Archdeacon Reynolds Tells Of Progress In Diocese Of Melanesia

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 24, 24 February 1948, Page 6

Archdeacon Reynolds Tells Of Progress In Diocese Of Melanesia

(Contributed by the Ministers’ Association) The desire of the Melanesian Mission to increase the scope of its educational work in particular was expressed by Archdeacon H. V. C. Reynolds on his arrival at Auckland in the Southern Cross on January 15. Archdeacon Reynolds has had charge of the mission since the resignation of Bishop . Baddeley in February last year.

When the Southern Cross returns to Melanesia, she will carry with her the new Bishop, Rt. Rev. S. G. Caulton, who was at one time Vicar of Whakatane. Bishop Caulton will establish himself in his new Diocese before going on to England to attend the Lambeth Conference, which begins on July 1. The mission had a good senior school, with a capacity of about 100 native boys taking the three years’ course, said Archdeacon Reynolds. Some of these boys studied for the ministry, while others entered the Government service. Training was also given for wireless operators and preliminary training for native medical practitioners before they attended the medical school at Suva. Advanced agriculture was also taught. Education of the native children began at district schools, of which there were 30 throughout the Diocese, each taking from 30 to 35 pupils. From there students progressed to one of the two junior schools, each of which took about 60 students. The best of these continued to the senior school. Teach-> ing was done by the European missionaries assisted by native workers.

The education of native girls was receiving serious consideration, said the Archdeacon. Nurses were already being trained and a few of these had recently been awarded nursing certificates after completing a three years’ course and examinations by both Government and mission doctors. In addition, a mothercraft centre had attracted a large number of native girls, who were taught the pre-natal and post-natal care of both mothers and babies. The mission had one doctor and the Government four, said Archdeacon Reynolds, and although there was still a lot to be done the medical work had improved tremendously since the war. Temporary buildings were in use in most cases. Referring to the pastoral work of the mission, the Archdeacon said that this was mainly done by a band of over 60 native clergy, who conducted services in the local dialects. There were eight European clergymen in the mission, the headquarters of which were on Florida Island in the Solomons. Several mission stations had been destroyed and there was a shortage of materials for reconstructing them. There had been some unrest among the natives lately, he said, and this was mainly caused by the flood of money and materials that had come to the islands during the war. The natives were trying to become civilised too quickly, and the Marching Rule movement was the result. It was a spontaneous idea, however, and he did not think that there had been any outside interference of any sort.