ISLE OF REST

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 98, 13 August 1943, Page 5

ISLE OF REST

FOR AUSTRALIAN TROOPS

| EXCELLENT USE BY ARMY i Romantic coral islands, complete Avith all the conventional trappings of waving palms, blue "lagoons .and dazzling beaches, have apparently little to do with the wi# against Japan, but in New Guinea such an island has been put to excellent us*e by the Australian Army authorities and is playing an important part in keeping men of the forces healthy. Under the coconut palms a unit rest camp has. been established to enable slightly injured or tired.men to recuperate, or to regain some of the sleep lost during long periods of .shift work. In the months it has been in New Guinea the unit con- - corned lias established a splendid record lor hard and ceaseless work in conditions far from ideal, and— men, after spending long, arduous hours of. heavy labour, began to* feel the effects of such work (in tropic climate. So the rest camp>< was built. The men usually spend, two days on the island, and most ol them regard it as not long enough. Except Dorothy Lamour "1M like a week here/' one soldier said as he left. "You know, this island has got everything except Dorothy Lamour." •Theoretically, the island is a place where soldiers can laze about and do nothing, but in practice, they spend practically the. whole day roaming the beaches or coral reefs, swimming, fishing or collecting shells; and coral. Yout reach the island bv a lugger manned by natives,. and as romantic as anything ever described by liallantyne or Conrad. Covered with low, wind-swept trees and coconut paints*, the island is bordered with beaches of whita coral sand, and the sand rtuns/fewa through glass-clear water toi co?al gardens alive with lSrilliant lish. Seawards a coral reef is- poraided! by surf. To complete the picture-book effect, native, lakatofs drift 'acrossthe water, their sails contrasting, with the black backclotlx of moun-T tains on the mainland. It is adl very theatrical. Punctuality For Meals At the camp there is; only one rule—punctuality for meal,s r After a late breakfast the men are free to do as they please. At low: tide most popular spot is the coral reef,, which holds endless fascination for shell collectors. There are hundreds of varieties, the most prized being beautifully spotted giant cowries,, pearl shells and cat's-eyes. Cat'seyes, which are eagerly sought by Americans, are the "safety door" of a species of sea slug that lives im a snail-like shell. As soon as the shell is touched the slug withdraws into the shell and pulls his "door" closed, leaving a cat's eye glaring balefully at the intruder. Hundreds of cat's-eyes are collected every day, and saved as souvenirs, sqUL. or made into, jewellery. Coral proves a disapp<aintoaent ta the newcomer. Under water it has shadings of every conceivable pastel colour, but there is a catch to it. • When taken from the water it first reeks to high heaven, and then turns a drab muddy colour that disheartens even the most enthusiastic souvenir hunter. After it dies; and hasS: been bleached in the sun. it becomes dazzing.ly white, but few have the patience or foresight to put it through the bleaching process, and the track back to the camp is littered with hundreds of bits of jettisoned coral. The beaches,, too* a shell collector's paradise, and# con* tain every variety and shade of shell. Keen Appetites

The camp is run by members, of the unit, who keep the tents in order, clean the camp anil provide meals. The. meals are one of/ the delights ol' the place. Keen appetites, and months of living on canned food make a meal of fresh fish or roast, goat the answer to a gourmet'% dream. , The life "is that of a beachcomber* of popular fiction,, with ail conveniences, even a refrigerator. When nil the souvenirs collected, there eventually-arrive back in Australia tnany a wife will have to listen to endless, tales of the d,c-lig,hta of a tropic isle, and "will inwardly curse the day her husband ever began to collect shells, coral and cat's--eyes. There will be only one way out of such a situation—a return visit to the island to collect mora souvenirs.—-Axel Olscn, Melbourne Argus war correspondcat.