This collection of 540 colour photographs was taken by John Baker in Solomon Islands in 1964 and 1965, while he was working there as a volunteer under the auspices of the British Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) organisation. He was 18 and 19 at the time and was what was known as a school leaver volunteer. There were 10-15 VSOs in the Solomons in 1964, with most working as teachers in mission boarding schools. However, John was attached mainly to two District Administrations to work on various local projects.

At the time, Solomon Islands was under colonial administration known as the British Solomon Islands Protectorate (BSIP), in which virtually all senior and technical/professional positions were still held by expatriates. Thus VSOs were working within and were very much a part of a colonial culture.

The photographs in the collection were taken with a Voigtlander Vito B camera on Kodachrome 100 colour slides. The camera was stored, including for many canoe trips, in an old Sunshine Milk tin with a bag of silica gel in the bottom. Captions for the photos were written in a foolscap notebook when the slides came back from processing. Thus the names of people and places were all recorded contemporaneously and so are likely to be accurate. These captions, written in 1964-65, sometimes have a colonial tone but have been left unchanged as they are an historical reflection of their times.

John Baker’s first work as a VSO was from August-November 1964 as a teacher at the Geological Department’s survey school in Honiara. Then he transferred to Western District headquarters in Gizo and worked during December 1964 and January 1965 as a surveyor on the Wagina Island Gilbertese resettlement scheme. In February 1965 he transferred to Eastern District headquarters in Kira Kira where he spent six weeks working on local election preparations. He then moved back to Gizo and spent April to August 1965 travelling round, organising the construction of concrete drinking water tanks in various villages in the Roviana and Wana Wana lagoons and subsequently on the island of Ranonnga.

The Pacific Theological College in Suva, Fiji, is an ecumenical institution founded in 1966 to assist in providing the Pacific churches a highly trained indigenous ministry. The College established an international reputation for quality theological education, particularly in the three core areas of Biblical Studies, Theology and History of Christianity. In 1987 in began a Master of Theology programmme in Pacific Church History. The thesis is an integral part of the PTC's Bachelor of Divinity and master of Theology programmes.

Approximately 294 theses filmed in chronological order. Many systematically apply detailed local knowledge to topics covering a broad range of cultural, social and political matters in the Pacific Islands.

See reel list for further details

Joseph Tozaka was associated with the Methodist Mission in the West of the Solomon Islands

Diaries (photographs of the original), 1-7 Jun 1925, 20-26 Feb 1936, 5-11 Mar 1936, 9 Mar-1 Apr 1942, 16 Apr-23 Aug 1942, 16 Apr-23 Aug 1942, 24 Jan-6 Mar 1946, 23-25 Mar 1950?, 21 May-9Dec 1950. <BR> Diaries (Ts. Translations of originals), 1-7 Jun 1925, 20-26 Feb 1936, 5-11 Mar 1936, 26 Mar-15 Apr 1936, 26 Mar-15 Apr 1936, 14 Jan-10 Feb 1937, 9 Mar-25 Mar 1942, 26 Mar-23 Aug 1942,5, 26-27 Sep 1942, 2 Jan 1946, 23, 26 Jan-6 Mar 1946, 23 May-9 Dec 1950.<P><b>See reel list for further details</b>

David Voeta was associated with the Methodist Mission in the West of the Solomon Islands. Diary (possibly a transcript), May 1935-Jan 1936. English translation of the diary, May 1935-Jan 1936.

See reel list for further details.

Letter books of Reverend Thomas Watt Leggatt. He was a Scottish missionary based on Malekula, Vanuatu (previously New Hebrides) representing the Presbyterian Church of Australia c.1895-1905. He was ordained in Melbourne in 1886 and became Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria in 1931.

The material is as follows:
Press-copy letter-book, May-Nov 1896, Ms., ff. 1-69, indexed. Written from Aulua Mission, Malekula, New Hebrides. Informative, detailed letters including, ethnographic observations on the people of Malekula, the number of their languages; Report of the “Amy Gertrude Russel” Mission Station, Aulua, Malekula, New Hebrides, year ending August 13th 1896; cover note addressed to Rev Leggatt’s father for a cask of 192lbs of arrowroot together with a 50lb bag of raw coffee being shipped to Melbourne; and letters to TWL’s brother Andrew, Mr Watson, Mr Langridge, Mr Paton, Dr and Mrs Annand, Mrs Scott, Mr Rolland, Mr Baker and Mrs C.B. Anderson.

Press-copy letter-book, Sep 1897-Oct 1905, Ms., ff.1, 9-165, indexed. Also written from the Aulua Mission, Malekula, New Hebrides. Includes letters to Mr Hardie, Convenor, Foreign Mission Cmte, Presbyterian Church of Victoria; also correspondence with the Western Pacific High Commission requesting including request to register the birth of TWL’s daughter, Lillie Faith Leggatt; letters passing on mission news to Mr Langridge, Mrs Tomkins, Miss Sutton, Mr Johnstone, Dr Cook and others, including Dr Geo Smith of Edinburgh with news that the French on the South coast were not driving out Rev TWL’s teachers; and an order for supplies. This letter-book includes a list of teachers in the Aulua District, Malekula, stating their names, location, salary and supporters (1899), and reports on indigenous teachers supported by the Presbyterian Church of Victoria or by the John G. Paton Fund (Samuel, Semuku, Taripoa, Tarivaka, Samson, David, Solomon, Abel & Albam studying at the Teachers Training Institute, Santo (Apr 1900); detailed reports (Apr 1900) on the following teachers: Josua at Ambilbarap; Noa; Ambongluan and wife Mogur; Paul and his wife Letok-Surur who opened a new station on Koliviu in the Maskelyne Islands; Harry Martin at the village of Batinir (Bakineer); Nambogsia of Burambar teaching at Sakau, one of the Maskeleyne Islands with Moses; Luke at the village of Pandru-lemp (?); Ebram at village of Bobambu (?); Alek at the Institute; Japhet and his wife Letubunka who were students at the Training Institute, Santo; and Thomas Erskine. There are also letters to the teachers and scholars at Presbyterian Sabbath Schools in Melbourne (Kensington, Kew, Malvern, Toorak, South Yarra) including reports on teachers and students supported by the various Sabbath Schools, namely Samuel, Josiah; Japhet; Taripoa and his wife Lelang; Ambongbaita and his wife Letis.

See also: Rev. T. Watt Leggatt’s diaries, 1901-1908, at PMB 86 and his newspaper clippings relating to the New Hebrides, c.1891-1905, at PMB 87.

The following material available at National Library Australia:

1. Leggatt, T. Watt, First printings in language of Aulua, Malekula [New Hebrides], 1890-1892.
2. Leggatt, T. Watt, Mission work in Malekula, New Hebrides, 1891.
3. Leggatt, T. Watt, Newspaper clippings relating to the New Hebrides, [ca.1891-ca.1905] [microfilm] Mfm PMB 87
4. Leggatt, T. Watt, Malekula, New Hebrides [1892]. 5. Leggatt, T. Watt, Nembu sa atua : Pagkumu ca Aulua, Malekula, New Hebrides, 1893.
5. Leggatt, T. Watt and Watt, Agnes C. P. (Agnes Craig Paterson), 1846-1894. Agnes C.P. Watt : twenty-five years' mission life on Tanna, New Hebrides / biographical sketch and introduction by T. Watt Leggatt, 1896.
6. Leggatt, T. Watt, Morning rays on Malekula [1897?].
7. Leggatt, T. Watt, Numene ta Apostol Hera, 1897.
8. Leggatt, T. Watt, First book and hymnal : Pangkumu and Aulua, Malekula, New Hebrides, 1897.
9. Leggatt, T. Watt, Diaries 1901-1908 [microform] mfm PMB 86
10. Leggatt, T. Watt, Ensurua naho i tok rien nerambulet bembui tui: Aulua, Malekula, New Hebrides, 1902.
11. Leggatt, T. Watt, Nasuruan ivoi Marik i tos, 1906
12. Leggatt, T. Watt, John G. Paton, D.D., missionary to the New Hebrides : a memorial life for our children / by T. Watt Leggatt and W.M.M. Alexander. [1907?].
13. Leggatt, T. Watt, How rain came up through the earth on Aniwa [1924].
14. Leggatt, T. Watt, Mission to the Aborigines in South Australia : statement and appeal from the Board of Missions, by T. Watt Leggatt, H.C. Matthew, 1937.

Photographs relating to Tonga from the papers of Reverend Shirley W. Baker and Beatrice Baker.
The Reverend Shirley Waldemar Baker (1836-1903) was an English Wesleyan missionary who arrived in Tonga from Australia in 1860. During his stay of more than 30 years, Baker became a close adviser to King Tupou I and, like the King, an active promoter of Tonga’s independence in the face of European colonial expansion in the south Pacific. Baker’s many disputes with other Europeans in Tonga, most notably with his fellow missionary James Moulton, and especially with the British government officials in Fiji and elsewhere, generated a degree of controversy unique among 19th-century missionaries working in the Pacific. His metamorphosis into a politician culminated in his appointment as Premier of Tonga. (John Spurway, ‘Baker Papers’, Journal of Pacific History, 38:2, 2003.)

These papers of Rev. Shirley and Beatrice Baker were bequeathed to the Mitchell Library by Dorothy Crozier along with her own research papers. They were transferred from the Mitchell Library to the Pacific Manuscripts Bureau in August 2001. Lillian Baker, a daughter of Shirley Baker who lived in Ha’apai, gave the papers to Dorothy Crozier in 1950 when Ms Crozier was researching culture change in Tonga under the supervision of Professor Raymond Firth

This collection includes 112 images. Most of the images include portraits of European Presbyterian missionaries or ni-Vanuatu people. Many of the portraits include key New Hebrides missionaries who travelled to the new Hebrides from New Zealand and Scotland. The images include mission group synod photographs and pictures of the missionary children. Some of the pictures show traditional style architecture and cultural practices such as cooking methods and slit drums. Missionary churches, houses and gardens are featured. The images were taken on the islands of Nguna, Tangoa, Tanna, Tongoa, Efate, Futuna, Emae, Ambrym and Malekula.

The New Hebrides Mission from the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand:

The Presbyterian Church began sending missionaries to the New Hebrides (today known as Vanuatu) in the mid-19th Century. The first missionary was Rev. John Geddie of the Presbyterian Church of Nova Scotia who arrived on the island of Aneityum in 1848. Subsequent missionaries came from the Presbyterian Churches of New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Australia (Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales).
In New Zealand an interest in supporting a Christian mission to the New Hebrides was fostered when Rev. John Inglis of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland toured the country in 1852 following a three month tour of the New Hebrides and Solomon Islands. In that same year, Inglis and his wife joined Geddie on Aneityum. Rev. John Inglis continued to send regular reports of his work to New Zealand, leading to increasing interest from the Church there in sending their own missionaries to the islands.
The Presbyterian Church of New Zealand was at that time divided up into the “Northern Church” and the “Southern Church” (consisting of the Provinces of Otago and Southland). The Southern Church was based on the ideals of the Free Church of Scotland and these principles influenced its mission work for many years. For over 40 years the two Churches worked separately, with mission activities during this time operating independently of each other.
Over several decades the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand sent a number of missionaries to the New Hebrides including the following people. The information below includes the missionaries' date of arrival in the New Hebrides, the name of the missionary and the name of the main island on which they worked:
1866, Rev. William Watt, Tanna
1870, Rev. Peter Milne, Nguna
1879, Rev. Oscar Michelsen, Tongoa
1885, Rev. Charles Murray, Ambrym
1889, Rev. Thomas Smaill, Epi
1892, Rev. Dr. Lamb, Ambrym
1899, Dr. John Bowie, Ambrym
1903, Rev. Thomas Riddle, Epi
1905, Rev. William V. Milne, Nguna (born on Nguna in 1877)
1932, Rev. Basil Nottage, Tongoa
1938, Rev. Ken Crump, Nguna
1941, Rev. J.G. Miller, Tongoa
1944, Rev. Ian Muir, Emae and Epi
1948, Rev. A.G. Horwell, Epi
In the early years there was no organised or reliable shipping service to the individual islands of the New Hebrides so it was important for the Church to have their own vessel to bring regular supplies from Australia and New Zealand. A boat was also necessary for transport to other mission stations. Although the New Hebrides missionaries were responsible for their home churches and allotted areas and islands, they worked closely together on common issues and met annually for a mission Synod meeting. New Zealand Presbyterian Church worked in conjunction with the Australian Presbyterian Church to raise money and purchased a mission supply vessel, the “Dayspring I”. This 115 ton brigantine was launched in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1863. It was lost in a hurricane ten years later and replaced by a second hand schooner, the “Dayspring II” in 1876. The Dayspring II was sold prior to 1890 as she was too small and slow and uncomfortable to sail in. The Australian missionary Dr. John G. Paton raised £6000 during a visit to Britain in 1884-1885 and later increased the donations to £7000. The “Dayspring III” was built on the Clyde in Scotland to the order of the Victorian Presbyterian Church Foreign Missions Committee. She was 157 feet long and arrived in Australia in 1895. On only her fourth voyage to the islands, she sank on the 16th October 1896 after striking an uncharted coral reef near New Caledonia. The decision was made not to replace the vessel.
The New Hebrides Mission shared a practical concern for the everyday needs of island people. In addition to converting local people to Christianity, the missionaries worked to improve education, through the introduction of schools where the training of local mission teachers was initiated. The Tangoa Teachers’ Training Institute opened at Tangoa, South Santo, in 1895. The purpose of the Institute was to train local teachers and it was supported by all the Protestant missions working throughout the New Hebrides. Missionaries also worked to improve health education and services and encouraged the production of arrowroot and island trading as a means to generate revenue. Arrowroot powder was shipped to New Zealand and other countries, where it was initially distributed by women’s missionary groups and later by commercial organisations. The funds from the sale of arrowroot were used to build additional churches in the islands and, in some cases, as a donation towards New Zealand mission funds to be used elsewhere. From 1880 to 1918 on Nguna alone, over 26 tons of arrowroot was produced.
By 1910, the work of the New Hebrides Mission was declining. This was partly due to a rapidly decreasing population on the islands and a feeling that little room existed for further expansion of mission work, as by then most areas were adequately covered. The reduction in population was primarily caused by introduced European illnesses and epidemics which decimated the local population. The Queensland labour trade had also had an impact on the local population, with many locals having decided to remain in Queensland.
In 1947 there was a general consensus held among the Island missionaries that the local church was ready to assume control of its own affairs. A constitution was drawn up, and after amendments submitted by the New Zealand and Australian Mission Committees and the New Hebrides Mission Synod, it was adopted. At a Centennial Synod meeting in 1948, the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Rev. John Geddie, the local church was placed fully in charge of its own affairs. The island mission councils for Australia and New Zealand were then limited to the affairs of their immediate mission staff. The New Zealand Church continued to provide a large financial grant to the New Hebrides Presbyterian Church. A continued focus remained on training church leaders and education more generally. The Tangoa Training Institute later introduced a curriculum of advanced theological studies.
In the early 1950s, the New Zealand Missions Committee responded to the request for assistance to establish a High School at Onesua on Efate, along with funds and personnel to set up and run a small hospital on Tongoa. The Committee viewed this project as a practical means by which the New Zealand Church could provide for a social need rather than a means for furthering evangelistic opportunities. This policy shift in Mission funding opened up other opportunities for aid from the New Zealand Church including developing Navota Farm and opening the Maropa religious bookshop in Port Vila, training local islanders to be trades people and undertake the building work. The New Zealand Bible Class volunteer scheme sent out young people during the 1960s to assist with building, administration and nursing. The Mission, at the request of the Presbyterian Church of the New Hebrides, divested itself of all remaining authority in the Islands so that the New Zealand missionaries effectively worked for the New Hebrides Church. In 1965 a memorandum was prepared which defined the terms of “responsible partnership” and sought to define the responsibilities of each partner. The Church continues today as the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu.
For more information about New Hebrides Mission collections at the Archives of the Presbyterian Research Centre, Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa, and New Zealand, see: http://www.archives.presbyterian.org.nz/missions/newhebrideshistory.htm

This collection of 26 photographs mounted on board include images of the New Hebrides Mission in Vanuatu from the mid 19th – mid 20th Century. The photographs include images of the first mission house at Selembanga on Tongoa, ni-Vanuatu people in traditional settings such as mourning, amongst local gardens and near traditional style village huts. There is a photograph of the Tanna volcano crater in 1899, labour boats in Tanna, mission vessels with copra, the 1892 New Hebrides Mission synod, early mission houses on Nguna and the mission house at Dip Point, Ambrym. The collection includes several European missionaries including Rev. P and Mrs. M J Milne, William Watt, Rev. William V. Milne, Rev. O. Michelsen and Rev. B.R.C. Nottage.

Some of the boards include hand written headings which may indicate that they were used as boards to promote the work of the New Hebrides Mission at various presentations in Australia, New Zealand or Scotland.
The New Hebrides Mission from the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand:
The Presbyterian Church began sending missionaries to the New Hebrides (today known as Vanuatu) in the mid-19th Century. The first missionary was Rev. John Geddie of the Presbyterian Church of Nova Scotia who arrived on the island of Aneityum in 1848. Subsequent missionaries came from the Presbyterian Churches of New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Australia (Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales).
In New Zealand an interest in supporting a Christian mission to the New Hebrides was fostered when Rev. John Inglis of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland toured the country in 1852 following a three month tour of the New Hebrides and Solomon Islands. In that same year, Inglis and his wife joined Geddie on Aneityum. Rev. John Inglis continued to send regular reports of his work to New Zealand, leading to increasing interest from the Church there in sending their own missionaries to the islands.
The Presbyterian Church of New Zealand was at that time divided up into the “Northern Church” and the “Southern Church” (consisting of the Provinces of Otago and Southland). The Southern Church was based on the ideals of the Free Church of Scotland and these principles influenced its mission work for many years. For over 40 years the two Churches worked separately, with mission activities during this time operating independently of each other.
Over several decades the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand sent a number of missionaries to the New Hebrides including the following people. The information below includes the missionaries' date of arrival in the New Hebrides, the name of the missionary and the name of the main island on which they worked:
1866, Rev. William Watt, Tanna
1870, Rev. Peter Milne, Nguna
1879, Rev. Oscar Michelsen, Tongoa
1885, Rev. Charles Murray, Ambrym
1889, Rev. Thomas Smaill, Epi
1892, Rev. Dr. Lamb, Ambrym
1899, Dr. John Bowie, Ambrym
1903, Rev. Thomas Riddle, Epi
1905, Rev. William V. Milne, Nguna (born on Nguna in 1877)
1932, Rev. Basil Nottage, Tongoa
1938, Rev. Ken Crump, Nguna
1941, Rev. J.G. Miller, Tongoa
1944, Rev. Ian Muir, Emae and Epi
1948, Rev. A.G. Horwell, Epi
In the early years there was no organised or reliable shipping service to the individual islands of the New Hebrides so it was important for the Church to have their own vessel to bring regular supplies from Australia and New Zealand. A boat was also necessary for transport to other mission stations. Although the New Hebrides missionaries were responsible for their home churches and allotted areas and islands, they worked closely together on common issues and met annually for a mission Synod meeting. New Zealand Presbyterian Church worked in conjunction with the Australian Presbyterian Church to raise money and purchased a mission supply vessel, the “Dayspring I”. This 115 ton brigantine was launched in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1863. It was lost in a hurricane ten years later and replaced by a second hand schooner, the “Dayspring II” in 1876. The Dayspring II was sold prior to 1890 as she was too small and slow and uncomfortable to sail in. The Australian missionary Dr. John G. Paton raised £6000 during a visit to Britain in 1884-1885 and later increased the donations to £7000. The “Dayspring III” was built on the Clyde in Scotland to the order of the Victorian Presbyterian Church Foreign Missions Committee. She was 157 feet long and arrived in Australia in 1895. On only her fourth voyage to the islands, she sank on the 16th October 1896 after striking an uncharted coral reef near New Caledonia. The decision was made not to replace the vessel.
The New Hebrides Mission shared a practical concern for the everyday needs of island people. In addition to converting local people to Christianity, the missionaries worked to improve education, through the introduction of schools where the training of local mission teachers was initiated. The Tangoa Teachers’ Training Institute opened at Tangoa, South Santo, in 1895. The purpose of the Institute was to train local teachers and it was supported by all the Protestant missions working throughout the New Hebrides. Missionaries also worked to improve health education and services and encouraged the production of arrowroot and island trading as a means to generate revenue. Arrowroot powder was shipped to New Zealand and other countries, where it was initially distributed by women’s missionary groups and later by commercial organisations. The funds from the sale of arrowroot were used to build additional churches in the islands and, in some cases, as a donation towards New Zealand mission funds to be used elsewhere. From 1880 to 1918 on Nguna alone, over 26 tons of arrowroot was produced.
By 1910, the work of the New Hebrides Mission was declining. This was partly due to a rapidly decreasing population on the islands and a feeling that little room existed for further expansion of mission work, as by then most areas were adequately covered. The reduction in population was primarily caused by introduced European illnesses and epidemics which decimated the local population. The Queensland labour trade had also had an impact on the local population, with many locals having decided to remain in Queensland.
In 1947 there was a general consensus held among the Island missionaries that the local church was ready to assume control of its own affairs. A constitution was drawn up, and after amendments submitted by the New Zealand and Australian Mission Committees and the New Hebrides Mission Synod, it was adopted. At a Centennial Synod meeting in 1948, the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Rev. John Geddie, the local church was placed fully in charge of its own affairs. The island mission councils for Australia and New Zealand were then limited to the affairs of their immediate mission staff. The New Zealand Church continued to provide a large financial grant to the New Hebrides Presbyterian Church. A continued focus remained on training church leaders and education more generally. The Tangoa Training Institute later introduced a curriculum of advanced theological studies.
In the early 1950s, the New Zealand Missions Committee responded to the request for assistance to establish a High School at Onesua on Efate, along with funds and personnel to set up and run a small hospital on Tongoa. The Committee viewed this project as a practical means by which the New Zealand Church could provide for a social need rather than a means for furthering evangelistic opportunities. This policy shift in Mission funding opened up other opportunities for aid from the New Zealand Church including developing Navota Farm and opening the Maropa religious bookshop in Port Vila, training local islanders to be trades people and undertake the building work. The New Zealand Bible Class volunteer scheme sent out young people during the 1960s to assist with building, administration and nursing. The Mission, at the request of the Presbyterian Church of the New Hebrides, divested itself of all remaining authority in the Islands so that the New Zealand missionaries effectively worked for the New Hebrides Church. In 1965 a memorandum was prepared which defined the terms of “responsible partnership” and sought to define the responsibilities of each partner. The Church continues today as the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu.
For more information about New Hebrides Mission collections at the Archives of the Presbyterian Research Centre, Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa, and New Zealand, see: http://www.archives.presbyterian.org.nz/missions/newhebrideshistory.htm

These photographs are associated with the Department of Communications of the Overseas Mission Committee for the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. The images date from 1950-1978. Photo subjects include Onesua High School, the Boys Brigade, and construction projects for the New Hebrides Presbyterian Church. There are also numerous images of missionary families and ni-Vanautu church members, as well as some key political figures.