MELANESIAN MISSION

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29130, 16 February 1960, Page 17

MELANESIAN MISSION

Annual Meeting Of Supporters

The salaries of Melanesian priests were very low, they had been £35 a year, but had recently been increased to £75 a year, the Ven. Archdeacon H. V. C. Reynolds, Archdeacon of the Solomon Islands, told the annual meeting of the supporters of the Melanesian Mission last evening.

But there was a spirit of devotion and sacrifice among them, he said. He told the story of one man who had given up his work as a bosun on a large trading concern’s ship at a salary of £3OO to £4OO a year to become a priest at a starting salary of £35 a year. Another situation where the same spirit could be seen was in the Melanesian Brotherhood, a movement of the Anglican Church founded 30 years ago. Ten members of the brotherhood had gone to New Guinea as missionaries several years ago, and a further 10 had gone later. There was no payment attached to their work there, Archdeacon Reynolds said.

Education was a major problem of the church in Melanesia, the Archdeacon said. The church believed that she had a duty to instruct the Melanesians so that they would be able to judge the various “isms” which were making their way into the islands. The Rt. Rev. A. K. Warren, Bishop of Christchurch, who presided over the meeting, presented Archdeacon Reynolds with a monetary gift on behalf of the supporters of the mission. The following members of the committee were re-elected: —The Ven. Archdeacon Davies, the Rev. Canon A. C. Purchas, the Rev. Canon R. J. Witty, the Rev. C. Gault, the Rev. W. C. Arnold, the Rev. C. S. Knight, the Rev. L. A. Barnes, the Rev. J. D. Froud, Mrs M. G. Sullivan. Mrs W. W. Averill, Mrs M. Smith, Mrs J. D. Thomson, Mrs S. Crosier, Mrs W. B. Grace, Miss M. Hurse, Miss M. Willis, W. J. Eade. Miss L. G. Cameron is secretary.