Mr Craig Symons was born in 1924. He was in Papua New Guinea from 1946 till 1974, where he was a Patrol Officer and District Commissioner, and also Assistant Commissioner for Local Government for an extended period. The Minj patrol reports document the early stages of economic development in this area of the Western Highlands: the patrols found only one person who had been to secondary school and no one who had a drivers license. The patrols also counted coffee trees which were begining to be grown in the Wahgi Valley.

Minj Patrol (South Wall Wahgi - Minj Sub-District, Western Highlands District); Patrol Report No. 2, 5 Sep-18 Oct 1960, and No. 3, 28 Nov 1960 - 30 Jan 1961.<BR>Territory of Papua New Guinea, Department of Native Affairs, Circular instruction No.301, re establishment of native local government councils, 18 Sep 1959; and correspondence from I. A. Holmes, Assistant District Officer Western Highlands, Minj Sub-District Office, to Assistant District Officer, Madang, re training course at the Madang Local Government Centre, 13 Jan 1962.<BR>Proclamation of the Native Local Government Councils Ordinance, 1949-1960, Establishment of Native Local Government Council Territory of Papua New Guinea, Government Gazette, No.52, 2 Nov 1961; and proclamation of the Native Local Government Councils Ordinance, 1949-1960: amendment of the constitution of Milne Bay Native Local Government Council Territory of Papua New Guinea. Government Gazette, No.61, 21 Dec 1961.<P><B>See reel list for further details</B>