. He agreed to come to

pray with me when he felt an attack coming on and in this way things improved for a


long time. He really wanted to follow Jesus. Much later he went to work in Rabaul.

Amongst the students a girl and several other boys had mental problems that were

difficult to deal with.

We had had 34 inches of rain in September and 24 inches in October so it was a very

wet year. We had plenty of sickness to go with it. The girls thought that I was only

encouraging the rain by measuring it. In all this difficult weather other under currents

of lies and false accusations began to surface. As the leader of the mission station I

was almost taken to Court but they decided to send Naaru to tell me of my

shortcomings and of how I ought to behave. It was a very wearing time but God is full

of mercy. He kept me under the shadow of his wings and the troubles sorted

themselves out. I was very tired and on the brink of malaria frequently. Mary was

often busy with maternity patients and sometimes she needed me to come over from

school to help her in an emergency. Mr.and Mrs.Voyce were both really sick with the

prevalent flu at this time as well.

It was time to get my things sorted out ready for furlough and I was greatly looking

forward to that. I planned to go to the Summer Institute of Linguistics in Melbourne

for three months on my way home to New Zealand. As I got bogged down in detail I

kept hearing in my ears the wise words my mother often impressed on me; 'Brevity is

the soul of wit.' 'Speed is everything.' I needed that advice!

Baby Beryl, the third triplet, was growing well. From quite early in her life she slept

from 6pm to 5.30 next morning. She had four teeth and a lovely smile but the girls

were alarmed that she had teeth before she could sit up alone so they spent time trying

to teach her. They hollowed out a hole in the ground and put her in it in a sitting

position or they put her in one of the really big basins used for the washing. In her

own time she reached the skill of sitting and even began to try to move forward on the

floor on her tummy. When she did learn to crawl it was on her hands and her toes, not

her knees. I used to keep the boys in my senior class up to date with what she was

doing and eating because I didn't want the enlightened girls who cared for our babies

to be hindered later by husbands who didn't realize the importance of good food

supplements to breast milk. Our babies had sturdy bones with the extra help of raw

egg mashed into their potato and other vegetables and plenty of fruit from an early

age. The boys were very interested as many of them had younger brothers and sisters

and boys were traditionally fond of small children. The girls all had week long turns to

look after Beryl, feeding her, washing her clothes, bathing her and making her milk

under Mary's supervision. The most devoted was Agnes, 10 years old and the smallest

mission girl. She had difficulty getting Beryl out of the cot and also counting out the

correct number of leveled spoonfuls of milk powder. It helped her counting skills. She

was also a good table setter but at school no reading or arithmetic seemed to penetrate

her charming head. (Later we found the she suffered from epilepsy. One holiday time

she died at home when she had a seizure by a small stream of water.)


The Grocery Order

It was time for Mary and myself to get our order away to Mcllrath's in Sydney for the

next year's groceries. This took us about 2 and1/2 hours but we decided that it would

take more time to do that much shopping at home. We were reduced to corned beef or

tinned fish in the meat line, as I had been slow in getting the order away. Sorting out

our accounts and then setting and marking the exams for everyone kept me busy

before I could think of packing for the exciting furlough ahead. Parcels from home

ensured that I had shoes and warmer clothes to wear as I went south. At breakfast on

the 2nd November I remarked to Mary that it was the first fine Sunday of the month

that we had had for a long time. On the first Sunday all churches in our area came to

Tonu for the service and I took the children for Sunday School. Rain had halved the

attendance but this day promised better things. Alas, from 12.30 to 4.30 we had over

four inches of rain and the river rose very high. It carried away one of the boys' big

saucepans left at the edge to soak and be washed later. They needed two saucepans for

enough potato for them all so this was a concern.

A few days before we had had very little rain but there were dark clouds north of us. I

heard the roar of oncoming rain and rushed to shut windows and gather washing but it

was actually the sound of a wall of water rushing down the Tuning River beside us. A

Tonu village woman, Kumei, was crossing the river at the time. Her potato basket full

of potatoes was swept off her back and her hoe was tugged from her hand. Even the

laplap she was wearing went racing out to sea with the swirling madly rushing water.

She nearly got swept away herself but when she managed to reach the bank she made

herself a skirt of big leaves and was able to get back to the village. Her husband killed

a pig and gave us some of the meat as a thanksgiving that she was not drowned. She

had three little children who were in Sunday School on the 2nd of November!

Some children kept asking me when 'the races' were going to start. They love exams

and those who have been away on an unofficial holiday all turn up for these special

days. I began to feel smothered by piles of papers to be marked. Sunshine for several

days meant that the areas they girls weeded stayed free of weeds for a while and the

roads and the riverbeds made journeys to Kihili by vehicle more hopeful. Clarrie's

clothes and tools were still waiting to be transported down there where he was

building the sisters' house and dormitory for the girls.

It all worked out well. Merle returned to Tonu with Ada and Beulah joining her for the

ride. We had a big service of welcome and farewell on the Sunday when hundreds of

people joined us. The vehicle needed repairs after getting cargo from the beach so we

had a few days together to see Merle's slides and hear her stories. When we did set off

for Kihili we found that rivers had changed their courses. In one river we were

thoroughly stuck with the driver's side in a deep hole and the other side up. Ada,

Beulah and I took our lunch tin and walked on while the men and boys freed the

vehicle. Eventually Tuma caught up with us and soon we were greeting the Voyces at

Kihili. I was free of all responsibilities. Free to rest or read a book. On mail day we


visited Kangu and the Chinese Store where Tong Lep gave us a treat of chocolate!

Then plantation people and those from Catholic Mission stations as well as the local

government people all gathered at the Office to watch the great sorting of the mail that

had been picked up from the Catalina by the Hammets' boat. We had a happy

Christmas at Kihili. We enjoyed carol singing and Mrs.Voyce served us a wonderful

meal. My parcels from home had included a coat g and beret ready for the colder

weather in Melbourne!

Flying Home

On January 8th 1958 we left Kihili at 7am for Kangu where we waited for the other

plane passengers on the foreshore while watching the Pollurian anchor not far away.

Straight away they unloaded the big dinghies and their little motorboat then began

unloading the cargo. When one dinghy was full the motorboat towed it nearly to the

water's edge, casting it g off to come up the beach on its own. The crew jumped out

and began unloading while the motorboat waited between the beach and the Pollurian

either for the second dinghy being filled or to return the empty one for another load.

There was no wharf at Kangu but the bay was fairly calm.

Soon it was time to say goodbye to Ada and Mr.Voyce. The other passengers and I

climbed into the canoe, which ferried us out to the Kombon, a small Chinese boat, for

the journey to Tonolai Harbour. Dr. Papp and his wife from Hungary were passengers

with me. She was going to Brisbane to finish her medical studies and they were

talking sadly in Hungarian as the time for parting for a season loomed closer.

Conversation in English was difficult and the engine noise was deafening so I

steadfastly read my book for the three-hour journey. As we waited in the harbour for

about half an hour Dr. Papp dived off the side of the boat and enjoyed a swim, basking

in the admiration of his wife. A distant engine sound grew louder, and then the

Catalina came flying over the hills to land on the water near us. The boys took the

mail to the plane first and came back for us. The Kombon couldn't go near the plane

but two canoes joined together by a platform ferried our luggage and us to the blister

of the plane. Eventually everything was stowed and checked and we had a trial run

before lifting off the water and soaring away leaving Buin and Siwai far behind. In a

short time we were landing in Kieta Harbour. As you come down you feel that the

water will scrape the bottom off the plane but it never does. The crew open up the

blisters, (big rounded windows in the entry-way,) when we are safely down and a

welcome breeze comes in. It is cold up in the air but very hot on the water. Eight more

passengers joined us here. We were seated along the sides of the body of the plane on

aluminium forms with the luggage stowed in the middle between us. Obed Itu from

Siwai, who later married Hazel, was one of the other passengers. He was going to

Teachers Training College in Lae.

Our next stop was Teopasina. Here a regular fleet came out to see us! Rewa and

Thelma paddled out to say," Hello, Goodbye". They had a dear little eight-day-old

baby with them in a basket tied to the canoe as they were on their way home from a


village visit down the coast. They moved on and the Carter family moved in. I was

thrilled to see George and Nancy with their four lovely children, Ian, Judith, Anne and

baby Donald. I hadn't seen Nancy since Ian was a baby at Koau so it was a special

thrill for me as Nancy and I were friends from our Training College days. Our good

friend Mrs. Mason and her little daughter Ingrid from Inus Plantation joined the plane

here.

Sohano was our next stop. A big wide dinghy came out to the plane with Mr. and Mrs.

Atkinson and Miss Covers on board. Mrs. Atkinson gave Mrs. Mason a beautiful

spray of white roses and orchids, which she brought to the table at the hotel where we

were staying that evening. I enjoyed talking with our friend Miss Govers while the

purser was sorting out the mail and the luggage and others were catching up on all the

local news. Meeting the plane and talking with everyone is a great social occasion at

each landing.

After Sohano we were given sandwiches and tea with an apple and an orange! I was

hungry after eating nothing but a piece of Mrs. Papp's pineapple square since early

breakfast. We arrived at Rabaul about 4pm. Soon I settled into the pretty Ascot Hotel

situated at the edge of the harbour where we could watch the coming and going of the

ships. The Bulolo and the Malaita were both anchored there with their lights at night

beautifully reflected in the still water. There are hills and volcanoes all around and the

gardens are luxuriant and colourful

Over the next day or two the Australian Methodist missionaries in Rabaul helped me

with business things. The Rev.Lutton was able to do me the favour of allowing their

mission to go bond for me so that I could get a permit to re-enter the Territory. I

looked after Ingrid for Mrs. Mason while she had her hair permed and later I was able

to get my ears syringed which was a huge blessing. At the hotel the walls of the rooms

don't go up to the roof so it is rather noisy. Some people drink and talk until very late

and at 4:30 each morning some are wakened to be up and ready for their on-going

flights. The lights go on and the day begins.

My turn to fly south came on the 11th January. Our first flight was from Rabaul to

Lae. From there were boarded a DC6 and flew across the mountains to Port Moresby

where we all had to disembark again for a time while the plane was refueled. When

we were all settled in the plane again we were given a wonderful lunch. There was

plenty to see outside the window before we reached Cairns about 3pm where we all

had to go through customs with our luggage. As we flew over the coast of Australia in

the gathering darkness I was enchanted by the strings of green, red and blue lights

threaded through with all the lovely yellow ones. The velvet darkness was a perfect

foil for the lights of the towns strung along the coast. At Brisbane everyone had to get

out again for refueling. At these times sleeping children are a problem for harassed

mothers travelling alone. I felt that I should check to see that my suitcase was in the

right group but decided that I should trust the busy officials I as they had told me that

all would be well. Alas, I will listen to these inner warnings in the future. Up in the air


again and everyone asleep only to be awakened to have our safety belts fastened as we

were flying through a storm. The lightning flashed around the propellers. I was by the

wing and kept my eyes firmly closed till we approached beautiful Sydney, looking

like a sequined evening gown. It was nearly 1am and when we arrived on the ground

and my suitcase was nowhere to be found. I slept the rest of the night in a hotel room

provided by Qantas. A luxury sleep, shower and breakfast and then I was taken to

Kingsford Smith Airport where I almost missed my plane to Melbourne as I enquired

about my missing case. When I finally was reunited with it several days later the

lovely rug that my parents had given me for my 21st birthday was no longer strapped

on to it.

The Airways Bus brought me to Flinders Street Station where I caught the train to

Fern Tree Gully. While waiting for a bus to take me to Belgrave Heights I was feeling

very sad and bereft without my luggage when I saw some sparrows looking for

crumbs on the lonely platform. Sparrows are so special. They don't live in the tropics.

They speak of home but also of our Loving Heavenly Father who cares for each one

of them.


CHAPTER 20:

Summer Institute of Linguistics 1958

Someone from the Summer Institute of Linguistics arrived to take me to join the

others at the Convention Lodge at Belgrave Heights. Soon I found new friends who

lent me clothes and sheets and things until my own things turned up. Three interesting

months of study were beginning. The six other girls in my dormitory were Mary

Harris, Dorothy Drew, Audrey Payne, May Moore, Yvonne Joseph and Joy

Newcombe. The Rev Cliff Keightley from New Zealand and the New Guinea

Highlands was the only person I had met before but I soon found many new friends.

Dr. Harland Kerr was the friendly Principal of this S.I.L. School. His wife and their

new first-born child joined us a week or so later. During the school sessions we had

Friday morning Chapel talks led by the Rev.Nash, a wonderful 90 year old man who

helped me tremendously to experience the wonderful comfort and closeness of God as

our loving heavenly Father. He had for years been leader of the Melbourne Bible

College and understood our deepest needs, touching our hearts with grace and

humour. Twice during the course we had a Day of Prayer. These were well organized

times of great refreshing which we all soaked up.

We studied Phonetics, Phonemics, Grammar and Field problems, such as

Anthropology, Literacy, Bible Translation and ordinary problems of living in

somewhat difficult situations. I enjoyed all these studies very much and did quite well

at mastering them but I was very tired. We began early in the morning and had duties

to do as well as studies and then homework kept us busy in the evenings. We were on

a hillside surrounded with pine trees, shady gum trees and tussocks.

Kookaburras were laughing at the funny noises we made in an effort to learn

phonetics! I found this subject really hard, needing a lot of quiet practice by myself

out under a tree. We have to learn to write and say about 300 different sounds. There

was plenty of study but we also began each lecture with prayer and had many other

prayer times in our small groups. I think prayer was the secret to the relaxed

atmosphere. We had fun times too and those with musical instruments gave us lovely

concerts. On Fridays after afternoon tea we were divided into cleaning groups, the

boys doing outside windows and cutting grass and the girls doing floors and inside

things instead of volley ball, which happened every other day at that time. One week I

was thrilled to be on the warm job of making the toast each morning for about 90

people. My helper, Elma, had broken her wrist and thumb at volley ball, so I cut the

bread and made toast in the small oven while she used the long toaster which could do

six pieces at once. Later blackberrying took over from volleyball. We enjoyed them in

pies and jam.

Cliff and I were invited twice to Brighton Methodist Church. It was a long way to go

but Mr. Bock came to get us for their Harvest Festival service. His daughters Valerie

and Noel were part of the Methodist Mission in the Highlands. The Hutton family was


also part of the congregation. After dinner we were taken to see the extensive

Botanical Gardens in Melbourne. Teatime was followed with hymn singing round the

piano before the evening service. A few days later I was able to pick a lot of

blackberries to give Mrs. Bock when they came on Visitors' Day. About 750 people

came to see our drama, the displays and the film about Rachel Saint and how her

brother Nat Saint was killed in reaching out to theAuca Indians.

Near the end of the course we had an Informant Week when, in groups, we had either

a Fijian or Vietnamese or Chinese or Arabic student to speak to us. I was with Joe

Kamikamica, the Fijian man. We had to find out and record greeting words and the

names of things in phonetics on the first 5 hour day, comparing notes in the evening.

Next day we recorded a story that he told us and we recorded conversation as well.

After that we had much sorting out to do before we were each able to prepare a

Grammar and a Phonemic statement of his language together with a dictionary of at

least 200 words. We all had great experiences with our informants and they shared

with us all about their own countries and their food.

Later we had exams, oral and written on all our subjects. I had learned a lot that was

very helpful in my learning of the Siwai language and how to transcribe it. Each of the

subjects showed me things I needed to know. As well as that I came to know a fellow

student, Mrs Belcher a missionary teacher in Borneo. She inspired me to believe that I

could be an instrument that God could use to give the Siwai people the New

Testament, in their own language. The next years of my missionary life were devoted

to that goal. (It took my helpers and me 17 years but eventually the Motuna New

Testament was available to be owned and read by the Siwai people).

We said goodbye sadly to each other when the course ended on the 28th March. Most

of these people I have never seen again but some of I us managed to keep in touch

occasionally. Some of them served with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New

Guinea with their headquarters S in the Highlands at Ukurampa and I was glad of this

association.

I visited my friends Zena and Jack Cohn in Bendigo and then the Metcalfe family in

Frankston before flying home to Christchurch on the 4th April. Mummy and Daddy

and Rosemary and Hamish were at the airport to meet me and I was overjoyed to be

home again. It was Good Friday and after tea I went out with them to the Methodist

Girls' Bible Class campers at Leigh Camp to speak at the Missionary Meeting that

evening. Menel and Althea were there. Next day I went to the boys' camp at Amberley

where Paul was but I didn't have to speak for long there. I was home in beautiful New

Zealand amongst my own people, all speaking English and understanding what I said.

The Lord our God is so good and His mercy has no end.


David Pausu, the first missionary to Tonu, with his fish trap.

Pamela and David by some of the classrooms at Tonu.

Catechist Mark Naaru, an early leader at Tonu.


Chapter 21:

Postscript

When I returned to Bougainville my interest in translation and pastoral work grew to

the point where I was eventually released to be a deaconess. In 1960 I did a year under

the Order of St. Stephen, freed from teaching duties, to begin translation work.

Teaching Sister Beryl Grice from New Zealand joined me as an Order of St. Stephen

worker which means we were both working without being paid except for a boarding

allowance. The money that would have been used for my salar was spent on Beryl's

airfare etc. Mary, Beryl and I had a truly wonderful year, which I will write about

some other day. To finish off this part of my story I want to record the thesis that I

wrote in 1962 as part of the studie needed to help me to qualify as a deaconess. I am

copying what I wrote then though many details are different today.

I was given the topic, "Presenting Christ to the Solomons"

Introduction

The Solomon Islands look small and unimportant on a map of the world but they don't

look small when you are travelling around them in a mission boat! Here are

mountains, rocky coasts, sandy beaches and quiet lagoons. Here are lines of village

houses along the beach or inland on the spurs of the hills. Here hill people and coastal

people loot-different from one another and have different customs. Here languages are

multiplied, most of them understood only by one small group and some of their

neighbours.

The Overseas Missions Department of the Methodist Church of New Zealand has

pastoral oversight of the Western Solomons, including the islands of Bougainville and

Buka, which are (were) part of the Territory of New Guinea. The other Islands are

(were) in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. The political division of our

mission district creates many ever-pressing problems. It isn't simple to go back and

forth across the border.

Bougainville is a bigger island than Choiseul, Vella La Vella or New Georgia and

consequently more people live inland there. It is the people who live inland in South

Bougainville that I know best and I have written with them in mind although the

subject "Presenting Christ to the Solomons" would include a much wider area. Much

of what I say would apply to other areas but some things would be different because

the Siwai people are very quiet and reserved.

Customs and ways of doing things are very varied, even on Bougainville so an

indigenous church will show differences in the out-working of the general system of

Church life. The village churches, the circuit mission stations, the Quarterly Meetings,

May Conference and the Synod all help to keep us together as one body - the Church -

presenting Jesus Christ to the people of the Solomon Islands.


Siwai Life as it is Today

Siwai begins at the Miwo River, and here it is a wide gray riverbed with several

streams carrying the rush of water to the sea. Stones roll themselves against our feet or

the wheels of our vehicle as we cross. The sun shines from a cloud-scattered noonday

sky. How glad we are to be through the river before rain and floods make it difficult.

On the first bank we saw the remains of a fire where some folk had camped while they

waited for the 'tide', as the locals call it, to go down.

Up the shallow bank we go and into the cool green of the rain forest. The road is green

except for the two tyre tracks or the less straight foot track over which Bougainvillians

travel in single file. Beyond the ditch, at each side of the road, entangling vines reach

up into the tall shady trees. Occasionally a white parrot screeches as it flies to another

perch. The plop of rain on the leaves and the swish of our feet through the puddles are

other familiar sounds linked with the high-pitched radio Morse of the crickets.

As we come near a garden we see a family working there. Tapukoi is weeding with

her baby, Peema, slung in a laplap on her back. When he falls asleep she will put him

down on some boards in the little shelter from the sun and the rain that is built in

every garden. If we are with the tractor or the landrover the older children will run to

the garden's edge to wave and gaze. Father Tamahe will stop his chopping to wave too

from the edge of their clearing. "Where are you going?" the children will ask for that

is the usual greeting.

Further on we come to the village where our gardener friends live. Here they will have

a 'house-sleep' built on stilts, which the government requires every family to own in

the interests of health. Adjoining this house, perhaps on the ground or again on stilts is

a kitchen. This is the real living room. Here are the shelves for vegetables and planks

for seats and, most important of all, the fireplace with smoldering embers waiting to

be blown into usefulness.

The family will came home about half past three, (sun time). Mother will carry the

sweet potatoes on her back in a big finely woven coconut leaf pouch. In her hand or

her bundle she will have a banana leaf parcel of greens gathered from cultivated

shrubs or from ferns and certain bush trees. Perhaps she has an eggfruit or some beans,

some tomatoes or a cucumber in her parcel. Above the potato basket will be a bundle

of sticks and riding high on top will be baby, if he is old enough to sit up. If he is a

tiny baby he will be slung in a laplap in front of his mother. Little daughters will have

small loads of sweet potatoes and firewood and will walk behind mother, bent forward

and slightly staggering like her. They love the privilege! The boys may be good

enough to carry home some pineapples on a sapling suitable for firewood but this is

not always the case. Boys are more likely to have been fishing or hunting since school

got out but they would go up a palm for coconuts, if they were needed and carry some

nuts home for the evening meal. If father were with the family in the late afternoon he

would walk home in front of the procession carrying his knife and axe with his string

bag, containing his betel nut, gourd of lime, tobacco and pipe swinging under his


armpit. If he is a young father he might leave the axe in the garden, give his wife the

knife to carry, and carry the baby himself, either riding on his shoulder, clutching his

hair, or sheltering from the rain in his strong arms. When it is necessary father would

carry a bag of potatoes or a log of firewood on his shoulder.

If the garden were near their village house the wife would probably cook the pig's

food there are then go back to serve it to her pigs on plaited leaf plates.... each pig its

own portion. Otherwise she would cook this food in the house near the pig fence.

For Tapukoi there is water to fetch from the spring and the fire to make. She will wash

herself and her children and the potatoes in the creek on her way home from the

garden. Perhaps it is necessary to go to the outpatients' room for medicine or for a

dressing on a sore. While dinner cooks there may be time for a little chat with her

neighbours. The houses in the village line are all very close to each other. Siwai

people really prefer the seclusion and peace of their hamlet homes near their gardens

and pig fences but government regulations and school make a village house a

necessity.

As the sun is setting about a quarter to six the bell rings for Lotu and almost everyone

wanders over to the little chapel. The teacher brings his hurricane lamp and sets it on

the pulpit. The women and girls on one side and the men and boys on the other sit

reverently waiting unless a pig, a duck or a dog comes in and has to be shooed

ouf'Noni sironghenuiong sojori Mumih siro namba 42." (Jesus thy wandering sheep

behold.) If the teacher cannot keep a tune someone else in the congregation will start

the hymn for him. Not many hymn books are in evidence - it would be too dark to see

anyway but each person, especially the women, will be praising God with all the vocal

powers available. A reading of Scripture and an explanation of it are followed by a

further hymn and then the wick of the lamp is turned down to conserve kerosene for

you don't need a light when you pray. The benediction and perhaps a softly sung

vesper bring evening prayers to a close. The babies are sleeping in their mothers' arms

as the church empties and the families gather in their cookhouses. The food is ready

and the main meal of the day is eaten contentedly; potatoes and greens with a

saucepan full of the 'soup' it was all cooked in, as a splendid climax.

If the night is dark the families will soon be asleep but should the moon be round and

golden and full of light the children will dash off to play; the young men to dance with

their pan pipes; the older men to sit and chew their betel nut and lime as they talk

together of the news of the day. The women and girls will sit on the swept ground

with their legs stretched out straight together in front of them. They will be weaving

pandandas mats or coconut leaf baskets by the clear light of the moon... Parents begin

to feel sleepy but the children have gone off to hunts for ngali nuts. Never mind, the

parents think, they'll come home later.

So night comes and goes. In the morning at sunrise the waking-up bell and then the

Lotu bell are rung calling the village people to gather for praise and prayer before they

scatter for another day's activities.


Todays' Problems

The Siwai people, like most other people, feel the need of a religion...a belief in

something outside what can be seen physically.

The fear of evil spirits was a terrifying thing before they heard of the Gospel of Jesus

Christ. These fears and beliefs have not all gone away. It takes a great deal of faith to

really believe that Christ is stronger than all the evil spirits as they are in no doubt

about the reality of the spirit world. It is our task to show them that the truth that is in

Jesus Christ can make them free.

However the Europeans have brought more than one idea to them and they find it

difficult to fit all these things into one way of life. For long years now they have

known the Government, represented for them by Patrol Officers, Doctors, Police boys

and 'Hat-men' with other officers introduced more recently. The Government has

brought them many benefits and the people are grateful. Mostly, and with good

reason, they look upon the Government as benevolent.

Recently (1962) the government has brought into being the Siwai Council. The men

and women of the villages elect the councilors, each village or group of villages

electing their own man. This body elects a President, Vice-president and secretary.

They meet in the council buildings to discuss the wise spending of the money gained

by taxes and to promote the betterment of Siwai materially. Some folk feel that the

council has superceded the ‘mission'. The visible material advantages of the council

appear to be greater advantages to some people than the spiritual blessings that the

mission extols. The council belongs to them. More and more we must step aside and

let them realize that the church in Siwai is their own church. They are the church.

With their own Siwai minister, the Rev. Samson Pataaku and many able leaders who

do realize their privileges and responsibilities, this Jubilee year marking the beginning

of partial self-support, should help them to see this clearly.

Similarly there have been those who turned to the new Siwai Rural Progress Society

as their 'church'. They didn't think there was room for both. The Agricultural Society

has now fallen on difficult days for there is need for permanent crops and hard work if

this is to succeed Land problems are so complex that the situation looks hopeless but a

truly Christian outlook amongst the native people in this problem, could make a vast

difference.

Slowly the people will fit each part of life into place. Slowly they will come to see the

oneness in the strange new diversity with which they are so puzzled. They look to

their leaders for guidance. We white people might have good ideas but they feel that

we do not understand. Our ways are different from theirs because our ground, our

land, is different so they feel. They think that their evil spirits have no power over us

simply because they are the spirits of their ancestors, not ours. They need our help but

it carries most weight when it is given through a thoroughly convinced leader of their

own.


The Mumih

In the Siwai society each group of people was led by a ‘Mumih'. This man arrived at

his position not only or necessarily by birth but by ambition and industry. Before the

days of Government administration he was a war leader but more recently he has

gained the top position by his ability to give the biggest feasts. To do this he has to

have unstinted co-operation from his followers. But this is mostly gladly given as they

enjoy the renown of their Mumih. In "A Solomon Island Society" Dr D L Oliver says

on page 410:

"Scrupulous trustworthiness is also expected of a leader... cooperativeness and

geniality on the leader's part are of course essential to the conduct of successful

social climbing... Above all the leader must exhibit generosity - not only the

formalized and calculated munificence of feast giving but everyday open-

handness as well. In normal times natives do not hesitate to take coconuts or

areca nuts from their leader's groves, asserting that "We are his children." In

this and other respects, the demands of 'noblesse oblige' make deeper inroads

on a leader's possessions than on an ordinary man."

In the old days the people followed their leaders, as they became Methodists or

Roman Catholics. In many cases enemy groups chose the opposite way of

worshipping. Methodist Headmen asked for teachers to be sent to their villages. The

Pastor-Teacher, a graduate from a mission school, taught the children simple reading

and Arithmetic as well as Bible stories and hymns and how to pray. He took morning

and evening Lotu and the services on Sundays. He buried the dead and pointed the

living to healthier habits. He does much the same today. It is he who can really make

Christ most relevant to life in Siwai. When his own faith is real and his experience of

Christ a vital thing his people grow in grace.

Some who would have striven to be mumihs under the old order have become Pastor-

Teachers in response to the call of Jesus Christ. This position has given them the

opportunity of leadership and the joy of following the greatest Leader of all Mumih

Jisu Karisto. Many of the qualities that these people have extolled are good ones in the

Christian way too but there is more to it than the Siwais dreamed before.

No one can provide feasts of spiritual food without spiritual resources. To be able to

go on presenting Jesus Christ and His way to the people the leaders must grow in

knowledge and experience of God through Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. Richard

Baxter wrote in "The Reformed Pastor":

"When I let my heart grow cold my preaching is cold; and when it is confused my

preaching will be so; and so I observe too oft in the best of my hearers that when I

have a while grown cold in preaching they have cooled accordingly."

The people who attend Lotu have continued to say, "We are his children." They have

expected him to look after them. "We belong to the mission" they say and add in their

minds that everything belonging to the mission belongs to them. This can be very


difficult for busy Pastor-Teachers who have little time to accumulate material

resources. They hate to be thought 'mean'. The rank and file must come to realize

more understandingly their responsibilities towards their spiritual leader and towards

their Lord Jesus Christ through the church.

The old order is changing a little. Teachers with Government Certificates must teach

for longer hours in central schools. In some places two men are needed, a pastor and a

teacher. Local Preachers have a part to play too. Catechists each have a pastoral

oversight of a section of the circuit. Solomon Island Ministers look after larger areas.

We must help all these men with material -they cannot read very widely for

themselves - and with prayerful understanding and friendliness that makes them able

to share their problems with us.

The Missionary's Presentation of Christ

Above all other things we European missionaries must show the beauty and the

strength of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know the wonder of the merciful forgiveness of

God that we have found in Jesus Christ. We know the joy of His presence and his

power helping us to overcome sin. We can rejoice for we have a message that we have

proved to be true. Our lives must make it look attractive to them.

God himself has called us and we have come to the Solomons in response to His call.

It is His work and of ourselves we can do nothing. It must always be Christ who is

seen in us. When our own selves fill the picture the work of God is limited by our self-

importance. We must be careful. In "The Reformed Pastor" Richard Baxter says "Take

heed to yourselves for you have a depraved nature and sinful inclinations as well as

others."

A.H.McNeile in "Devotion and Discipleship" writes, "Every Christian who is trying to

be holy for the sake of others knows that immeasurable responsibility attaches to his

sin".

W.Temple in Readings in St. John's Gospel says, "We must not forget that our

vocation is so to practise virtue that men are won to it; it is possible to be morally

upright repulsively!"

Wherever we are we are watched carefully for the folk are more persuaded by our

practice than our preaching. Married missionaries have a wonderful opportunity in the

ordinary business of living to show what a Christian home is like. The way a husband

and wife love and respect each other; the way they bring up their children; and for us

all the way we greet our friends and strangers; how we work with others; the way we

act when we are tired and hot and everything seems to have gone wrong; all these

things can show them what life in Christ can be. Of course we ourselves could never

sustain such a high calling but thanks be to God, that in Jesus Christ we have the

power and the grace we need.


The teaching and nursing sisters are even more constantly living in the view of eyes

that are quick to see everything. The girls in our care learn more from firm loving

leadership in the garden, kitchen, hospital or school than from the words they

understand so inadequately. They must sense and see Christ in our lives. This is the

supreme way in which we can present Christ to the Solomon Islands.

The way is not easy for us or for them. When they see some way in us that challenges

them to higher living they say, "That is your way but we are different. This is right for

you but not for us." Even the Bible in English makes them feel that it does not really

apply to them. Our prayer must always be that there may be more and more

wholehearted Christians amongst the Solomon Islanders themselves.

It is the Holy Spirit who bears witness to Christ. (John15: 26) We are his channels.

We cannot do his work but he can work through us. He glorifies Christ (John16: 14)

and makes the way plain. We must be constantly in fellowship with him through

secret earnest prayer.

We must not pretend anything but be utterly sincere. In our discussions together and in

our Class Meetings we must be humble enough to confess our own shortcomings with

sincerity in their hearing. Only by sharing these thoughts with them can we reveal the

depths of God's mercy towards us. In "Readings in St.John's Gospel" W Temple says,

".... we are good pastors by what we are. And we are poor sheep like those whom we

would tend. The one hope is that as folk come to know us they find in fact another -

not the sheep turned shepherd but in truth the Shepherd, the Beautiful one. It will be

so if we abide in Him and He in us ... not otherwise."

Barclay in his commentary on Acts says "When H.M.Stanley discovered David

Livingstone in Central Africa and when he had spent some time with him he said, "If I

had been with him any longer I would have been compelled to be a Christian and he

never spoke to me about it at all."

Ours is a great high calling in which we must show true meekness and humility that

Christ may be all in all.

Learning to Know People

The injunction that we should be "quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger"

James 1:9, is particularly good advice for a missionary. Our New Zealand ways are

not the only good ways in the world. Solomon Islanders may offend our ideas of good

manners at times but we offend theirs too sometimes. I wondered once why the

catechist I was visiting briefly hadn't offered me a place to sit until I found that it was

considered manners to leave the important one standing while the rest sit. They regard

us as rather unteachable in some things and so do not point out all our errors to us, but

we can learn a great deal with our eyes and ears before we show our shortsightedness

in a foolish statement.


They are willing to share their thoughts with us when we can listen sympathetically in

their language. No matter how good their English or Pidgin is, the deep thoughts of

their hearts are best expressed in their mother tongue. Until we can understand this we

are barred from the deepest fellowship of exchanged thoughts. To know them well we

must know them against their own background... not merely against the background of

the mission station. How they act in their homes, villages, gardens and at their various

gatherings for talking or dancing or feasting, these give us clues to understanding their

ways.

When they seek us out we must be available to listen with patient graciousness. This is

hard because we have a busy routine to follow but we can be too busy and miss the

real opportunities of pointing the way to Jesus Christ.

Barclay says in his commentary on John's Gospel, "In any kind of work it is true that

we cannot really interpret the thought of another person unless between us and his

there is a bond of sympathy...

Love is the great interpreter."

Dr. Frank Laubach in "Letters by a Modern Mystic" speaks of God talking to him this

way, "This is the best way to act; Talk a great deal to Me. Let others talk a great deal

to you, appreciating everything fine they say and neglecting their mistakes. The

talking others do to you, when they are trying to talk up to your expectations is more

important than the talks you give to them."

This is all very true for it opens the way for them to find out what their deepest

thoughts really are. Guiding this kind of speech is not easy but as we 'Talk a great deal

to God' His Spirit leads and teaches us.

In the Alliance Witness the Rev. W.D.Carlsen said, "A Japanese Christian leader was

asked to prepare a paper on the subject, 'The Missionary as a Hindrance', at the South

East Asia Conference of Christian and Missionary Alliance Churches. One suggestion

that he made was that the missionary should endeavour to be like salt. Salt, to have

any value, must lose its identity as a crystal and melt into the substance in which it

finds itself. In other words, a missionary must lose, as far as possible, his nationality

and melt into the thought and cultural pattern of the people to whom he ministers, if

his presence is going to have any savour of life unto life."

When they have accepted us as 'one of the family' we can more meaningfully show

them the way of Christ. Olive Wyon says in "The Altar Fire', "We cannot serve or

pray or suffer or give ourselves, unless He communicates His power to us, and fills us

with His Spirit of love and readiness for sacrifice."

The Place of Prayer

Prayer is our constant need. Nothing will avail without it. We need to be in close

contact with Christ so that we can be sensitive of others' feelings before we can

understand their ways. Long before we can speak to them in their own language we


can pray for them with thanksgiving Miss M.Laugeson, for many years a missionary

in India once wrote words along these lines, -I am sure we shall find when we get to

heaven that we have accomplished more in the hours we have spent praying for

separate people than we have spent in conversation with them.

As we pray earnestly for this one and that one we ourselves or someone else more

suitable, is prepared by the Holy Spirit to meet the needs of those for whom we pray.

The Holy Spirit influences the one we are praying for too. Especially in our early days

on the field we cannot be the ones to do the conversing because of language

difficulties but we can fight in prayer for the victory of Christ in the battle against the

powers of the darkness of this world in a single soul.

Prayer work is secret and not spectacular but it is indispensable for presenting Christ

to the people of the Solomon Islands. In this those at home can help us. Many and

many a time the victory that we are privileged to see has been wrought by the faithful

prayers of our prayer-partners at home.

Tennyson truly says:

'More things are wrought by prayer

Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice

Rise like a fountain for me night and day.

For what are men better than sheep or goats

That nourish a blind life with in the brain,

If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer

Both for themselves and those who call them friend?

For so the whole round earth is every way

Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.'

As well as individual times of prayer we need to have times when we pray together.

We need to pray with our fellow workers, European and Solomon Islanders. The idea

of prayer is not foreign to these people. They feel that it is right and natural that we

should ask God's guidance and blessing on all that we do. Village prayer meetings in

Siwai have recently become more vital. Days of Prayer, recently introduced have been

times of real blessing and spiritual fellowship such as the isolated teachers and leaders

long for. There is work to do when we gather for Quarterly Meetings so we need a

special day for prayer and Bible Study together.

Our Days of Prayer

Our first Day of Prayer was held during Synod time, attended by those who were left

at home. The day was arranged with a definite programme using the three studies

which the Rev. S.Andrews had prepared for Synod. We began with a short devotional

opening after which we praised God in short prayers, which were not supposed to

include any petitions. After this one of the teachers led the first study and the

discussion of relevant points. The discussions were good because they had been well

prepared by the leaders, (I had helped each one in his preparation) and the people were


expectant as many of them had been praying for God's blessing on this day for some

time beforehand. After the discussion I introduced about three things needing prayer

and asked that two or three people should pray aloud for these topics... then after those

prayers I introduced three more topics so that we systematically covered everything. I

did the introducing only because the idea was new to them and because they need to

learn that time has to be carefully portioned out and not wasted. Soon they will have

the general idea and they can do all the leading after we have helped them with some

preparation beforehand.

We had three studies, discussions and prayer times and three breaks during the day as

well as frequent hymns to keep us from getting tired of one position. For one of the

prayer sessions I divided the people into groups of about eight. In these groups each

person spoke of something they especially wanted help with in prayer. These requests

ranged from problems of health to problems of faith and Christian practice. Down on

our knees we went to pray earnestly for each other and I know that God answered

these prayers in His way, some quickly and some slowly, but He heard them all. To

conclude our day together we had a time for testimonies before we joined together in

the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

This day of prayer had far reaching effects through Siwai. The Pastor-Teachers went

home to try out the new ideas we had discussed. The people were in awe, believing

that God had been with us because it had been in the middle of a very wet time and the

whole of that day had been fine. The rain clouds had rolled away without spilling any

water on our flooded district. Village prayer meetings have grown stronger and the

more earnest teachers been invited by the folk of other villages to come and explain

more fully the way of Jesus Christ. Joshua Montoro and Luke Deukari have been

particularly used of God in this and they earnestly wish the people to give all the

praise to God. May it always be so! In the past Joshua has been one of our biggest

problems. Today he says to his people, "You remember what I used to be like, well

the change has come through the power of Jesus Christ and He can do the same for

you."

On the second day of prayer I was pleased to hear in the prayers a growing concern for

others, not only in their own villages but for other areas of Siwai and indeed other

areas of our Solomon Island district. There was evidence too of a deeper experience of

the grace of God in the lives of some and the time for testimonies was all too short.

Our day was for prayer and praise and in these we glorified God together. (Many of

the helpful ideas used on these days I gleaned from experiences at the Melbourne

School of the Summer Institute of Linguistics.)

In some places, particularly in the Rataiku area the prayer groups pray much for sick

people. Often when people are sick the people send for Joshua or one of the others to

come and pray with them. Sometimes a prayer group has come to hospital at the

request of a patient and much blessing has resulted from the cures and even from a

death.


A very sick woman was brought into hospital and Sister Mary Addison and her staff

did all they could to help her with medicines, treatments and prayer. Her husband sent

for one of the prayer groups to come but he (the husband) was unwilling to go the

whole way and give up the evil spirits who helped him in his witch doctor work. His

wife was a partner in his work and while many prayed earnestly that the couple might

have faith to believe in Christ's superior power yet it was plain that the choice lay with

them... so the praying ones told me. Different ones came over (to the house) to discuss

it with me but they were the ones who were dealing with the actual situation. It is easy

for us to think that the evil spirits do not present a great problem but his fellow Siwais

could see the depths of his problem. If he renounced his spirits where would they go?

They lived in his house mostly and would be angry if he sent them away. Would

Christ really be able to protect him from their wrath? He wasn't sure. As well as this,

the spirits brought him great power and wealth. He was one of the greatest 'mikai' men

in Siwai. To give them up would be to lose this and perhaps his life as well.

His wife died. She was very ill. Others with many of the same symptoms have

recovered over the years as we and their friends have prayed earnestly. Her sickness

must have been different. It was certainly severe. She died. Her husband is still unsure

and those of his village are still trying to help him. Once he was a Pastor-Teacher.

How terrible is the lot of a backslider. No one is beyond God's help and all the people

have certainly observed Suavita's problem with awe. He, the powerful witch doctor,

has found that his power is insufficient.

Presenting Christ Through Our Hospitals

Sickness and death are puzzles to every group of people. In Siwai different medicine

men were regarded as having as having good recipes and/or a powerful spirit-familiar

to help overcome different troubles. Today folk mostly come to hospitals especially if

their initial trial of the medicine man's goods has not been satisfactory. For some

sicknesses they feel that we have the appropriate medicine and they come in quickly

to get it. For some they feel that we cannot help because the trouble originates with the

spirits. Whenever it is possible sick folk eventually come to hospital for the

Government authorities are very strict about this. Almost all babies are born in

hospital these days and the women like it. They have their own Lotus in the maternity

ward.

The sick people usually want us to pray with them and they appreciate all our efforts

in that way. After all the medicine man always does his work with the correct

utterances. We need to be patient and lovingly concerned for them so that they grow

to trust Jesus Christ, the healer of men's souls and minds as well as their bodies. The

gentleness and unselfishness the sick ones and relations see in the sisters, nurses and

dresser boys, help them to understand the love of Christ which sets them free from

fear.

I have been amazed at the number of pastors and teachers who have given their lives

to God's service as a result of sickness. Solomon and Neewai were both sick and away


from home when they considered the path of their feet and turned back to God and His

service. I could multiply examples of this but it is sufficient to say that when they are

seriously ill, or rather when they are getting better, they are ready to think about their

relationship to God and Jesus Christ.

Presenting Christ Through Our Organized Lotus

"The untrained mind finds it difficult to maintain a pure spiritual ideal without some

scaffolding of ritual and the humble Jew in the Exile, struggling to keep himself

unspotted from the world groped helplessly until he found something he could do to

express his loyalty and devotion." So says Roy Smith in 'Know Your Bible Series'

Study 5.

The morning and evening Lotus give people a wonderful opportunity to be still and

worship God. They value this highly and many boys returning from plantations have

told me how much they missed the Lotus. Two of our teachers who were chosen,

amongst others, to go to Kavieng on New Ireland to vote for our district's member of

the New Guinea Legislative Council, were horrified when they saw life there without

morning and evening prayers together. They asked for permission for one of them to

speak in a big combined service we were having that Sunday after they returned. In a

few very earnest words Luke told the people to be careful to look after the good thing

that they had in daily worship together.

In their Lotus they sing and pray and hear the Word of God. It is something quite

different to the rest of the day. Men, women and children are all gathered together

under one roof. They are quiet. Speakers in the men's drum house are continually

interrupted as one and another thinks of something to say. In the 'haus kivung'

(Meeting house) in the centre of each village people speak as they wish without

waiting for others to stop speaking. In village court sessions there can be two or three

speaking at once but when the headman speaks the others are told to be quiet. I do not

say that they always listen in church but they all sit quietly and they are glad of the

quietness.

We all need some time of quiet. A.C.Bouquet in "Comparative Religion" says; "Much

of the life of early man was communal... It lacked privacy." Their lives as individuals

in their homes or as households of a village are all open to the scrutiny of others. In

their own gardens or hunting in the bush they can be alone but I think the serious ones

value particularly the opportunity to start and finish the day with God in fellowship

with others in the church. Of course Lotu attendance depends quite a lot on the

popularity of the local pastor.

John Wesley said, "No man ever went to heaven alone; he must either find friends or

make them."

In many villages the Christian men and women take it in turn to lead the morning and

evening Lotus. Those who can read have the opportunity to share, in this way,

passages of the New Testament about which God has given them understanding.


Those who can't read have an opportunity to pray in the prayer meeting or to speak in

the Class Meeting. The children and others can repeat the texts they have learned so

all who want to have a chance to take part actively in church worship.

After our discussions on the first Day of Prayer, many teachers have tried to introduce

discussion Lotus into their week's activities. It is not easy, for those who cannot read

have not a great deal to contribute to a discussion at first but they will learn to express

themselves about their own personal experiences as Christ becomes more real to them

through their search. Much of their present Christianity is second hand. The younger

men have not known the great darkness of the old days. As at home here in New

Zealand, they don't realize how much they owe to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Another thing that some villages have tried recently is separated Class Meetings; the

men in one and the women in another. With the graduation of more girls from the

District Girls' School at Kihili there are some very fine leaders amongst the village

women. Sister Ada Lee and others on the staff have done a great deal of work in

training the girls in Lotu leadership and Sunday School teaching etc. They have

written out their corrected Lotus and talks and have a great deal of material ready to

use. They have also learned how to look up and prepare material so they will be able

to add to their present supply. Mothers cannot listen much to the sermons in church

because of the distractions provided by the many babies and toddlers and also because

the ones who have not attended school have never learned the art of concentration on

one speaker. They are interested in what the Girls' School graduates have to say and

they can understand them.

The leaders who have been trained at Goldie College under the Rev Allen Hall have

similarly gathered much inspiration and material which the home folk are keen to

hear. Those teachers, pastors, catech'ists and our Siwai minister who have come to a

vital experience of the power of Christ to make them new are listened to with real

respect. Many are seeking a deeper and more real relationship with Christ now that

they see its outworking in the lives of their kinsmen.

Presenting Christ Through Our Schools

Education has always been a feature of our Methodist Mission work Schools give us

an unequalled opportunity for daily instruction in the Christian faith by example and

character training as well as by stories and lessons. Children enjoy the Bible Stories

and they also enjoy learning texts and catechism. What we can teach them while they

are young will stay with them always. In singing lessons with the older children I have

found that hymns are the favourites. Teaching a bright ordinary song can make you

feel that you have lost the art of teaching but rub it off the board and put up a new

hymn and you have their attention straight away. (They love singing in harmony.)

They eventually enjoy some bright secular songs but give them a choice and it is a

hymn every time. These words firmly fixed in their minds cannot help but give them a

deeper knowledge of what they believe. Choirs and choir practice are not only for


children, of course, but this is a good Methodist way of keeping the truth in the minds

of the singers.

It is not only in assemblies, lessons and singing that we can present Christ to them. As

they learn to speak and read English with understanding the world of books becomes

available to them. As at home, some are readers and some are not. I allow teachers and

others who are interested to borrow books from the school library. Many use this

opportunity to borrow books with pictures that can be used to illustrate Sunday School

lessons. This creates a wider interest in books, which will grow as those who have

enjoyed the pictures want to find out more.

Our Solomon Island pastors and teachers are best able to make the stories and the

doctrine clear to their people but they often fall short because they are not good at

story telling...when they have learned the story in a foreign language. We can help

them by preparing material for them simply so that they can really know it and present

it in a lively way. We must persevere in teaching them to use aids such as flannel

graphs.

Our Circuit boarding schools provide wonderful opportunities for helping the boys

and girls individually to know Jesus Christ. The group teaching in Lotus, Bible

Classes, school Scripture lessons is all of great value but Jesus called his followers one

by one and that is the best way. If apples are picked one by one eventually the whole

crop will be carefully packed away. There are times in the life of each boy or girl

when they would like to discuss things with us. We need God-given grace to be ready

to help them.

As we pray for them one by one we cannot help becoming more and more sympathetic

with understanding towards each one. We care because God puts His love in our

hearts.

William Temple in "Readings in St.John's Gospel" says, The way to call anyone into

fellowship with us is not to offer them service, which is liable to arouse resistance of

their pride, but to ask service from them. Of course the request must be prompted by a

real need. The Lord was actually tired and thirsty when He said, "Give me to drink."

And then drew the woman into conversation by asking for her help."

I remember reading the word of a retired missionary who said that on looking back he

had found that he had become closest to those who had helped or served him in some

way, rather than to those who had only accepted the service he gave.

We must give them opportunities to help us and to help the work of God. This gives

us the chance to speak, and more important, to listen There ' is always a struggle when

someone turns away from Satan to be born again as a Christian. We cannot wipe out

the struggle but we can help tremendously as we struggle privately in prayer for them.

In The Reformed Pastor' Richard Baxter reminds us that "Paul taught publicly and

from house to house', and -warned every man and taught every man in all wisdom,


that he might present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." The first step in faith is good

but we must not forget our charges when they have given themselves to Jesus Christ

We must continue to help them in their struggle upwards.

A studious young boy, son of one who came from another island to be a missionary in

Siwai in the early days, followed Jesus Christ to the best of his understanding. He

went through our circuit and district schools until he had become trained as a pastor

teacher. At the end of his training he dKJ something wrong. He was very sorry, not

only about being found out but also because he truly wanted to do what was right. His

punishment was completed but something that had never been found out tormented.

We were working together over the translation of Acts and one day as we fished our

verses I asked him to pray with me in our closing prayers for his cousin who was

causing us some concern. When we got up from our knees he was very distressed as

he told me of the books he had taken from the library of the school he had last

attended. We parceled up these books and sent them back and once again he felt the

loving forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

Sometime after this in Class Meeting he told how he had recently taken something

from someone else’s garden as he had come past it on his way home. When he

reached our bridge he remembered that one of the fruits of the Spirit was self-control

so he was given the strength to go back and replace the thing he had taken... and

strength also to confess his weakness and God's power at Class Meeting. Prayer

partners have helped us in prayer for this one for a long time. How much more could

be accomplished if more people would pray for each other, that we may be strong in

His strength.

The boys and girls often come to ask me to pray with them and for them. They know

their need and they know their Saviour and in their prayers they are able to speak the

deepest thoughts of their hearts to God in their own language... for He understands.

After they have left school and gone away, some of them write back from their work

place with the same plea, "Please pray for me... and answer my letter soon." Alas, they

often have to wait for answers to letters but there are lots of minutes in the day for

quick prayers. It is all so worthwhile. We can help them.

Presenting Christ Through the Translation of His Word

An African writing in Portuguese Territory said; "We like to have the Portuguese

Bible for we read it and it makes us feel good, but the Bible in our own language

makes us feel uncomfortable." Dr.A.C.Stanley-Smith of Rwanda quoted him.

What we hear in another language doesn't really arrest us in the same way as the

words of our own language do. What the Siwai people read or hear in English is

understood incompletely. What they read in Motuna, their own language makes them

think again. What a blessing are all the hymns that have been translated. Every day

people sing them and know what they are singing. There are some Psalms, other

passages and some services too in their hymnbooks and these are very highly


regarded. Mark's Gospel too has been published for them in Motuna. It is a good

beginning.

The written Word of God is our guide in the Christian way. When we study it and

follow it completely the Holy Spirit can teach us God's will for our lives. God can

reveal Himself to all those who truly seek Him and He wants everyone to be able to

read His word in a language they can really understand, their own language. In this

way they can be kept from error and led on in the truth. Solomon Islanders are

learning to stand on their own feet. There are many fine ministers and pastors amongst

them. With the Bible in their own language to lean on they could keep their doctrine

pure and find the guidance they need should they be left in the care of the Solomon

Island Church alone. There is translation work being done in every circuit of our

district. This does not cover every language but a real start is being made. I have been

privileged to go on with this work in Siwai. It will be several years yet before we can

complete the New Testament but I pray that God may continue to help us to work as

quickly as possible.

Translation takes a great deal of time. After the verses have been worked out with an

informant it has to be checked and typed and checked again. It needs to be duplicated

so that many people can read it and offer their criticisms. It must read smoothly and

yet be exact in meaning It must be readily understood, yet a translation not a

paraphrase. More typing and checking will follow and finally submission to the Bible

Society for more checks before final printing. All this calls for perseverance and strict

attention to detail, which isn't easily attained. In the end the translated New Testament,

and for some bigger language groups, the whole Bible will continually and

consistently present Jesus Christ to the Solomon Islanders. Meantime Bible reading

helps, translated and newssheets etc keep them reading.

Learning the Way

"Sister, please give me your Bible, the very big one." The voice moved from the

doorway to the table and I looked up from marking English books to see seventeen-

year old John standing there in the gatherinq dusk. "Why do you want a very big

Bible?" I asked. "I want to put it on the sick man," he said. "I am very sorry for him

and his pain does not grow less. I have prayed for him with my hands on him but he

has not been healed. Other people have been healed when I prayed for them but he is

just the same. Please give me your big Bible."

John perched on the edge of the library table, his face full of youthful earnestness that

was undeterred by difficulties. I explained to him that it wasn't the size of the Bible

nor even the Bible itself that cured people but the power of God, perhaps flowing

through us, or perhaps some other way. Because he was so very serious I asked him if

he had experienced the power of God. He told me that recently at a service in Rataiku

he had given himself to God and had felt that God really was with him. He later

prayed with various sick ones and they had been healed. He felt that God was using

him.


It is true that I had noticed a change in him of late. A more serious attitude towards his

schoolwork and faithfulness in work outside had replaced the old somewhat sullen and

fitful seasons of zeal and laziness. I had been startled in our prayer meeting the

previous Sunday when he had led us in prayer with power. It isn't easy to explain but

you could feel it was a Holy Spirit inspired prayer, not just an effort on a boy's part to

pray for others.

We talked about the sick man and the power of God and the work of prayer. I tried to

show him that his prayers had helped and would help the man to be strong and brave

as he faced further treatment and days of pain. (The man was very ill and had to go to

the Government Hospital and finally they sent him to Rabaul. He was afraid when he

first came to us but I am sure John's prayers and his thoughtfulness helped him.) John

went away satisfied and keen to go on helping his friend by prayer that he should have

courage to live through his trouble and become well again.

I think John's father was a medicine man. If not then one of his relations is almost sure

to have been one. I don't want him to become another sort of 'mikai' so I asked if he

would like to train as a dresser boy. "I think I will be a teacher." He said and I was

glad. It is the whole gospel he wants to preach and teach. As God's servants at home or

perhaps in the Highlands or some other district they will keep on presenting Jesus

Christ.

Conclusion

In presenting Jesus Christ to the people of the Solomon Islands we are showing them

the best thing in the whole world. We must always be in the background. Christ must

have the pre-eminence. We are only ambassadors. They must see Christ through us. If

our lives are not attractive we will not be able to point them to the one we are seeking

to mirror.

The Solomon Island leaders are the ones who must be increasingly put in the

prominent places. There are some things that they cannot do yet but they must be

taught to master these things. They need our help with method and organization, ideas

and ways to carry them out, material that they can use and a sympathetic ear to help

them in their troubles In some areas leaders need more help than others but

everywhere we must give them the chance to do their best and even make mistakes

perhaps Above all we must be faithful in remembering them and their needs at the

throne of grace.

This is 1962, the Jubilee year, the year of the beginning of partial self-support. The

young church faces many difficulties, especially in the Roviana Circuit where the Eto

movement has caused so much trouble and unrest. The people are beginning to realize

more vitally that this is their church and that they must pray and sing and work

together for God's Kingdom in the Solomon Islands.

"As each has received a gift, employ it for one another as good stewards of God's

varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who utters oracles of God; whoever renders


service, as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; in order that in

everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and

dominion forever and ever Amen." 1 Peter 4 v10-11.

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