Peter Ross Watkins is the son of Nancy Beryl Watkins and Alwyn Edward (Bud) Watkins.

William Diaper was born in Ardleigh, England on 11 November 1820. His parents died when he was young and at the age of 16, he left England for Hobart Town on board the Joshua Carroll, using the alias John Jackson. He spent the remainder of his life as a beachcomber, living in, and travelling around, the islands of the Pacific Ocean and neighbouring countries. He worked on whaling boats, as a trader of bech-de-mer, turtle shell and other small commodities, as a translator (he spoke many languages), a sugar plantation overseer and a pig farmer, amongst other things. Diaper had many wives and claims to have fathered 38 children, resulting in 99 grandchildren. There is no formal record of his death but it is believed he died on 4 March 1891 at Mare in the Loyalty Islands.

Isaac Neilson Whyte was born on 28 November 1919 in Ulster, Northern Ireland. His family moved to Australia in 1927 and had a dairy farm in Victoria. Neilson served with the Australian Army in 1940-1945 and fought with the Rats of Tobruk. He was captured by the German forces and spent four years as a prisoner of war. He read a lot in custody and began to consider studying theology. On his return to Australia, he studied for a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne and theology at the Presbyterian Theological Hall at Ormond College. He was ordained on 10 March 1952 and commissioned for missionary service.

Neilson married Dr Mary Grace Asche in February of 1951 and in December 1952 they began their mission service in the New Hebrides (Vanuatu) with the Australian Presbyterian Board of Missions. The Whytes were based in the village of Wintua, South West Bay on the island of Malekula 1952-1957. Neilson and Mary Grace had seven children; the four eldest children spent their early years in Wintua. Neilson spent a lot of time away from Wintua as he was responsible for 17 villages in the region. He also helped bring about a peace agreement between village leaders in Big Nambas territory and a peace house was built to mark the agreement. The 1957 Assembly was held in Wintua and Neilson was inducted as Moderator. Shortly after the Assembly, the Whyte family returned to Australia as Neilson was experiencing some physical ailments associated with his war service. On his return to Australia he went on to serve in parishes at Goodwood, Learmonth and Donald. After years of pain and ill health, Isaac Neilson Whyte died in Melbourne in February 1972 at the age of 52.

Kal Muller, documentary film maker, photographer, writer, tribal art dealer and world traveller, was born in Budapest, Hungary and later on moved to the U.S.A., where he studied his doctorate on French literature at the University of Arizona. During most of his life, Kal’s focus has been on traditional societies. In 1965 he set out on an extended sailing trip across the Pacific, ending up in the New Hebrides, now Vanuatu. Later, he travelled extensively throughout Mexico. However, for the past 37 years, Dr. Muller has spent most of his time traveling and living in Indonesia, writing about and photographing this endless archipelago, specializing in Papua for the past decade. He has made several documentary films and published over a dozen books, which he wrote, as well as taking the photos required, such as The South Coast of Papua. He has also written numerous magazine articles published in Europe, the USA, Mexico and Asia.

Reverend Norman F. Cocks was born in Harrow, Middlesex, United Kingdom. He went to Hackney and New College, London, and was ordained at Skinner St. Congregational Church, Poole, Dorset on 25 November 1934. His Pastorates in England were Poole, 1934-1940, and High Cross Tottenham, 1940-45. Rev Cocks was then appointed to the post of Australian and New Zealand Secretary of the London Missionary Society, 1945-1970. He transferred to the Anglican Church in Tasmania, was ordained Deacon in St. David's Hobart on 19 October 1970, and was subsequently ordained as an Anglican priest. His portrait is in the "LMS Chronicles" of February 1945 and June 1947.

Lynette (Lyn) Grace Walker was born in 1927. She went to school at Clarendon Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Ballarat before going on to complete her teacher training at the University of Melbourne. Walker was commissioned to the Order of Deaconess at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Camberwell on 9 March, 1958, having trained at Rolland House Deaconess and Missionary Training College. In 1958, Walker travelled to the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) to take up the post of educational missionary for the west coast of Malekula, based in South West Bay. Between 1958-1965, Walker taught in the South West Bay District School and developed a new syllabus.

Returning to Australia in 1966, Walker lived in Mornington, Victoria where she cared for her parents and served as Deaconess at the Frankston Presbyterian Church. In 1971, Walker returned to the New Hebrides to serve 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. From 1978, she worked for the Uniting Church in aged care community outreach until her retirement in 1987. In retirement, she continues to be active in church life and community activities.

Since returning to Australia, Walker has visited Vanuatu several times, including in 1998 to join in the Golden Jubilee celebrations for the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu.

Ellestan Joyce Dusting OBE attended Canberra High School and growing up was active in the Brownies, Guides and Rangers. Her involvement with the Guiding movement continued throughout her life, holding the positions of Guide Commissioner in Canberra and in 1970 she was elected President of the Trefoil Guild in Canberra. In 1954, Dusting served as an official for the Commonwealth Royal visit of Queen Elizabeth II. Dusting went on to serve with the Commonwealth Public Service Board and as private secretary to Sir Paul Hasluck, Australian Minister for External Territories. In the 1980s, Dusting served as Vice President, then Honorary President, of The Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Association (PPSEAWA).

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, 23 October 1921, Sir Colin took a BA (1943) and MA (1945) at Canterbury University and a Diploma in Anthropology at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He served with the NZ army (1942-44) and with the British Solomon Islands Defence Force (1945).

Sir Colin was appointed in 1945 as an Administrative Cadet in the British Colonial Service and spent a brief training period in the Western District of Fiji. Transferred to the British Solomon Islands Protectorate (BSIP), he served first as District Officer Nggela, Western Solomons, then D.O. and District Commissioner Western (1946-1948), D.O. Choiseul and Ysabel (1948), D.O. Malu`u (1949) and finally District Commissioner Malaita (1950-1952) at the time of the Maasina Rule (also Maasina Ruru or Marching Rule). He was appointed by the High Commissioner of the Western Pacific to be Special Lands Commissioner on 10 July 1953.

In 1954 Sir Colin was seconded to the Western Pacific High Commission Secretariat as Senior Assistant Secretary, Finance and Development. Here Sir Colin completed the report of the Solomon Islands Special Lands Commission on 17 June 1957. He served as Secretary of the BSIP Agriculture and Industrial Affairs Board (1956-57), Chaired the BSIP Copra Marketing Board (1957-58) and represented the UK on the South Pacific Commission Research Council (1958).

In 1959 Sir Colin transferred to Port Vila where he was appointed Assistant British Resident Commissioner of the New Hebrides Condominium (1959-66) and then Resident Commissioner (1966-73). Sir Colin was appointed Governor and Commander in Chief of the Seychelles (1973-76) and then Governor of the Solomon Islands (1976-1978) at the time of their independence. He was the last High Commissioner of the Western Pacific. Sir Colin was knighted in 1977 and retired in 1978.

He died in New Zealand on 5 March 1993.

Basil Shaw BA, BEd, DPE (Qld), MA (Ed., London), PhD, completed his biography of Michael Somare as a PhD dissertation in the Division of Humanities, Griffith University, Queensland, in 1991.