The first music and voice transmitted by radio in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate (BSIP) occurred in 1923 through the Methodist Mission?s wireless station at Kokegolo in New Georgia. The station often presented choral and band recitals performed in local languages, primarily for the interest of passengers on passing ships which were equipped with wireless sets. However, actual broadcasting in the BSIP began in June, 1944 with radio station WVUQ based in Guadalcanal, and was followed a few months later by WVTJ based in Munda. Both stations were operated by the United States of America military as part of the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) and were primarily sources of news and entertainment for American troops serving in the Pacific. Both stations were part of a grouping known as ?The Mosquito Network?.
In the years after World War II, a radio service was maintained by volunteers in Honiara, primarily for an English-speaking, licence fee-paying, expatriate audience. In 1952, the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Service was established as VQO, broadcasting news and music six days a week to local audiences in most parts of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. By the mid-1950s, colonial administrators saw the important role radio was playing for local audiences and invested in programming (including Pijin content), staff, transmitters and new studios. The studios on Mendana Avenue, Honiara, opened in 1959. By the 1960s, SIBS was also providing school services and outside broadcasting of special events, putting a strain on the still new studio facilities. Studio and office upgrades were made in 1965.
In 1976, under the administration of Sir Peter Kenilorea, SIBS became a statutory body, and commenced operations as the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) in 1977. In 1978 the Australian Government committed funds for the upgrade of studio and transmission facilities in Honiara, the establishment of a new regional station in Gizo and correspondents based in more remote parts of the country. Broadcasting House at Rove, Honiara opened on 7 August, 1982.
From 1980-1984, Martin Hadlow was the News/Programme Trainer, then Head of Development and Training at SIBC. During this time the service transitioned from a government broadcasting service to an independent public service broadcasting corporation. This transition meant new management (including a new Board), a complete revamp of programming and news structure, and the new studio building at Rove. Hadlow prepared this booklet for the opening of the studio and was involved with the preparation of the First Day Cover stamp set for the 20th Anniversary of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).

This collection is composed of news reports (which are called bulletins) that were written every day for the 6:30 evening news show. Each box contains approximately 10 to 11 folders that represent the month of the year. They are filed in chronological order starting with 1980.

The news stories were typically written in length from a paragraph to two pages on foolscap size papers. Many bulletins have written revision or editorial notes.

The Bulletins are the English scripts read by the 6pm (and sometimes 9pm) radio newsreaders. They generally are in two parts per bulletin with an average of 5 stories per part (total approx 12-14 pages per day). Each of the two parts begins with a news headlines page.
The Bulletins contain local news, including reports on events, quotes from government officials, statements from political parties etc. Subjects include elections, court matters, education, development plans, health issues, sport, unions, weather events, fishing, cross border activities. They don’t contain international news except for nearby Pacific countries.

W R Carpenter & Company Limited was registered in Sydney in 1914. The company was founded by Walter Randolf Carpenter. He was subsequently joined by his brothers, J A and W H Carpenter and, still later, by his two sons, R B and C H Carpenter. The company was initially involved in shipping and trading island produce in Papua, including copra, cocoa, trochus, beche-de-mer and green snail shell. After 1920 it became involved in copra plantations in the Mandated Territory of New Guinea and extended its interests to the Solomon islands, and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. In 1938 it pioneered an air link between Sydney and Lae. After the War, in which Carpenters suffered heavy losses, the company was restructed as a holding company. In 1956, when R B Carpenter was Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Carpenter Group purchased the retail operations of Morris Hedstrom & Co in Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.

This is a poor quality photocopy of the original, Ts., 97pp., given to the Bureau by Pepita Carpenter. Ch.1, Pioneering the Pacific, pp.1-3; Ch.2, The Costa Rica Packet, pp.4-7; Ch.3, Treasure in Trochus, pp.8-9; Ch.4, A Small Beginning and a Stumble, pp.10-13; Ch.5, The Company Regained, pp.14-16; Ch.6, Between the Wars – an Era of Expansion, pp.17-21; Ch.7, The Creative Years – Shipping, pp.22-25; Ch.8, The Creative Years – Aviation, pp.26-31; Ch.9, The Creative Years – Merchandising, pp.31-38; Ch.10, The Creative Years – The Plantation Industries, pp.34-38; Ch.11, Sir Walter – Thoughts and Theories, pp.39-45; Ch.12, Stranded in Canada, pp.46-50; Ch.13, The Ravages of War, pp.50-53; Ch.14, Gains and Some Losses, pp.54-59; Ch.15, A New Chairman – Growth Continues, pp.60-65; Ch.16, The Tradition Maintained, pp.66-70; Ch.17, The Pattern Changes, pp.71-79; Ch.18, Some Turbulent Years, pp.80-84. Appendix 1, Profit and Dividend History, pp.85-86; Appendix 2, A Brief History of the Major Elements of the W R Carpenter Group in Australia…, pp.87-91; Appendix 3, Extracts from correspondence between J M Hedstrom and W R Carpenter, 1920-1922, following takeover of W R Carpenter & Co Ltd by Morris Hedstrom Ltd, pp.92-97.

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. 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.

This collection of slides is composed of photographs taken in several trips through West Papua or West New Guinea made by the author since late 1980s. From north to south, from the shores of the surrounding smaller islands, like Numfor and Biak, to the glaciers at the highlands of Puncak Jaya, Kal Muller has photographed people, activities, performances, art and landscape from this vast region of Melanesia. This collection portrays Dani, Lani, Asmat, Moni, Wano, Biak, Korowai, Kamoro people and lives.