Vale March 2003

by president · 20/06/2003

Donald Harrison BRIGGS (13 December 2002, aged 75)

Don’s early years were spent on his parents’ plantation at Londip, New Britain, apart from some time at boarding school. He was evacuated in late 1941 with his mother. In 1945, aged 18, Don joined the AIF and served in Australia and the South West Pacific Area (Rabaul) until his discharge in 1947.

In 1949 he and his childhood sweetheart, Margot, were married and returned to Rabaul. Don started work with the Commonwealth Dept of Works and in 1959 joined Rabaul Metal Industries (RMI) as manager where over time he learned all aspects of the business. In 1976 when BHP formed a partnership with Don, Don was given free reign with running the company. He set about stamping his mark on the business and during the ’70s and ’80s RMI became a benchmark for other businesses in Rabaul. He could be seen quite often in the workshop working shoulder to shoulder with the Papua New Guinean factory workers, helping to meet urgent orders. This approach won him great respect from his national workers some of whom gave 30-35 years of service to the company. Don also found time to excel at golf and become President of Rabaul Golf Club, to participate in community activities and become President of Rotary and to participate in many Rabaul to Kavieng yacht races. He was awarded an MBE in 1986.

Don retired in 1989 but kept returning to Rabaul (RMI) until 1994 on business matters. Don and Margot spent about six years at Tallai in the hinterland of the Gold Coast and a further six years in Brisbane. Don is survived by his wife Margot and their four children. Editor

Clarissa De DERKA (13 September 2002, aged 83)

Clarissa gained her PhD in literature and philology at the University of Budapest, Hungary. She was also an outstanding horse rider. Near the end of WWII she managed to leave just ahead of the invading Russian armies. She and her husband, Dr Lajos Huzella, migrated to Australia where initially Clarissa worked on pastoral properties to be close to horses and riding. Her husband was among the group of continental doctors recruited to the Territory’s postwar health service. He was posted to Kainantu which gave Clarissa the opportunity to ride at the nearby Highlands Agricultural Experiment Station at Aiyura. After service at Kainantu, Dr Huzella returned to Sydney to do further study.

Clarissa went to Port Moresby in 1952 as librarian of the Dept of Public Health. Under her leadership the library rapidly became a well recognised research library containing worldwide reference material for local and visiting medical specialists and scientists. Her marriage ended in divorce and she reverted to her maiden name. In Moresby her home was a venue for entertaining many well-known specialists visiting from overseas. When the University of PNG was established, Clarissa was invited, on secondment, to be accession librarian to help assemble the basic collections required by the new institution. On retirement Clarissa lived mainly in Rome, Nice and Oxford, but also travelled widely. She returned to Australia every few years to maintain contact with her friends. She is survived by her cousin in Canberra and his family. Gabriel Keleny

Pierre DONALDSON (13 August 2002, aged 80)

Pierre was born in Tahiti and moved to New Zealand and then Australia with his parents Reg and Odette. In 1938 Pierre went to PNG as a Cadet Patrol Officer and was in Port Moresby when the Japanese dropped the first bombs. He joined the RAAF and was sent to the UK where he completed two tours of operations flying over Europe as a gunnery officer in Halifax bombers. Whilst based in the UK Pierre met his wife Thelma whom he married before being repatriated to Australia.

After the war Pierre resumed his career in New Guinea and served in such places as Port Moresby, Samarai, Ehu, Madang and Saidor. Over the years he was promoted to ADO and ADC in places such as Bogia, Wewak, Angoram, Okapa and Goroka. His final appointment was as Senior Project Officer in Port Moresby from where he retired in 1974. Pierre and Thelma then settled into their home at North Narrabeen NSW. During this time Pierre was active in the Lions Club and was an avid bowler. In June 2001 they moved to Brisbane to be closer to their two daughters.

Pierre is survived by his wife Thelma, children Annette, Laraine, Michael and Grant, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Pierre’s daughter Laraine

Emelia Hedewig FARRELL (née Rundnagel) (25 December 2002, aged 85)

Emelia or ‘Hede’ was the youngest daughter of Wilhelm and Florence Rundnagel. She was born in 1917 at Herbertshohe (Kokopo) and along with her two siblings (both deceased) experienced a happy and carefree childhood on the family plantation, Rivien, on the Gazelle Peninsula, until being sent to boarding school in Australia.

While doing her nursing at Crown Street Children’s Hospital, she was introduced by Flo Gilmore to Daniel (Denis) Farrell whom she later married. She made her home in Sydney but her parents and brother were interned in Rabaul by the Japanese and the plantation was subjected to much devastation.

Her love of homeland never left her, and she later returned to Rabaul along with Denis to run Rivien and Bitikua plantations. This she continued to do even after the death of her husband in 1974. In 1983 she reluctantly severed her ties with plantation life and settled once again in Sydney. Until plagued with ill health she travelled extensively and enjoyed the arts. Emelia’s niece, Jillian von Leixner

Edward Francis FITZGERALD (6 August 2002, aged 74)

Ed began work in PNG as a lay missionary with the SVD Mission in Wewak and some time later he volunteered to help set up the Mission’s logging venture on the Sepik River. This led to a career in logging and sawmilling. Ed later set up Sepik Timbers at Wewak, followed by Wewak Timbers in Madang. Ed had married Joy in Brisbane in 1956. Ed was active in civic life: he was President of the PNG Timber Industries Association and, during his time in Wewak and Madang, President of Rotary. All in all, he spent 48 years in PNG. He and Joy retired in 1999 and settled on the Redcliffe Peninsula, Qld.

Ed is survived by his wife Joy and seven children. Garamut

Bernard Oliver (Bernie) GRAY (5 January 2003, aged 73)

Bernie was appointed a permanent clerical officer of the TPNG Administration in late 1956 and took up duties as a Customs Officer with the Dept Of Customs and Marine. After a short stint at head office he was posted to Madang for two years. He returned to Moresby in 1959 working principally in the Immigration Section of the Department. In the late ’60s he transferred to Public Works where he remained until taking up a promotion to the Public Service Commissioner’s Office in 1974. In 1976 his employment in PNG ceased and he worked in the private sector in Perth until retirement in 1994.

Bernie married Pat Gosson from Crown Law Dept. in 1962. Both he and Pat were a prominent and popular couple on the Moresby and PNG golf scene over many years, and maintained their interest in golf after settling in Perth. Bernie was competent in various other sports, particularly Rugby League, and also squash and cricket. He is survived by his wife Pat. Derek Baldwin

Richard David GRENVILLE (18 November 2002, aged 61)

Rick was born in Melbourne and, after completing his Leaving Certificate, he worked in outback NSW and Queensland as a station hand and jackaroo. In 1963 he went to Bougainville with Choiseul Plantations Ltd (Burns Philp) as a plantation overseer. He worked on various plantations on Bougainville as a manager, including Kunua and Soraken. In 1969 he resigned from Burns Philp and commenced his own business at Buin as a trade store proprietor and produce buyer, and operated the Ansett Agency. In 1975 he returned to Australia for health reasons. He worked in various occupations before retiring to Cairns in 1988 with his wife Tina who predeceased him. Rick is survived by his mother Phyllis and sister Dale. K.J. Hanrahan

Harry JANSEN (17 December 2002, aged 79)

Harry Jansen was in Bulolo from 1952 to 1959. He was personal secretary to the General Manager of Bulolo Gold Dredging Ltd and Commonwealth-New Guinea Timbers Ltd. No further details available. Editor

Cecile May MALONEY (8 November 2002, aged 80)

Cecile was the wife of the late Noel Maloney. She is survived by her daughter Sue, son Robert, and grandchildren. No further details available. Editor

Percy Vince ‘Snow’ MIDDLETON, OAM (24 October 2002, aged 89)

Snow Middleton grew up on his parents’ wheat farm in Victoria. Due to sickness at home, he left school at 15 to help run the farm . He enlisted in the AIF in late ’39 and was sent to Tobruk, where he soon found himself leading a bayonet charge. This was followed by action in Greece, Egypt and Syria. His Division then returned to Australia because of the Japanese threat. After a period instructing, he was invited to join Z Special Unit which he did. After a stint in PNG he was told to report to Z Special headquarters for further training, after which he served out of Darwin doing raids over to Timor, followed by work on Celebes and in British North Borneo. After the war Snow became involved in Commonwealth Disposals, and went to PNG doing Disposals work in Lae, Wewak and Finschhafen. By mid 1948 he was in charge of Commonwealth Disposals in New Guinea. Later he transferred to Port Moresby working for Treasury, which is where he met his future wife Val.

Snow’s services to the RSL and to the community began in the late 1940s and continued for the rest of his life.He took on a variety of positions in numerous voluntary organisations. He retired to Nambour Qld in 1970 and commenced a hobby farm. He then did voluntary work for the Maroochy Swimming Club (timekeeper), St Joseph’s Convent, Nambour (as supervisor/instructor for swimming classes), Coes Creek Progress Association (office-bearer), the RSL (various positions, too many to mention) and Sundale Nursing Home (fund-raiser).

Snow is survived by his wife Val and daughters Mary and Helen. Editor

Douglas John PARRISH (26 February 2003, aged 81)

Doug enlisted in the AIF in 1940, and the middle of 1943 found him behind enemy lines in the Sepik as a sergeant with a guerilla force known as Mosstroops. The official war history relates how in one engagement Sgt Parrish and a companion were attacked by – but put to flight – six Japanese and a dozen armed natives. In early 1945 he was commissioned with the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit, and served as a field officer while the islands were still being cleared of the enemy.

In May 1946 he took his army discharge in Lae, and immediately joined the New Guinea Administration in Rabaul as a patrol officer. For the next 15 years he operated in widely scattered districts of what became the Territory of Papua New Guinea. The PNG Administrator, Sir Donald Cleland, considered him an ‘outstanding’ field officer.

He declined a posting as a district commissioner to take up the lesser, newly created position of industrial organisations officer, charged with developing a framework for industrial relations, embracing both unions and employers, and the development of workers’ associations in PNG’s main centres.

His success there led to his appointment as PNG’s Secretary for Labour, where he energetically dealt with the myriad of industrial matters, including occupational health and safety, that were emerging because of major industrial development such as the giant Bougainville copper mine. There was no supporting legislation in place even for the operation of heavy equipment such as cranes, or for inspectors to enforce safety conditions. Among many other initiatives, Doug established a research and planning division, and a standards office to control weights and measures.

His dedication to his tasks was all the more considerable in view of a period of personal tragedy. On leave in Australia, he, Candy and their 10-year-old twin sons were attacked by a man while they were parked at midnight beside the highway near Taree. Having first shot and seriously wounded Doug, the attacker sexually assaulted Candy. Despite her own horrors, she saved Doug’s life by driving him to the Taree hospital, where his blood loss was stemmed. When the bullet was removed in Sydney, he was told he needed to remain there for three months to recuperate. While there, Christopher, one of the twins, was killed by a car on his way to school.

In 1971, with PNG self-government and independence on the way, Doug and Candy reluctantly left PNG for Sydney. Doug then embarked on a second career as an executive with the Bechtel Corporation, which sent him to Indonesia for twelve months to oversee new projects. He later became administration manager for the NSW Employers Federation for eight years, and for another five he was consultant to them and the Confederation of Australian Industry.

Doug was energetically active in our Association for 30 years. He was elected president in 1986 while Fred Kaad continued in the position of editor of Una Voce. In early 1989 Fred went overseas for an extended period, so Doug did the editor’s job as well, intending simply to ‘fill in’ until Fred returned. Then in 1992 Doug handed over the presidency to Harry West and was able to concentrate on Una Voce. During his seven years as editor, Doug transformed the journal: he introduced the regular sections we have today, and encouraged members to contribute stories of general interest and archival value. He also put in a great deal of behind-the-scenes work towards the publication of our book Tales of Papua New Guinea. He had a fascination for computers and was always ready to help committee members experiencing computer problems.

Doug’s wife Candy predeceased him. He is survived by a son, Craig. Harry West

Judith Mary RALPH – MUMMY JUDE (31 December 2002, aged 82)

Judith was the wife of Richard (Dick) Ralph of the Education Dept (1948-1966). Dick died in 1978. Judith and Dick lived in Port Moresby, Rabaul and Dregerhafen before returning to Port Moresby in 1951. Judith was an early enthusiastic supporter of CWA, Red Cross, and the early Konedobu Housewives Association, as well as a stalwart of St John Anglican Church. For many years (1952-1966) she ran a child minding centre at her home in Kaevaga offering a range of care from preschool to after school for up to 20 children at a time. To children and parents she was ‘Mummy Jude’, as Judith was too informal and Aunty Judith inappropriate as ‘she was not their aunt’. Many years later, at a PNG function in Canberra, a woman came to her and said ‘I should know your name, but please forgive me, I can only remember you as Mummy Jude’. Inevitably she became Mummy Jude to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Judith is survived by her 5 children (most of whom worked in PNG at some time), 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Richard (Rik) Ralph

Francis Norman Wellford ROLFE (1 November 2002, aged 77)

Norm grew up in the Southern Highlands of NSW and began work with an accountancy firm in Cooma. At 18 he enlisted in the RAAF and served in the Philippines undertaking intelligence activities. In 1947 he joined the Provisional Administration of TPNG as a clerk in the office of the Government Secretary. On his first leave in 1949 he returned to Cooma and married Bette, his loved and loving wife of 53 years. Norm moved to the office of the Public Service Commissioner upon its formation and continued in public service administration until his retirement and for a period afterwards as a consultant. His final appointment was that of Member of the Public Service Board. He was awarded the Imperial Service Order in 1976. After his successful career in PNG extending over 30 years, Norm and Bette settled at Pomona in Queensland where for many years they operated the newsagency. Norm is survived by his wife Bette, their four children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Bruce Leslie

Katalin SCHAMSCHULA (5 June 2002, aged 76)

Kata, as she was known to her friends, was the widow of Dr Rudi Schamschula who was for some years the principal of the Dental College at Port Moresby. While there, her husband became associated with the project initiated by Dr David Barmes, the dental officer at Madang. David had found a village in the Sepik District where the inhabitants were apparently free of dental caries, which was most unusual for the region. The discovery created considerable interest and prompted a variety of research projects. Dr Barmes obtained an appointment at the World Health Organisation in Geneva to direct dental research and Dr Schamschula returned to the Dental Hospital in Sydney where he continued his interest in this unusual dental condition in the Sepik. Kata was a generous hostess and a devoted wife and mother of her two children. She is survived by son Robert, daughter Susan and grandchildren. Gabriel Keleny

Ivy STANMORE (5 January 2003, aged 68)

Ivy was born in Manchester UK. She arrived in PNG in 1960. There she met her future husband Peter in 1962 and the couple married in 1964. Ivy first worked for the Dept of Customs and Marine, then was associate to the Chief Justice, Sir Alan Mann, for eight years. She was very involved with the Ryder Cheshire Foundation. Back in Sydney she spent eleven years as associate to Justice Nagle at the Supreme Court. Ivy loved animals and spent her last years writing for ‘Wolf Song’ of Alaska on the perception of the wolf in mediaeval times; this was used for education purposes.

Ivy is survived by her husband Peter. Peter Stanmore

William Thomas TICEHURST (20 November 2002, aged 75)

Bill Ticehurst went to PNG in 1957 to fly for Gibbes Sepik Airways, thence to MAL and Ansett-MAL where he was Check and Training Captain in the Light Aircraft Division, then Command on DC3 aircraft. Bill and family returned to Victoria in 1967 where he flew the Bristol Freighter for Air Express and later owned and operated a taxi. Bill and family returned to PNG in 1972 to Air Niugini, then back to Victoria in 1974, finally settling at Ningi, Queensland. He is survived by his wife Mavis, daughter Deborah and Grandson William. Frank Smith

Tags: Vale March 2003