AN ISLAND QUEEN

Hokitika Guardian, 6 April 1927, Page 1

AN ISLAND QUEEN

WIUTK WOMAN’S LONELY LIFE. SYDNK. .March 25. There drifted into Sydney this wee:< a iiinianiic figure of South Seo island I if;., ns renders of Hen trice Orimsll..w’- novels will’ iilid il they lmve the puutnie to peruse this. To those who I,now the novel. " The Queen of Sudesi.” Mrs I’. .Mahony is no less than the heroine cl that hook. She h - e. retord ol nearly -lb \ears resiiletiee on the island of Sntlest. the ox trenie soiith-enslerly poitinn of Papua aml her expel iem os are the lot ot lew white women.

Mrs .Maloney is a native i f New South Wttles. Sht> went to Sntlest in the early gold-rush days there, an ! with her husband established a trailing station. Mill'll her htlshantl tiled about 2o years ago. Mrs Maliony etc lied on the business, spending most of her time trading in the islands in her own yawl. When Lite trailing station was established there were about 10U gold-diggers. and two white women. The latter were tenipoiatv visitors and went back to Sydney by the lirst. boat. Since then Mrs Mahonv has been the only white woman resident on the island. She does not know how she gained the title ol “Queen of Sntlest.” although she believes that in the early days when she was the only white woman seen by the natives, flic title was given her following an endeavour to impress upon them the personality of Queen Victoria. The centre of civilisatiint lor Slides! is Samurai. 200 miles away, and to this port Mrs Maliony at first sailed her own boat, with its native crew, to market copra. Now a steamer calls at her island once a month, with mails and provisions, and picks up caigo. Mrs Maliony contrasts this regular service with the uncertain calls made by sailing ships years ago, probably once in lour months. At one period, when her rhii’dren were attending school in Queensland, and she was anxious to hear how they were faring, she received no mail for 21 weeks. Provisions often ran short during the long waits for a ship. The tedious and at times hazardous journey to Samnrni was not undertaken unless it was absolutely necessary. Nowadays Mrs Mahony runs her own cattle on Sudest, and has solved the fresh meat problem. M rs Mahony is over fift in height, and is a very active woman for her She scouts the idea that the tropics is not a suitable region for white people, but says that it is essential for a white person to he active.