Gavamani; The Magisterial Service of British New Guinea by SINCLAIR, James - 2009

SA: Crawford House Publishing. 2009. Trade paperback. Very good.. 488 p., illustrations, bibliography, index. . The story covers the period from 1884 to 1907, providing accounts of the work and deeds of the patrol officers, resident magistrates and district officers of the British and Australian colonial administrations of what is today the sovereign state of Papua New Guinea. The story unfolds in the actual words of the many persons involved, as recorded in their reports, letters, diaries, despatches, journals and books. The world of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was very much an imperialist world. Attitudes of white administrators towards coloured subject races varied from benign paternalism to outright dislike or even contempt. There is much in this book that may offend the sensibilities of the Papua New Guineans of today, and indeed this account has been written from the point of view of the white administrator. It is unfortunately true that very few Papua New Guineans of that distant… Read More