MISSION SCHOONER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 81, 7 April 1931, Page 9

MISSION SCHOONER.

LINK WITH SELWYN.

MELANESIA]* MEMORIES.

THE COMING SEVERANCE,

Members of the Church of England will miss the visits of the Melanesian Mission steamer Southern Cross, which to-day made one of her last voyages to "the Isles of the Sea," bearing some of those who are carrying on the noble work started over 80 years ago by the intrepid Bishop Sehvyn. How the mission came to be connected so intimately with Auckland is an old story. Owing to a mistake in the wording of Selwyn'e commission when he was appointed bishop of New Zealand his diocese stretched right up to the Solomon Islands. A smaller man would have taken advantage of the mistake and Confined his attentions to New Zealand, but Selwyn fearlessly went voyaging in his tiny schooner —he was his own navigator —and founded the mission that has ever since been peculiarly associated with Auckland.

At first the mission schooner used to anchor off Kohimarama, where the mission headquarters were situated, but the climate was too trying to the island boys brought down for training, and then Norfolk Island was made the headquarters, but Auckland still continued to be the home port of the schooner.. As time went on, and the work grew the schooner was replaced, first by a vessel with auxiliary' power and then with a straight-out steamer, but the memory of the first schooners was so strong that long after steam was .introduced the vessel was still spoken of by the old hands as the "mission schooner."

It was thus only natural that church people should take a special interest in the mission, and long and loving service was rendered by many people whose names are now mere memories. When the saintly Patterson met his martyrdom at the hands of the islanders he loved and only wished to servo, he was accompanied by Joseph Atkin, a young Aucklander, who also died from the wounds he received from a poisoned arrow. Atkin's sister, Miss Mary Atkin, a life-long friend of the mission, is still living at Kohimarama, and she is one of the few remaining links with such stalwarts as Selwyn, Patterson, Codrington, and others. •

There also comes to the memory the name of the late C'ftlder, wife of the late Archdeacon Calder. Over a long period of years hers was the personality that focussed the keen interest of church people in the Diocese of Auckland. She was so keen and so zealous that people felt a double pleasure in contributing to her "tuck-box," which was made up before the departure of the missiou schooner on her periodical round of the mission stations, • and many a lonely missionary and mission worker was cheered by one of those thoughtful reminders from distant friends that Mrs. Calder and her helpers packed into the "tuck-box."

The late Archdeacon Dudley, of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, another firm friend of the mission, had formerly been a worker in the field. He always found time to keep the needs of the mission prominently before the people of his own parish and the people of the diocese, and for a long period he edited the "Southern Cross Log Book," the official journal of the mission.

During the progress of the dismissal service at St. Mary's Cathedral this morning, so impressively conducted by Archbishop Averill, old friends of the mission could not but view with regret the coming severance of the direct link with Auckland, by the withdrawal of the Southern Cross. So manv memories are connected with the homecoming and the departure of the "schooner." No doubt means will be found to keep up the interest of the d}ocese in the mission and its devoted band of workers, but nevertheless one cannot help regretting that the familiar name will soon be missing from the shipping lists.