Deaconess Lynette Grace Walker served as an educational missionary in the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) for the Australian Presbyterian Board of Missions. Between 1958-1965, Walker was based in South West Bay, Malekula where she worked as a teacher at the South West Bay District School. From 1971, Walker served as Deaconess for Central Islands (Efate and adjacent islands). Based in Vila, she worked with women, young people and Sunday school teachers. Between 1975-1977, she took on the post of Deaconess for Southern Islands. Walker returned to live in Melbourne in April, 1977 but has continued to visit Vanuatu over the years.

This collection of 389 digitised colour 35mm slides is a selection of images from three return visits in 1988, 1995 and 1998. 1995 marked the centenary anniversary of the arrival of Robert Boyd, the first missionary to South West Bay. 1998 marked the Golden Jubilee or 50th anniversary of the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu (PVC). This collection features images of Port Vila, Iririki Island, Onesua (Efate), Talua (Espiritu Santo), South West Bay, Lawa, Lorlow, Wintua (Malekula) and Lenakel (Tanna). The photos feature former missionaries and church office bearers, Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Union (PWMU) activities, historical plaques and the Dayspring IV canoe.

Deaconess Lynette Grace Walker served as an educational missionary in the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) for the Australian Presbyterian Board of Missions. Between 1958-1965, Lyn was based in South West Bay, Malekula where she worked as a teacher at the South West Bay District School. From 1971, Walker served as Deaconess for Central Islands (Efate and adjacent islands). Based in Vila, she worked with women, young people and Sunday school teachers. Between 1975-1977, she took on the post of Deaconess for Southern Islands (Tanna, Aniwa, Aneityum, Futuna and Erromango). Walker returned to live in Melbourne in April, 1977 but has continued to visit Vanuatu over the years.

This collection of 322 digitised colour 35mm slides is a selection of photographs showing Walker's life mostly from in South West Bay, Malekula but also Santo, Tangoa and Efate. The images show students at South West Bay District School, other missionaries and volunteers, Walker's house, church activities including of the Presbyterian Women's Missionary Union (PWMU), big and small nambas, custom masks, plants and Tangoa Training Institute.

Malu’u dictionary, recording the English translation of Malu’u words, a language spoken on Malaita, Solomon Islands. Malu’u is also known as Toqabaqita or To'abaita language. A note inside the cover of the dictionary states that it was compiled for the South Sea Evangelical Mission by Clara Waterston and others, and is one of six copies produced. Arranged in alphabetical order, typescript 296 pp.

Pages 100 and 204 are missing from the original manuscript and appear to be intentionally torn out. In the process of copying, the following pages were not digitised as they were blank: pp. 26-28, 42-45, 53-56, 84-87, 97-99, 110-113, 141-144, 159-162, 181-184, 192-195, 201-203, 214-217, 227-230, 244-247, 277-280, 289-292, and 297-299.

Rev. Isaac Rooney (1843-1931) succeeded Rev. George Brown (1835-1917) as superintendent of the Methodist Mission in New Britain (Duke of York Islands), 1881-1888. The Mission had been established by Rev. Brown in 1875. Rev. Benjamin Danks (1853-1921) had joined Brown in 1878.

Manuscripts, Items 1-7: Photographs, press cuttings and letters to Isaac Rooney from Lorimer Fison and Fred Langham, Aug-Nov 1880.

Printed books, Items 1-15: mainly translations of scriptures into the language of the Duke of York Islands, some with inserts and annotations by Isaac Rooney, 1886-1905; and additional pamphlets by Isaac Rooney, including his essays on Darwinism and the origin of the Lelanesian and Polynesian races (1907), and by W.L.I. Linggood.

See Finding aids for details.
See also PMB 614, George Brown, George, Benjamin Danks and Isaac Rooney, Dictionary and Grammar of the Duke of York Island Language, copy owned and probably annotated by Isaac Rooney.

William Gray (1854-1937) was born near Gawler, South Australia. He obtained his BA from Adelaide University and graduated in divinity from Union College in 1880, the first Presbyterian student to complete the course. He spent 1881, the year of his ordination, in medical training at Adelaide Hospital and as Minister to the congregations of Goodwood and Mount Barker. He married Elizabeth McEwen in 1882 and shortly after they sailed for Weasisi, Tanna, New Hebrides in the <I>Dayspring</I>. Gray was the first Presbyterian Church of South Australia missionary to the New Hebrides. He produced a grammar, primer, hymnal and translation of Luke's Gospel in the Tanna language. At the age of 71 Gray became head of the Smith of Dunsek Presbyterian Mission which later became the nucleus of John Flynn's Australian Inland Mission. See also PMB 1046, 1047 and 1048.

Rev Gray's manuscripts, phamphlets and press cuttings on the labour traffic; copies of some annual reports of the Queensland Kanaka Mission and the Queensland Department of Pacific Island Immigration; pamphlets by J G Paton, A C Smith and J Inglis 1915; William Watt Erskine's recollections of his childhood on Tanna, lantern slides and photographs of missionary life in the New Hebrides, 1880s. <P> <b>See reel list for further details</b>.

The series of photographs contained in this album covers an aspect of the life of the Tedder family in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate (BSIP) between 1955 – 1974. James L.O. Tedder held various positions in the colonial administration. His family lived and travelled extensively throughout the Protectorate. His spouse, Margaret Tedder, had a firm interest in botany and this particular album is her documentation of Islanders’ horticultural practices of certain root crops, especially yams. In this photographic collection, Margaret documented the cultivation methods, garden layout, harvesting practices and storage of yams in various locations on Makira, Guadalcanal, Malaita and Santa Cruz. Margaret also captured different yam varieties and a ceremonial display at Makaruka on the Weather Coast of Guadalcanal. Besides the focus on yams in this album, there are some images of other crops such as taro, cassava and sweet potato. In its own right, this album is an ethnography of Islanders' cultivation practices of the mid-1950’s to the early 1970’s.

Please see PMB 532 for full entry.

18208 - 23101 NOTE: the last few records are out of sequence - 22001 to 23101 precede 21202)

Please see PMB 532 for full entry.

Serial Numbers 13301 - 18207

Please see PMB 532 for full entry.

Serial Numbers 08807 - 13003

Please see PMB 532 for full entry.

Serial Numbers 04109 - 08806