RADIO WORK ON GOLD COAST

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26395, 13 April 1951, Page 2

RADIO WORK ON GOLD COAST

MRS G. O. FARQUHARSON BACK IN N.Z. To be the only woman senior officer in the Public Relations Department of the Colonial Service on the Gold Coast, West Africa, is the distinction enjoyed by Mrs Gytha Owen Farquharson, who is visiting Christchurch as the guest of her brother and sister-in-law, Mr and Mrs R. S. W. Owen, Papanui road. Mrs Farquharson is the only daughter of the late Mr and Mrs S. C. Owen. She spent her girlhood in Christchurch, where she was well known-in art circles. She went Overseas many years ago, but revisited Christchurch about 1939. Since then she has had many experiences that do not often fall to the lot of a New Zealander. After working forborne time for the ’British ißMrrißlratfon Ad broadcasting in the Eastrshe joined the Colonial Service and was appointed to a position at Accra, on tne Gold Coast. The small broadcasting station at Accra, which is controlled by the Pubiic 4 RelaUpps.'D§fiartment, has an engineering steff of 20, all except three of them Africans. Of the other members of the staff, four are Europeans and 19 are Africans. Mrs Farquharson, who is in charge of talks, is the only European woman at the station. Under her control are four African women, from different parts of the Gold Coast. These women frequently broadcast in their own language.

In the town of Accra, with its population of 400,000, there are about 3000 Europeans—French and Britons, Danes. Dutch and many Swiss, with a number of Syrians, Americans, Indians and some New Zealanders. No British national is allowed to own property on the Gold Coast.

Mrs Farquharson lives in a bungalow allotted to her. She pays rent for the bungalow, and pays for sanitary services, electric light, indoor services and garden boys. Labour, she says, is plentiful, but It is not highly skilled. She does much of her own cooking, especially if she is entertaining friends. Work in Accra begins about 7.30 a.m., when the air is pleasantly warm. By noon, the heat is intense and all show are closed from noon until 2 p.m. Staffs of Government departments are supposed to finish the working day at 4 p.m., but as there is much to be done, and there are not too many employees, it is generally necessary to work longer hours. During the Second World War, Mrs Farquharson worked for six months in the newsroom of the 8.8. C. Her job concerned news from the Pacific, China and Burma, and the air war over Europe. In her department there were 36 male sub-editors and two women, besides herself. She spent interesting and exciting years with the 8.8. C., and was on duty on D Day and V-E Day. In October, 1945, she went to Singapore to help to start a new broadcasting station for the Foreign Office. This was hard work. After about 14 months, she returned to England. New Zealanders whom Mrs Farquharson has met on the Gold Coast include Mr and Mrs John Buchanan Matson, formerly of Christchurch. Mr Matson is legal adviser to the Chief Commissioner of Ashanti, a very important post. Mrs Matson, who graduated in law from Canterbury University College, is a daughter of Mr A. F. Wright, of Cashmere. Mr Owen Barton, of Wellington, is deputy director in the social welfare division of the Department of Health; and Mr D. Smith, a New Zealander who was formerly stationed in Fiji, is senior education officer at Accra, working for the United Nations.

Mrs Farquharson will return to her post on August 9, and will travel to Africa by the Strathaird.