PAMBU NEWS
Belated best wishes to all Pambu readers for the New Year. Apologies for this late issue of
the newsletter. Part of the reason for the holdup is that Bureau is beginning a
new staffing arrangement. A new PMB archivist, Kylie Moloney, was appointed in
November 2008. I have started a ‘transition to retirement’, working half-time,
over the next three years up to November 2011. This arrangement will give the
Bureau the services of two professional staff for the time being.
In July last year the Library of the University of
Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ, joined the PMB. Ms Jill Durney, the Macmillan
Brown Library Manager, will represent the University Library on the PMB
Management Committee. There are now ten specialist Pacific research libraries
which direct and fund the PMB joint copying project.
I travelled to Kiribati with Richard Overy in July to
assist him with digitization of Tuvaluan records held in the Kiribati National Archives, as part of the
Tuvalu Endangered Archives Project. Working again with Sr. Margaret Sullivan on
Tarawa, I finished microfilming of the archives of the Catholic Diocese of
Tarawa and Nauru (PMB 1289) and microfilmed minute books of the Kiribati
Protestant Church (PMB 1317).
In-house
microfilming proceeded steadily until September when Dr Duncan Driver, who was
undertaking the PMB microfilming on a casual basis, left the Bureau to pursue a
career in the theatre. Duncan microfilmed the following record groups:
PMB 1274 REDDY,
Jai Ram (1937- ): Papers relating to
politics in Fiji, 1988-2000. Reels 1-18. (Restricted access. Closed until July
2013. Available for reference thereafter.)
PMB 1234 NORTON,
Robert (1944- ): Research papers on
Fiji politics, 1960-1993. Reels 1-10. (Available for reference.)
PMB Doc 498 Family
News (Unevangelized Fields Mission / Asia-Pacific Christian Mission, Balimo
& Melbourne), 1943-1990 (gaps). Reels 1-3. (Available for reference.)
PMB 1316 SNIJDERS,
Fr Jan SM., Solomon Islands Languages Collection: manuscripts and old prints in
Malaita, collected by Fr Donatien Coicaud SM and Fr Chris Kamphuis SM,
1918-1996. Reels 1-3. (Available for reference.)
PMB 1318 HAWAIIAN
SUGAR PLANTATION ASSOCIATION, Cuttings from the Hawaiian press on the Pacific
Islands, c.1942-1974. (Available for reference.) Incomplete.
In
addition two microfilming projects were outsourced to W & F Pascoe P/L:
PMB Doc 487 VANUATU
WEEKLY : VANUATU HEBDOMADAIRE (Port Vila), Nos.1-870, 4 Aug 1984-29 Sep 2001.
Reels 1-9. (Available for reference.)
PMB 1299 UNEVANGELIZED
FIELDS MISSION / ASIA PACIFIC CHRISTIAN MISSION, Archives documenting missions
in Papua New Guinea and West Papua, 1931-1992. Reels 12 +. (Available for
reference.) This is the second stage of the UFM/APCM microfilming project in
conjunction with the Library of the Bible College of Victoria, which holds the
archives, and supported by the Latourette Fund, through the Yale Divinity Library.
One new
photograph collection has been digitized:
PMB Photo 19 BUDÉRUS,
Louis, Photographs, Samarai, British New Guinea, c.1900.
A new
series of digitized maps has also been commenced:
PMB Map 001/1-14 CLARKE,
George: Tuvalu maps, 1978-1988.
PMB Map 002/1-27 HUGHES,
Ian: Papua New Guinea Maps, 1943-1972.
PMB Map 003/1 KERLEY, Fr Kevin SM: North Solomons Provincial base map, North
Solomons Provincial Government, 1982. One sheet, annotated, 1982.
Mrs Pauline Sainsbury of Canberra, a descendant of Leo
Austen (an early Resident Magistrate in Papua), put the Bureau in touch with
Trevor Middleton, who gave the PMB a digital copy of his reconstruction of the
autobiography of his father, Stanley Guise Middleton (1902-1991), Taubada:
an autobiography, Papuan Experiences, 1925-1947. Microfilmed at PMB 1314
(available for reference).
Stuart Inder put the Bureau in touch with Geoffrey
Luck, a retired radio and television news journalist, who has transferred 13 cartons
of his papers documenting activities of the Australian Broadcasting Commission
PNG Branch, 1957-1967. The papers include an immaculate set of transcripts of ABC
Radio, Port Moresby, news broadcasts. Anna Brown, an RMIT Information
Management student on placement at the PMB in November, arranged the
transcripts and began microfilming them.
Mr Jakob Anderhandt of Sydney has given the Bureau his
indexed transcript in modern German of the reports of Captain Alfred Tetens
(1835-1909). The reports document Captain Tetens expeditions to the Caroline
Islands and Palau, “Expeditionen der Hamburger Brigg Vesta: Die
Berichte von Kapitän Alfred Tetens, 1865-1868”.
In June the PMB worked with Dr Neil Gunson and Karina
Taylor on transfer of archives from the Pacific and Asian History (RSPAS)
Records Room to the Pacific Research Archives at the ANU, including papers of
Professor Jim Davidson, Ethel Drus (on Fiji), Richard Gilson (on Samoa and the
Cook Islands) and Norma McArthur (on Pacific population research). The PMB held
on to a relatively small amount of the papers with a view to microfilming them,
including an interesting collection of early 20th century Cook
Islands land papers and custom stories.
Professor Murray Groves’ professional papers, manuscripts,
research papers, photographs and audio recordings, amounting to about 10 shelf
meters, were transferred into the custody of Professor Jack Golson in November.
Professor Groves’ research materials are mainly on the Motu people of Papua.
Part of Professor Groves’ papers were transferred to the Hong Kong University
Archives where Professor Groves taught for many years. The remainder are being
arranged and listed with a view to microfilming parts of them. Valerie Wilson,
Murray Groves’ sister, gave the PMB a box of slides for digitisation which
belonged to their parents, Doris and W.C. Groves.
In December the PMB and Jean-Louis Boglio Maritime
Books published, Tahiti and the Society Islands: Shipping Arrivals and
Departures, 1767-1852, by Rhys Richards and Robert Langdon. It is a
companion volume to Rhys Richards’, Honolulu
Centre of Trans-Pacific Trade: Shipping arrivals and departures 1820 to 1840,
published by the PMB and the Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society in 2000. Both
are available for purchase from the PMB.
Kylie Moloney, the new PMB Archivist, and I travelled
to Suva for the Pacific History Association conference at the University of the
South Pacific, 8-12 December. An open meeting of the PMB Management Committee
was held in conjunction with the PHA conference.
Libby Fong, Deputy USP Librarian, and I convened a successful
Library-Archives stream of presentations at the conference. The session was
titled, “Resources for Pacific History: recognition and access”. The following
papers were presented:
· Libby Cass (Information for All
Program, USP), "Information for all in the Pacific - reality and
hopes".
· Paul Stuehrenberg (Yale
University Divinity Library), "Kenneth Scott Latourette Initiative for the
Documentation of World Christianity".
· Robert Appel (SPC, Noumea),
"Moving the SPC archives to the Territorial Archives in New
Caledonia".
· Karina Taylor (Pacific Research
Archives, ANU), “An Overview of the Pacific Research Archives at the ANU”.
· Meredith Batten (National
Library of Australia), “Pacific Collecting at the National Library of
Australia”.
· Diane Woods (Turnbull Library),
“Digitisation Projects at the Turnbull Library”.
· Eleanor Kleiber (SPC), “The
CROP Library digitisation project”.
· Libby Fong (USP Lbrary), “The USP Library's Digital Efforts”.
·
· Ewan Maidment (PMB), "A history of Australian involvement in
archives administration in Fiji".
· Karyn Gladwish (Attorney
General’s Department Librarian, Canberra) had prepared a paper, on Pacific
Islands—Australian Law Library twinning projects, but was not able to attend
the conference.
It is planned to collate the papers for publication.
In
discussion during the session concern was expressed about the inability of some
of the national libraries and archives in the region to meet their
responsibilities and user expectations. This concern was referred to the
general meeting of the Pacific History Association which carried the following
resolution:
“That Pacific History
Association notes that urgent attention is required to address the inability of
some national libraries and archives in the region to meet their
responsibilities and user expectations. These responsibilities are critical to
good governance, preservation of culture and social stability. That the PHA collaborate
with regional stakeholders to lobby Forum leaders, national governments and
development partners for regional initiatives to address this issue. That the
PHA appoint a working group to take this matter further.”
While in Suva, with the kind assistance of the staff
of the National Archives of Fiji, Kylie and I microfilmed certain issues of
Tuvalu newspapers held in the Archives. The newspapers are Tala o Tuvalu (PMB Doc 482), Valo
(PMB Doc 484), and Headquarters
Information Notes (PMB Doc 483). Some issues are missing from the sets
which the PMB microfilmed at the Tuvalu National Library and Archives under the
EAP in 2006 and 2007.
Note
that Eleanor Kleiber and Robert Appel announced at the PHA conference that the Inventory of the archives of the
Headquarters of the South Pacific Commission over the period 1947-1968 (1969) has
been published and that these SPC archives have been transferred to the custody
of theTerritorial Archives in Noumea.
Ewan Maidment
PMB Executive
Officer, Jan 2009
NEW
PMB ARCHIVIST –
Report from Kylie Moloney
On 3
November I began working as the Archivist at the Pacific Manuscripts
Bureau. I have recently returned to
Canberra after spending two and a half years in Edinburgh, Scotland where I was
working as an assistant curator in the Department of World Cultures at the
National Museums Scotland. At the
National Museums Scotland I worked on the archives and non-Western music
collections, and the Pacific collections.
Prior to working in the United Kingdom, I worked at the National Library
of Australia for five years and also spent one year volunteering in Vanuatu as
an Australian Youth Ambassador (AusAID).
I have an academic background in music, librarianship, education and
museum studies.
New
Publication For Sale
Tahiti and the Society Islands: Shipping arrivals and departures
1767-1852
(Rhys Richards and Robert Langdon), Canberra, PMB and Boglio Martime Books,
2008, 257pp.
ISBN 9582-0138-4.
Soft bound: $39.60, plus postage.
PAPUA
NEW GUINEA INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION LIBRARY
The Papua
New Guinea Institute of Public Administration, formerly Administrative College
of Papua New Guinea, moved from several locations to its present site on the
Waigani campus of the University of PNG in 1969. Its initial stages of development
commenced in 1963.
The objective of the Institute was to provide training in clerical and
administrative skills, linguistics, district administration and other areas, to
Papua New Guineans appointed to senior positions. The courses taught at the Institute
have advanced and developed in many ways up to the present time. Those
benefiting from courses run at the Institute are mostly government employees
who require additional managerial skills in their work. It is the oldest
government institution in the country.
The Institute has a modern library building with a total stock of well
over 40,000 volumes. It was established in 1969 and the collections have been
developed over the years. The catalogues are yet to be automated and improved
access to internet services, an important area in accessing current information,
would assist students in their learning.
The Charles Barrett
Collection of
New Guinea Books
The Library has a Special Reserve Collection of New Guinea books. This
collection has been built and developed based on donations made to the
Institute by Major D. Barrett on behalf of his father, the late Charles
Barrett.
Charles Barrett was for much of his life a student of nature. Born in
Victoria in 1879, he grew up in an outer suburb of Melbourne and knew a bush
land as yet unspoiled by the industrial growth of a great city. At an early
age, he learned to love roaming in the Victorian bush and marvelled at the
flora and fauna that abounded in his native land.
Before the outbreak of the 1914-1918 war, he had chosen journalism as
his career and soon made his mark as a writer of what was in those days known
as natural history or nature study. He was a naturalist in the true sense of
the word – wishing to study wildlife and to write about it in terms that the
average man could understand and appreciate.
Charles Barrett served in the First World War in the Middle East. He
found time to study the natural wonders of the desert and the Nile Valley. He
also edited the first soldier’s newspaper, the Kia-ora Cooee. He stepped up his writings back in his native
Victoria. By 1930, his works were known throughout Australia. His
travel-cum-nature books achieved wide acclaim – The Sunlit Land (a story of Queensland), Isle of Mountains (a story of Tasmania), Around Australia, Pacific
Wonderland and others. He also wrote some books on wildlife, including An Australian Animal Book, which were
used as school texts.
Though close to 70, he found time and energy during the Pacific War to
visit troops in Northern Australia and New Guinea lecturing on friendly plant
life, dangerous snakes and other practical subjects. He had always loved the
tropics but this was his first introduction to Papua New Guinea.
When Major Don Barrett, his only son, decided to settle in New Guinea
after serving with the Pacific Islands Regiment, it was only natural that
Charles Barrett should soon think of a visit. Accompanied by his wife and
lifelong companion who shared with him the love of the open spaces and the
things of nature, he came to Rabaul. Not satisfied to see only a little, he
arranged trips to Bougainville, the Highlands and the Sepik.
Before long, he could boast of having seen more of New Guinea than many
life time residents; and as he travelled he learned, for he was always a keen and
trained observer.
Not content with his first all too short visits, he returned several
times. On one occasion, he stayed a full year. At 75 years of age, he climbed
Matupit Crator near Rabaul and spent three months as a temporary officer of the
Department of Agriculture giving vital assistance with a project to introduce
biological control of a serious coconut pest.
From these wanderings and observations came the material for his last
and one of his most popular books, Isles
of the Sun.
The end came at 80 for Charles Barrett. He died knowing that he left
his writings a wealth of knowledge for the students of nature, not only in
Australia but in Papua and New Guinea.
From his lately found fantastic interest in this country, came a desire
to build a library on New Guinea and the Pacific. He was still engaged in
collecting material when he died.
On the day of his death and his last moments of consciousness, he told
Major John Barrett clearly that he wished the collection he made to go to Papua
and New Guinea where it could be of use to students of that country which had
held his interest so keenly.
Major Barrett has honoured this trust and the collection, first cared
for by the National Library at Canberra and later by the Archives Section at
Port Moresby, now finds a permanent home in a library that Charles Barrett
would himself have loved.
Though only moderate in size, it is a fine collection of books on New
Guinea particularly works on description and travel, history, natural history
and anthropology. The Charles Barrett Collection nevertheless contains a number
of items not known to be held elsewhere in the country. The books have served
as a basis on which the Administrative College Library’s New Guinea Collection
has developed.
Interestingly, the oldest published book about PNG held here is dated
1776. It was written in French by Pierre Sonnerat and describes his voyages in
and around parts of New Guinea, the physical and a natural environment
including vegetation. The book is 208 pages long and has illustrations.
It needs to be translated into English. We hope to find some one to do this for
us one day.
The New Guinea Collection is available for use by scholars of this
country and others interested in the history of Papua New Guinea. At present,
the focus is on acquiring research information on socio-economic and political
development of the country. However, this is yet to be realized with limited
funds to develop this very valuable collection.
Eric A. Nandoma
Serials Librarian
PNG Institute of Public Administration
26 August 2008
* * *
PAMBU
40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
The PMB 40th anniversary celebration on 17 June went
very well. About 50 guests were present. Professor Brij Lal welcomed the guests
and introduced the speakers who were Hon. Duncan Kerr MP, the Australian
Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Islands Affairs, Professor Ian Chubb, the
ANU Vice-Chancellor, and Mr Paul Brunton who represented the Mitchell Library.
Ms Anna Pafitis, Hon. Duncan Kerr MP, Professor
Ian Chubb and Professor Brij Lal at the Pambu 40th anniversary.
Mr Kerr said, “Since its establishment in 1968, the Pacific Manuscripts Bureau – PAMBU
– has delivered on the vision of its founders – that is, to increase and enrich
knowledge of the Pacific islands region.”
“Since its beginnings, PAMBU has produced nearly 3,800
rolls of microfilm material relating to the Pacific. This means essential
historical and cultural records have been preserved for the benefit of future
generations of Pacific Islanders. In addition, PAMBU’s work has protected and
enriched the resources available to scholars both in the region and throughout
the world.”
Mr Kerr went on to expound the government’s “Pacific
Partnerships” policy and noted that, “one particular area where I’m hoping the
Pacific Partnerships for Development will make a real difference is in education. As a former Dean of the Law
School at the University of Papua New Guinea, I take a close interest in higher
education issues in the region, particularly teaching standards and research. I
know that Pambu also takes a close interest in this area and is facilitating
closer relations between Australian archives, libraries and universities and
those institutions in the Pacific Islands.”
The text of Mr Kerr’s speech is on his website at http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/parlsec/
Professor Chubb said, “We at the Australian National
University are deservedly proud of the role we have played in the advancement
of Pacific scholarship. It is units like the Pacific Manuscripts Bureau that
have put us at the forefront of international learning in the field of Pacific
studies.”
“The University’s contribution to the running of the
multi-library consortium has been strong and outstanding, and it will
continue.”
Professor Chubb went on to comment on the range of
archival material which the PMB helps to preserve and pointed out that in
recent years “the Bureau has taken a keen interest in helping and training our
island neighbours to preserve their own records, working in partnership with
archival repositories in the islands.”
He added that “the Bureau runs on a shoe-string
budget. The members of its management committee, chaired since 1993 by
Professor Brij Lal, offer their expert advice and assistance free of charge. It
speaks volumes for the dedication and commitment of our staff.”
Professor Chubb thanked “all those who have been
associated with the Bureau over its 40 years to date.” He said, “We recognize
and respect all that you have done to advance the cause of Pacific scholarship
and we join you in celebrating this milestone achievement.”
Paul Brunton also confirmed the on-going support of
the Mitchell Library for PMB and praised the Bureau’s archives preservation
projects in the Pacific Islands. There
was some banter between Professor Chubb and Mr Kerr about the PMB’s
“shoe-string” budget, the outcome of which was that Mr Kerr undertook “to look
into it”.
Kefilina Faupula,
grand-daughter of Mrs Sioana Faupula who works part-time at the PMB office,
danced a mesmeric solo women’s Tongan dance. There was also a men’s Tongan
dance by Taani Taungakava and Kauni Puivai, plenty of food, drinks, laughter
and talk.
Kefilina Faupula dancing a solo women’s Tongan Dance at the PAMBU
celebration.
On 20 June, following the celebration Professor Lal wrote to the Office
of the Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Islands Affairs, in part as follows:
“One of our great
regrets is that neither USP nor UPNG are members of the Bureau. We have tried
very hard in the past to have them on board, but financial difficulties have
come in the way, and as you know, we operate on a shoe-string budget. We are
convinced that these two institutions would benefit greatly by having regular
access to the material we produce. Graduate and undergraduate students, in
particular, would be the immediate beneficiaries. The membership fee is just
$15,000 per annum. Benefits far outweigh the costs of joining the Bureau. I
wonder if the Minister would consider subsidising the membership of USP and
UPNG. It will be helping these institutions of higher learning in the islands
in a major, practical way.”
Mr ’Alopi Latukefu, Mr
Kerr’s Chief of Staff, replied on 5 August, as follows:
“Australia’s support to
USP includes a Memorandum of Understanding covering the triennium 2006-2008
which provides core budget contribution to program funds. The USP allocates
core funding to its budget as necessary. The allocation of program funds is by
mutual agreement between the USP and the Australian Agency for International
Development (AusAID), to assist USP achieve the goals in the University’s
Strategic Plan 2006-2010.
“USP plays an important
role in the Pacific, and Australia has a strong interest in strengthening the
quality of tertiary education in the region. AusAID will undertake a review of
Australia’s support to USP later this year as part of a broad review of
tertiary education in the region. Funding for discrete activities at USP may be
considered as part of this broader tertiary review.
“At the moment Australia
does not provide funding to UPNG. However, over the coming months AusAID will
develop an approach to support education in Papua New Guinea. The provision of
any future funding to UPNG will be based on this.
“Therefore the
Australian Government is unable, at this stage, to subsidise membership of the
Pacific Manuscripts Bureau for either USP or UPNG. However, the Government is
committed to building the capacity of tertiary institutions in the region, and
your request has been noted.”
The Pambu celebration
was organised with the assistance of the ANU Chancelry Office and the Research
School of Pacific and Asian Studies generously met the cost of catering.
Ewan Maidment,
PMB Executive Officer
* * *
BROWNE & BROTHERS – SOUTH PACIFIC TRADERS
A brief account from a current research
paper
Capt. Samuel Brothers Mary Brothers
Tahiti is a long haul from San Francisco where Robin and her family live.
She is a 50 year old, seventh generation descendant of Fletcher Christian of Bounty fame and related through family
to Captain Samuel Brothers, a trader of Tahiti in the 1860’s, after whom two
small islets on Caroline Atoll in the South Pacific Ocean are named.
Among the surviving family in Tahiti and Raiatea,
very little of Captain Brothers’ logbooks or records of his other business
activities survived after the fire of 1884. Family history has passed from
generation to generation by word of mouth. Now Robin has begun to gather this
fascinating story together.
Because of its isolation, Caroline Island’s
history has been compiled around the lives of the traders who settled and
worked there on their own account or as company agents for periods of time.
Other recorded information has been gathered from the logbooks of various
vessels of several nations who made visits and landed but kept well clear of
its dangerous reefs.
The Coconut Palm [cocos nucifera] does not grow naturally on Caroline atoll. The
first attempt to establish a coconut plantation was begun in 1846 by a Tahitian
firm named Collie and Lucett on the South Islet. The enterprise had limited
success and was abandoned after five or six years. A second attempt was made
between 1864 and 1865 by Browne & Brothers who successfully re-introduced a
copra industry on Caroline Atoll.
Samuel Brotherson, at 24 years of age, was a
sea captain from Copenhagen, Denmark. In San Francisco he met Joseph Browne, a
British trader and captain from Tahiti, who owned a 61 ton, three-masted barkentine-schooner
named Savage.
Samuel sailed with him as supercargo to
Tahiti in 1854 where he shortened his Danish name to ‘Brothers.’
Joseph Browne had a young daughter whose
Tahitian princess mother had died in childbirth in 1845. With Joseph’s
approval, Mary, then a sixteen year old, married Samuel in 1861 in Papeete,
Tahiti.
As a wedding present, Joseph transferred half
the ownership of his vessel to Samuel and Mary. Samuel later re-named his
schooner, Maria, as early in their
marriage his wife often accompanied him on his long voyages to San Francisco.
They gained American citizenship during these times.
Captain Brothers sailed for other traders out
of Tahiti and is recorded as captain of l’Esperance
on a voyage to Dunedin, New Zealand, taking a cargo to Sydney in August, 1863.
He was accompanied by his wife Mary and child.
Browne and Brothers knew the Pacific atolls
and islands well, having made many voyages from Tahiti to the markets in San
Francisco, Vancouver and Hawaii. The coconut plantation on Caroline Atoll was a
new venture.
Diverting to pick up a labour force of twenty
workers from Manihiki Atoll, they selected an islet of 4.3ha on the windward
side of Caroline Atoll which was partially protected. It was cleared of ground
cover, leaving only the larger Pironia grove of trees which grew on the higher
ground.
The young coconut shoots, shipped aboard the
vessel from Tahiti, were planted in the rich soil of the small islet which had
a natural supply of guano fertilizer.
Many of the small
Pacific islands still rely today on the coconut industry for their livelihood.
The dried white meat, or kernel, of the coconut is called copra. It is put
under pressure to extract the coconut oil, the various refined grades used in
soap production or body oil for cosmetics, the residue ground up for fattening
cattle and horse feed.
In those early times, the coconuts were first
husked and split in two, when the meat was scraped out and dried in large sheds
with a roof impervious to the rain. Under this a floor of planks were attached
to rollers which allowed the whole floor to be mobile and pulled out of the
shed in the morning and quickly pushed back under cover in the event of a
sudden shower or at night-time.
This floor was then covered with sheets of
galvanised iron, when the intense heat of the sun, absorbed by the metal,
allowed the copra to dry out in one day. Several thousand coconuts could be
laid out for processing and packaging each day into baskets for shipment by
this method.
Coconuts are ripe all the year round and this
allows a trader to make a good profit. Browne and Brothers could export 30 tons
or more of copra a year, earning them in excess of £400, a good income in those
early days.
The Caroline lagoon was shallow with an
abundance of ‘Beche-de-Mer’, a cucumber shaped sea slug common to the South
Pacific atoll lagoons, which comes in four varieties, red, black, grey and
leopard. They are called ‘Trepang’ by the Chinese. They grow from six inches to
one foot in size and only live in shallow water. After drying and smoking, they
are packed into wooden barrels for shipment.
During this period of time, 1864 to 1869, Captain
Brothers employed William (George) Ellis to act as their agent, supervising the
copra production and workforce. Ellis had deserted from a Peruvian vessel
calling into Tahiti that had been involved with ‘blackbirding’ (slave trading)
among the Pacific islands. He later moved on to Penrhyn and Manihiki, as trader
for Henderson & Macfarlane of Auckland, New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Samuel and his wife made several voyages
on the Maria from Tahiti to San
Francisco with oranges, limes, coconuts, vanilla, copra, fish products, baskets
of guano and the mail; returning with Californian redwood timber and other
general commodities for the Tahitian markets.
It was on one such voyage in 1866 that Mary
took along their small son, ‘Willy’ (William). A bout of dysentery struck him
down when they were three days out and the child died.
Mary was distraught. Her young daughter had
died on a voyage two years previously. Her body had been committed to the sea.
On this second occasion, Mary insisted that the boy be given a proper burial.
Captain Brothers changed course and beat up
for the Caroline Atoll and the small island which now bore his name, ‘Brothers
Islet’, where the young child’s body was interred.
After the loss of two children on voyages,
Mary decided that was enough. Samuel and Mary had eleven children, four boys
and five girls survived. Willy’s tiny grave is still on Brother’s Islet.
Trouble with the young Queen of Bora Bora
forced Joseph Browne to leave Tahiti with his family in 1875, finally settling
in Fiji. He had re-married Cecelia, youngest daughter of the Rev. John Orsmond
in 1861.
In 1868, when Caroline Atoll was visited by
the British ship HMS Reindeer, the
atoll was proclaimed to be British sovereignty. At the time there were
twenty-seven residents on the atoll, living on the South Islet.
With the changing political situation among
the Pacific islands, Brothers offered his coconut plantations for sale in 1870.
Houlder Brothers of London bought them at a price rumoured throughout the
Pacific as ‘a very large sum.” Samuel purchased land on Raiatea.
Houlder Brothers were granted a licence to
‘mine’ guano on Caroline Island. Between 1872 and 1895 they exported 10,000
tons of fertilizer. Then the supply ran out.
In 1842, the French had taken Tahiti by
force. Foreign traders on the independent Leeward Islands came under pressure
from corrupt French authorities over the next thirty years, forcing some to
leave and others pushed into bankruptcy.
Samuel had also been in trouble with the
French and the Queen of Bora Bora during 1875. He had been wrongly accused of
importing guns for the rebel leader Teraupoo and of evading duty on his pearl
shell export-import business to San Francisco from the lagoon on Scilly Atoll,
500km north-west of Papeete.
A saboteur was paid to put Samuel Brothers
out of business. The diving-rigged schooner Maria,
flying the American ensign, was anchored in a bay off Tahaa Island. Stealing
aboard the ship at night, the saboteur opened the sea cocks in the hold of the
vessel, allowing seawater to flood in. He was caught escaping by a guard and
killed – but all too late – the Maria
settled and sank into deep water.
Samuel and Mary were devastated; everything
was lost, their ship, trading contracts and livelihood. Forced into
semi-retirement, they found work at the retail store Société Commercial de
l’Océanie on Raiatea.
Samuel died in
1915, aged 90 years, and his wife Mary in 1934, aged 89. Both are buried in
Papeete, Tahiti.
Anthony
G. Flude
New Zealand historian, researcher and author.
ONGOING FIRE-RELATED INCIDENTS PUT PNG
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT RECORDS AT RISK
Since 2000, there have been six fire-related incidents which have
damaged administration buildings and destroyed important provincial Government
records in Papua New Guinea. The fires were in Sandaun in 2000, Kerema and
Kikori in 2005 and since February 2008 in Popondetta, Mt Hagen and Milne Bay.
On Sunday 14 September 2008 a fire engulfed
a two-story pre-independence landmark building, in the township of Alotau on
PNG’s southern coast. The building housed the Government’s finance and treasury
offices, personnel management, health and education and the deputy
administrator’s offices. It has been suggested that an electrical fault may
have caused the fire and although fire fighters arrived soon after being
alerted, the water pressure from the mains was low making it difficult to
control the flames. Local public servants commented that “records and documents
for all projects in the province had been destroyed” as well as a substantial
amount of money “including cheques for public servants and teachers’ leave
fares”. The Milne Bay Governor, John Luke Crittin said, “the damage done to the
Province was enormous and could not be calculated in monetary term because all
the files, archives and reports were lost for good.”
Another fire burnt down the Mount Hagen administration building, called
the Kapal Haus, in the Western Highlands province on Wednesday 22 October 2008.
Locals suspect arson in relation to ongoing national election disputes,
provincial political leadership struggles, tribal fights and local
disagreements. Both fires continue to be the subject of police investigations.
PNG Fire recently warned provincial and district administrations and
Government departments to ensure that the buildings they occupy are safe. Fire
safety regulations call for owners of buildings to ensure that their properties
are fitted with fire equipment like extinguishers, hose reels, smoke detectors,
water sprinklers and fire alarms.
Fire fighters and volunteers try in vain to
contain the blaze on the upper level of the two-storey building in Alotau,
Milne Bay province. The entire building was gutted in minutes and everything
inside it destroyed. Picture reproduced courtesy of The National, PNG.
The problem of fires in administrative
buildings continues to be an issue for Provincial Governments in PNG. Jijiro
Tubuna of Port Moresby wrote to The
National newspaper on 13 November highlighting the importance of keeping
and preserving local records, “we do not seem to understand how important
Government records and information are for national development. Information is
knowledge. Access to historical and Government records and information
contribute directly to economic growth.” Tubuna suggests that “all provincial
administrations must have a purpose built mini archive depository with proper
disaster warning devices to store and preserve all provincial records.” On 11
November, The National newspaper
reported that the National Government of PNG has set aside K13 million in the
2009 Budget as a one-off Government allocation for the rebuilding of the two
provincial headquarters which were burned down.
Kylie Moloney
PMB Archivist
* * *
ISLAND
CULTURE ARCHIVAL SUPPORT
Island
Culture Archival Support (ICAS) is a newly formed non-profit organization
dedicated to the archival preservation of cultural identity and memory
belonging to national and public archives, libraries, cultural centers,
organizations and institutions of the South Pacific. We conduct voluntary
services, and will strive to be another ally for promoting the preservation and
protection of the archival heritage throughout Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.
Most recent project. In August of 2008, ICAS assisted the National Archives of the Solomon
Islands in Honiara. From the moment of arrival, it was evident that, due to inadequate
staffing levels and training, the archives had fallen on hard times. The stacks
were full. Records were deposited on the ground, in cabinets, on chairs and
anywhere else available. Combined with an intense environment of heat and
humidity, a breeding ground for instruments of deterioration to the records was
in place. The employees sincerely felt as if their archives were falling behind
the rest of the archives in the region.
Together with the government archivist, Julian Chonigolo, and the
Records Manager, Bernard Rizu, we developed an action plan to regain control of
the records and space in the repository. We created a three-stage plan. The
first stage was to identify all the non-archival material. Second, we then
shifted and condensed collections to use the shelves more appropriately. It was
amazing how much shelf space was created after these first two stages. Finally,
the last stage was to tackle the accumulated piles of records and either place
them on the appointed shelf, or set aside materials for possible disposal. This
phase of the project proved to be the most interesting and deserves to be
described more fully.
Tackling the piles. Conveniently, the repository and the conservation room (where most of
the unsorted records were stored) were on the first floor next to each other.
This made the workload a little more tolerable, especially in an atmosphere
with little to no air conditioning. Since we had created quite a bit of shelf
space during the first two phases, we designated an entire bay of shelves as
“Processing Shelves” where we would place the records in need of future
processing. However as we worked through each stack of documents we found that
processed archives were among the un-processed records. Basic archival
practices in terms of treating used material had to be addressed. The result
was that a couple of shelves were designated as “Re-Filing Shelves” for holding
processed archives to be re-shelved in their correct place as soon as possible.
Our efforts continued for several days until every last document was picked up
and either placed on the processing shelf, disposed, or re-filed back into
their respective collections. A collection policy was also drafted with the
intention of having the government archivist modify it with the specificities
of the archives.
Preservation observations. Due to the lack of funding, resources and
trained staff, few preservation practices were being followed in the archives. In
the harsh environment dirt, dust and insects have infiltrated the records. The
archives are predominantly composed of paper records: brittleness, acidity,
fading and illegibility are also major concerns. It is believed that even the
most basic of conservation methods will help prolong the life of these records.
The future. A successful archives definitely requires and depends
upon teamwork. At the National Archives of the Solomon Islands the future does
look brighter because it has called for help, not only internally, but
externally as well. The government archivist, Julian Chonigolo, has been more
assertive in her relationship with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism,
resulting in improved funding for some aspects of the archives’ infrastructure.
Two new staff positions, an archivist and a conservator, have also been
approved and advertised. It is hoped that these positions will be filled in a
timely fashion. Moreover, the current staff is being more proactive in taking
advantage of aid for archival training. With the help of Australian advisors, a
Records Management program is in the process of being planned and implemented.
This is a vital component for the efficient control, maintenance, use and
disposal of records. In 2009 ICAS will return to help in any capacity, but will
focus on the preservation of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate (BSIP)
collection. We feel privileged to be part of their team.
Brandon Oswald, Executive
Director
Island Culture Archival
Support
Questions,
concerns, recommendations and suggestions are always encouraged to help make us
be a better contributor to our mission. For further information visit our website
at: http://www.islandarchives.org.
