Tuesday 17 March 1953 (cont) very good--trained by Ailsa's mother. Also does laundry. 2 of original boys showed positive for T.B. so could not go. District Officer Healey has strict rules. Formerly a patrol officer & went with '36 Expedition. Archbold is a well-known name out here. Tea at 10:30. Warehouse closed at 12 until 1:30. To Club (returned Servicemen's ) for a ginger beer with Ken & Geoff. Then to Bunting's home for a short chat with Len. Home for lunch at 12:45. Ailsa makes a wonderful mustard mayonnaise to go with asparagus tips & vegetables. Took pictures thru trees of China Straits. Sorted papers. Worked at boxes until 4:30. Up for pail shower & dress for reception at Bunting's. D. O & wife, 2 Sisters (nurses)--one Valence Cash& about 15-20 other Samarai residents there to meet us. Ties but no coats. Ginger beer, oyster mix & crab canapes. Left at 7:45 for home. More g.b. & talk with "D" & "A" --our feet on the coffee table--shoes and socks off ! Assembled my jack-light. "Shone" a few flying foxes in coconut trees. Can not use firearms on Samarai. Large toad--said to have been imported. Wednesday 18 March Samarai. Took pictures around "Dusty's" home. View to SW and l of house. "Tom"(cook & head house boy) took my personal trunk down to shed. We all finished our re-organizing in A.M. "S. S. S inkiang"(2000 tons) came in to dock. Carries 12 passengers. Runs from Australia to Samarai & up to Rabaul & other island ports. Looks clean & comfortable. Cleaned & assembled my shotgun and put out shells for trip. After lunch walked along N. shore & east end of Island. Wireless station, police station & native hospital. Met Dr. Sirko and Mr. Matthews (medical assistant). Asked for advice about tropical ulcers. Good book: Diseases Commonly met with in Melane sia-C. S. James-- 3rd ed. (7/6)--Messrs. Whitcombe & Tombs, Ltd. (any Australian branch or Auckland, N. Z.) To A. H. Bunting to buy nails, strip style band aids & sulfa powder. Mr. & Mrs. Gribben (Ailsa's mother & dad) work there. At 4:30 Dusty & Ailsa took me over to a beautiful little coral beach island-- Deika-Delka--where we anchored just off the beach & went for a swim. Water about 78°. No waves. Clean water. No sharks. The "Wari" is a comfortable old fashioned cruiser with sail. Ran back in cool of day. Delicious sherry for dinner (Australian). We went down to store after dinner for a ham (packed in seeds). Dusty is Mgr.of Bunting's; Ailsa, head secretary. Saw a few flying foxes. Visited Mrs. Gribben. Then up to house for ginger beer & talked until 12:30 A.M. Dusty was bomber pilot during war. Shot down over Germany. P. of war for 2 1/2 years. Has many friends in Canada & States. He knows Mr. & Mrs. Long of Oyster Bay (collies) very well. Wants me to look up. Thursday 19 March Samarai. Our last day here. Our expedition boxes & equipment & food loaded in A.M. on 55 ft "Govilan" (capacity 50 tons). "S.S.Sinkiang" left for north. Met "Mick" Buzzettin from Mackay. He knows "Jetty Joe" McLoughlin very well. Runs a barge. Told me he has seen a "Striped tiger-cat" one day's walk N. of Coen, near head of Lockhard River, 8 miles E. of bush track, open forest. Met Noel Alexander--one of Ken's friends--loading boss for B.P. Has 75 boys working for him. Geoff & I had our last haircuts at 4:00 P.M. Half-cast barber (Tom English) in back of D.C.'s office (3/o = 36¢). Walked 1/2 way around island to our house. Met the D.C. Mick Healy & said good-bye. He may visit us on Cape Vogel. Met a Mick Russell who said he has seen small bats on Samarai-- also at Kwato Mission on Q. Islands. Left medical book at hopital. Len & Geoff & Ken invited to Miller's for dinner. Ham, duck, dressing, gravy, onions, potatoes, hot cinnamon apple sauce, delicious Australian white wine, vanilla