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New Guinea Club, founded in 1919
The history of Rabaul is important, we must keep the past alive to cherish what we had and what the people before us had the beauty of the town as explained by Sara Chinnery, in her diary Malaguna Road and the wonderful legacy she left behind in her photographs, one interesting piece of history is the Wonderful New Guinea Club, founded in 1919 for the Europeans to enjoy the company of others, a social hub for the gentry to escape the plantations life and catch up on world events and socialiseDiaries of Sarah Chinnery Malaguana Road=================================== VOLCANOE'S 'TRAIL OF HAVOCGrim Story RevealedRABAUL SHROUDED BY GREY PUMICEHarbor Reported ClearKOKOPO, June 6.1937Grey pumice shrouded Rabaul by day, reads like a story in Indian picture writing.The whole grim history is revealed incident by incident in successive tableaux of a natural cyclorama,says tie special correspondent of the Brisbane "Sunday Mail."The first thing that catches the eye is the pennants still flying over the sports ground where a baseball game was interrupted suddenly at 425 p.m. last Saturday,and players joined the crowd which, rushed to the waterfront to watch spellbound the colossal spiral rolling skyward while explosion after explosion shattered the tropical calm like a high explosive bombardment.A stone's throw away is the deserted New Guinea Club buildings,still close-shuttered. It was to this building, the oldest in Rabaul, newly-constructed of concrete,that the shore-side sightseers fled when they realised that the column of debris-shot cloud,now some two or three miles high and spreading with the rising north-east trade wind,was no joke. Spent matches littering the pumice black floor,beer glasses still half-filled and covered with handkerchiefs,mess tables overturned, and tumblers lying in muddy slop tell their own ale."When the crater's vomit began to seep through the shutters, and falling branches,weighted down with sand and stone, had crashed through the wires, cutting off the electric light,the sheltering crowd had sipped from handkerchief-covered lasses by the light of matches.Cairns Post Queensland Monday 7 June 1937, page 7
The New Guinea Club in the days of prosperity
Saturday afternoon at 4.80 p.m. on 28rd January, saw the realisation of the hopes and ambitions of the older members of the New Guinea Club. This occasion marked the official opening of the new club building in Central Avenue. The building. Which is the most ambitious of its kind In New Guinea, is modern In design and is constructed of reinforced concrete? The function, which wasarranged a cocktail party, was the most brilliant social gathering seen in Rabaul for many moons, over four hundred guests being present His Honour the Administrator and Mrs McNichol were present although His Honour bad but a few minutes before tin opening stepped off the Tanda on his return from Sydney. Both General and Mrs McNichol were high in their praise of the design of the club building and the outstanding arrange made for the comfort of the members. (Townsville Daily Bulletin Saturday 20 February 1937
In allowing for a recession of business, the New Guinea Club only expects 5 per cent less income for the forthcoming year. On its last year's trading activities, the club had a turnover of 10,000 pounds on which the gross profit was 27 per cent(Cairns Post Monday 8 August 1938)COPRA PRICES.The prices of copra ruling in London last Friday were as follows:-October November shipment', South Sea sundried, to London and Rotterdam, £9/2/6 per ton. ditto smoked to Marseilles and Genoa £1/2/0 Rabaul plantation hot-air dried to London mid Rottcidam £10/2/6 A cable measure form London yesterday corrected the prices published yesterday. (SMH, Tuesday 25 October 1938)CANBERRA, Thursday. - All copra grown In Papua and New Guinea will be bought by Federal Government at £4 10/ a ton for best grade and less for other grades, according to quality. Government will also pay freight costs incurred from plantation to point of shipment. Prices to be paid by boards to be set up under National Security Regulations gazetted today .Hot air dried copra, £4/10/ a long ton; plantation sun dried copra, £4/7/6 a long ton; smoke dried copra, £4 a long ton. These prices are for G months; then there will be reviews at regular C-monthly intervals. Mr Collins, Minister in Charge of External Territories, said today that a Pacific Copra Marketing Board was planned to handle copra sales from all British Pacific areas. Government control was considered to be necessary to allocate sales and use shipping to best advantage. (The Argus Friday 13 June 1941)
The town was partly destroyed by the 1937 Volcanic eruption the cleanup has been completed, daily life continues little do they know about the forthcoming storm
The New Guinea Club Ball 1941. In 1942 on the invasion of Rabaul by the Japanese imperial forces, prior to the attack, most of the women were evacuated. many of the men stayed behind and were interned by the Japanese and some perished , many were sent to Japan for labour on the Montevideo Maru in 1942 ,it was sunk by the submarine USS Sturgeon close to Luzon, (Photo from the Julie Cohen Collection)
-All buildings and insulations at Rabaul were destroyed by Allies air attacks during the Japanese occupation. The photos show the remains of the New Guinea Club . The building had just been refurbished after the 1937 eruption only to be destroyed in war
New Guinea club post second world war
Jack Doonar, in his youth, Jack was an outstanding rugby union player in Brisbane, playing for St Joseph’s and representing Queensland . He later turned professional to play rugby league. This was a controversial thing to do back then and he came in for much criticism, which he stood firm . He did not care much for those who put on pretensions and superior airs .Don Barrett, a planter at Malabunga and later a member of the Legislative Council, was a good man and hard worker for athletics, but he did have a pompous manner. One Saturday afternoon in Rabaul’s New Guinea Club he sidled up to Jack and made a personal remark that Jack objected to. Jack reacted and Don, retreating with a sore head, went to the manager demanding that Jack’s membership be revoked. In a bar full of members no one could be found to be a witness for what had happened.========================
Leslie Vickery Waterhouse was a reserved, modest man, who was convivial in familiar surroundings. A quick thinker, he had confidence in his ability and judgement, was direct in his dealings with others and had an acute business sense. He enjoyed fishing and playing golf, and belonged to the Royal Society of New South Wales, the Australian and New South Wales clubs, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Royal Sydney Golf and Elanora Country clubs and the Rabaul Club, New Guinea Club.
The ever waiting Stewart, The role of the clubs was much more than that of a haven for gentlemen to escape, it was a place to meet and talk, enjoy a lengthy dinner, pass the time over a gin or whiskey. This was a place where those with similar interests could meet; discuss the day’s copra and cocoa prices,
Volcanic eruption in 1994 occurred simultaneously from Vulcan and Tavurvur volcanoes and forced the temporary abandonment of Rabaul
The 1994 Volcanic eruption would have been: well, the most devastating tragedy ever to happen to Rabaul and the people in the past well the past 100 years Rabaul has been rebuilt, the 1937 eruption of Vulcan and Tavurvur the burning down of old china town, the Japanese invasion the total bombing and destruction of Rabaul during the 40’s. All this destruction people never wavered to recover and repair and to rebuild.
The Glory days off the New Guinea Club are over in regards it being a club of note, the building stands as a monument to the days of past and good economical times
Like the ruins of Rome The Colosseum stands alone the Frangipani flowers in reminder of better days and blood red flower instils into us the ones we lost. It stand quite now a reminder of the better days; days of past years, yet the sound of joy and jocular goings on, the grand entrances made by some glamorous couple of notoriety will always be remembered . If you ever go to Rabaul, on a quite moon lit evening and you are walking past the Old New Guinea Club; stop and listen;- to hear is to remember, you needn't to have been there per-sa, but if you do hear it :- you were there!
FIRE IN RABAULCHINESE SUFFER.HALF THEIR TOWN WIPED OUT.
A cable message which confirmed previous reports of a fire in the Chinese quarter of' Rabaul was received by the Minister for Home and Territories (Senator Pearce) to-day. The message, which was sent by the Administrator an New Guinea, stated -that about one half of the Chinese section of the town had been destroyed. Mr Gairodus, an officer of the Department, who recently visited Rabaul, said today that the area contained ramshackle buildings which crowded together. There were also several Chinese stores.
CHINATOWN.
Mr. F. J. Wilson, of Messrs’ Dalgety and Co Ltd, who has just returned from an extended visit to the Mandated Territory, stated last night that the European population of Rabaul numbered approximately 1000, and consisted chiefly of the, employees of the various departments controlled by the administration and the Expropriation Board-a body constituted to take over and manage the cocoanut plantations and businesses expropriated from the Germans at the time of the occupation by the Australian Imperial Forces in September, 1914. The portion of Rabaul known as Chinatown was occupied almost solely by Asiatic’s, and comprised the chief business centre of the township, many of the Chinese inhabitants being wealthy citizens of long standing. Owing to frequent seismic tremors, the buildings were entirely constructed of wood on concrete foundations. The whole of Chinatown was composed of business and residential premises, closely huddled together, and occupied by Chinese storekeepers, boot- bookmakers, tailors, cabinet makers, and laundrymen
THE EUROPEAN .QUARTERS.
The European quarters were mostly scattered on the foreshores of the harbour, and there would be little danger of any outbreak of fire resulting in the demolition of the whole town. There were three hotels in Rabaul, two in the Chinese township, conducted by Chinese, and the other in the European quarters. All the administrative offices were scattered and there would be little danger of them being damaged by a fire. The New Guinea Club, the Rabaul Club, and Messrs Burns, Philp's stores and offices were all a considerable distance away from Chinatown. The Chinese and Japanese population probably would total 1000. (The Brisbane Courier Wednesday 14 November 1923)
A cable message which confirmed previous reports of a fire in the Chinese quarter of' Rabaul was received by the Minister for Home and Territories (Senator Pearce) to-day. The message, which was sent by the Administrator an New Guinea, stated -that about one half of the Chinese section of the town had been destroyed. Mr Gairodus, an officer of the Department, who recently visited Rabaul, said today that the area contained ramshackle buildings which crowded together. There were also several Chinese stores.
CHINATOWN.
Mr. F. J. Wilson, of Messrs’ Dalgety and Co Ltd, who has just returned from an extended visit to the Mandated Territory, stated last night that the European population of Rabaul numbered approximately 1000, and consisted chiefly of the, employees of the various departments controlled by the administration and the Expropriation Board-a body constituted to take over and manage the cocoanut plantations and businesses expropriated from the Germans at the time of the occupation by the Australian Imperial Forces in September, 1914. The portion of Rabaul known as Chinatown was occupied almost solely by Asiatic’s, and comprised the chief business centre of the township, many of the Chinese inhabitants being wealthy citizens of long standing. Owing to frequent seismic tremors, the buildings were entirely constructed of wood on concrete foundations. The whole of Chinatown was composed of business and residential premises, closely huddled together, and occupied by Chinese storekeepers, boot- bookmakers, tailors, cabinet makers, and laundrymen
THE EUROPEAN .QUARTERS.
The European quarters were mostly scattered on the foreshores of the harbour, and there would be little danger of any outbreak of fire resulting in the demolition of the whole town. There were three hotels in Rabaul, two in the Chinese township, conducted by Chinese, and the other in the European quarters. All the administrative offices were scattered and there would be little danger of them being damaged by a fire. The New Guinea Club, the Rabaul Club, and Messrs Burns, Philp's stores and offices were all a considerable distance away from Chinatown. The Chinese and Japanese population probably would total 1000. (The Brisbane Courier Wednesday 14 November 1923)
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