STAR NOT PARACHUTIST

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 September 1940, Page 8

STAR NOT PARACHUTIST

NEW GUINEA COMEDY SYDNEY, September 9. The chartering of a plane to shoot down what was thought to be New Guinea’s first enemy “parachutist” over Salamaua and the discovery by the “parashots” that the supposed enemy was the planet Venus, was described by passengers on a ship which has reached Sydney from Rabaul. “It happened more than a fortnight ago, but New Guinea is still- laughing,” said a passenger. “At noon one day a Government official at Salamaua suddenly discovered a brilliant white light in the sky. Yelling, ‘The parachutists have come,’ he collected a couple of rifles and ammunition, rushed out to the' aerodrome, and with a friend chartered Ray Parer’s Boeing plane.” “For an hour the plane roared over i Salamaua,” said another passenger.' “At first we all wondered what was j the matter, but when the story got; round that the official was serious about his ‘parachutists,’ the whole town turned out and yelled with, laughter.” “There was no doubt about the brilliant white light. We all saw it, but it had nothing to do with ‘parachutists.’ Because of some astronomical juggling. Venus at this time came in closer contact with another planet, and could clearly be seen at midday. Sometimes she seemed to have a tail like a comet.” “The official will never live Venus dovvn. The standing joke is. to . tell him to leave the poor girl alone.”