Albert Speer was born in 1922 in Goulburn, Australia, and served in New Guinea with 2/2 Australian Field Ambulance from 1942-1945. He served in the Department of Public Health in the Australian Administration of Papua and New Guinea from 1947 until his retirement in 1971, initially as a European Medical Assistant and eventually as acting Director of the Medical Training Division. During the period 1954 to 1957 he was active in exploratory patrols establishing health services in uncontacted and uncontrolled highland areas of Papua. Mr Speer also fostered Sir Albert Maori Kiki, among other children. Mr Speer died in Sydney on 16th April 2014.

Roger Southern was a teacher with the Department of Geography at the University of Papua New Guinea [UPNG] in Port Moresby 1969-1973. He was also researching a master's degree with the University of Bristol for which he travelled to the PNG Highlands to observe the place of roads and road transport in economic change.

Dr Martin Soukup is a Czech cultural anthropologist. Research interests include history and theory of anthropology. He is particularly interested in the cultures of Melanesia. In 2009, he undertook anthropological pre-research field work in Papua New Guinea local communities of Wannang, Kegeslugel, Yawan and returned to Yawan in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.

Rev. Thomas Smaill was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 28 July 1857, His family emigrated to Otago New Zealand in 1858. Thomas Smaill apprenticed as a joiner and later studied for a BA at Otago University before attending the Theological Hall Dunedin from 1883-1885. After postgraduate and City Mission work in Edinburgh, he studied medical classes and hospital practice in Dunedin prior to missionary work in the New Hebrides.
Thomas Smaill was ordained as a missionary at Knox Church, Dunedin on 25 February 1889. He travelled to Nikaura, Epi later in 1889. In 1890 he returned to New Zealand and married Helen Grant of Leeston and then returned to the New Hebrides.
On 21 April 1895 five men and two women were baptized into the Church membership at Epi under Rev. Thomas Smaill. By the end of the 19th Century membership was close to 100 people. Rev. and Mrs. Smaill lost their first and second children and their third child, Nellie, was born in New Zealand. Rev. Smaill caught a chill after going out in a hurricane to administer medical aid to a native woman and died on 12 April 1902 aged 44 years old. He was buried beside his two children at Nikaura on Epi Island, Vanuatu.

Rev. Thomas Smaill was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 28 July 1857, His family emigrated to Otago New Zealand in 1858. Thomas Smaill apprenticed as a joiner and later studied for a BA at Otago University before attending the Theological Hall Dunedin from 1883-1885. After postgraduate and City Mission work in Edinburgh, he studied medical classes and hospital practice in Dunedin prior to missionary work in the New Hebrides.
Thomas Smaill was ordained as a missionary at Knox Church, Dunedin on 25 February 1889. He travelled to Nikaura, Epi later in 1889. In 1890 he returned to New Zealand and married Helen Grant of Leeston and then returned to the New Hebrides.
On 21 April 1895 five men and two women were baptized into the Church membership at Epi under Rev. Thomas Smaill. By the end of the 19th Century membership was close to 100 people. Rev. and Mrs. Smaill lost their first and second children and their third child, Nellie, was born in New Zealand. Rev. Smaill caught a chill after going out in a hurricane to administer medical aid to a native woman and died on 12 April 1902 aged 44 years old. He was buried beside his two children at Nikaura on Epi Island, Vanuatu.

Reverend Thomas Smaill was born in Edinburgh, Scotland prior to his family emigrating to New Zealand in 1858. He was ordained as a missionary at Knox college in 1889 and travelled to Nikaura on Epi the same year where he was to be based. He returned to New Zealand in 1890 for a short period of time to marry Helen Grant. The couple lost their first two children born on the islands but a third, Nellie, survived. Thomas Smaill died aged 44. He became ill after making a medical visit to a woman on Epi during a hurricane.

Sir Paul Meernaa Caedwalla Hasluck KG, GCMG, GCVO was an Australian historian, poet, public servant and politician, and the 17th Governor-General of Australia. Hasluck was born in Fremantle, Western Australia and was educated at Perth Modern School and the University of Western Australia, where he graduated with a MA degree.

In 1923 Hasluck joined the literary staff of The West Australian newspaper, and also began to publish works on Western Australian history. He tutored in history at the University, and in 1939 he joined its faculty as a lecturer in history. In 1941 Hasluck was recruited to the staff of the Department of External Affairs, and served on Australian delegations to several international conferences, including the San Francisco Conference which founded the United Nations. After the war Hasluck returned to the University of Western Australia as a Reader in History, and was commissioned to write two volumes of Australia in the War of 1939–1945, a 22-volume official history of Australia's involvement in World War II. These volumes were published as The Government and the People 1939–1941 in 1951 and The Government and the People 1941–1945 in 1970.

At the 1949 election Hasluck won Liberal preselection for the newly created Perth-area seat of Curtin. In 1951 the Prime Minister, Robert Menzies appointed Hasluck as Minister for Territories, a post he held for twelve years. This gave him responsibility for Australia's colonial possession, Papua New Guinea, and also the Northern Territory, home to Australia's largest population of Aboriginal people. Although he shared the paternalistic views of the period about the treatment of the Papua-New Guineans, and followed an assimilationist policy for the Aboriginal people, he carried out significant reforms in the way both peoples were treated. Michael Somare, who became Papua New Guinea's first Prime Minister, said that his country had been able to enter self-government without fear of having to argue with an Ian Smith “simply because of Paul Hasluck”.

In early 1969, Prime Minister Gorton offered him the post of Governor-General, a position he held until 1974. Hasluck retired to Perth where he remained active in cultural and political affairs until his death in 1993.