page 153

II
The Gonde Roadhouse

Upon arrival at the Base Reception Depot, Bourail, Lieutenant-Colonel Wood intimated that we were prepared and anxious to commence our duties as soon as possible; and four days later we moved on to the site of the Gonde roadhouse on the Houailou Road. This had been used as a rest centre for several weeks, and 76 convalescents were awaiting us. We lost no time in putting our house in order; tents were erected, orderly rooms established, drains constructed, and a training syllabus issued. Five days after our arrival in New Caledonia we were functioning according to plan. Then the rains came. Luckily we had sufficient accommodation, but we did seem to get more than our fair share of wet weather during our short stay in the Houailou area. Gond'e is a pleasant spot, situated in a valley at the junction of two rivers. Coconut palms predominate on the landscape, and it is reasonably free from mosquitoes; in fact, if there had been sufficient room for expansion and development we could have done much worse than remain there. A large bure, or native type hut, had been constructed to provide messing and recreational facilities—when first built it was probably one of the largest on the island—and it gave us excellent shelter during the indifferent weather. We staged several concerts in the bure —commencing with one the night of our arrival—and in addition to the camp personnel there was usually a large and appreciative audience of Kanakas from the native village across the river. They proved a friendly people, often bringing us fruit and vegetables, and we saw a good deal of them during our brief sojourn. One of their number, an albino, excited much comment because of her appearance, and Lieutenant Williams, our blond quartermaster, suffered many indignities on account of the same lady.

In these early days our work was limited owing to the non-arrival of our equipment, but under the training officer, Lieutenant G. McA. Hobson, the patients were organised into categories for remedial physical training, recreational games, launch trips and outings. A library and canteen were opened, and the first issue of our unit magazine, Relax, made its appearance under the editorship of Lieutenant E. G. Spraggon, Army Educational page 154Welfare Service and occupational therapy officer. After only three weeks at Gonde we received instructions to move to Kalavere, on the western side of the island. The American 109th General Hospital had been located there, and Lieutenant P. T. B. Morris was sent in charge of an advanced party to prepare the site for our occupation. He did this with characteristic thoroughness, and the changeover was completed by Saturday, 18 September, 1943. We left Gonde with many happy memories.