MQ 44
Government Settlement
Republic Of Nauru
Central Pacific
15 Feb 1973
Dear Mum & Dad,
Well it was really good to get your two letters. It was the first correspondence that we have had since arriving, with the exception of an invitation to a wedding at Newcastle on Tyne in the UK which we had to send a non-acceptance. They were a couple we got to know in Melbourne. We were very pleased to hear that you are thinking of settling in Warrnambool. I am sure that you will be much happier there than Melbourne & of course golf etc. will be more accessible to you as well as at least one grandchild to be close to.
I addressed the last letter to Mont Albert because we didn't have Bruce’s address so I hope it didn't take too long to get to you. While I remember, our home phone number is 9-141.
Life continues to be pretty busy with a social type evening last Monday & a barbeque on Sunday night. The people we have got to know during our short time here are really terrific & Darren has suddenly gathered a large number of mates. In fact the street (more like a road) is just full of kids from about 18 months to about 5 years old. There is a little girl about 2 next door who is Darren’s constant companion & she wanders in every morning about 8 to see him. The new set up has freed Andy up tremendously & now instead of having to keep a constant eye on Darren, he can wander back or front with the other kids with no worries.
The weather is un-believably the same day in day out & every night is warm. We sleep under a sheet with the overhead fans on. There are fans in each room & we leave them on day & night. We have had some tropic rains, both times at night & by the sound of it each drop must have been the size of golf balls.
The house is very well set up with ample furniture. The living area is really spacious, in fact the whole house is pretty big. The fridge (most important here) is 12 cubic feet with a big freezer compartment which keeps ice-cream as hard as a rock. We have a large front veranda (which is at the back of the house because of the positioning on the block) which can be completely sealed off & opens off the lounge room by two double doors. From there we have a view on coconut palms, paw paw trees & the Pacific Ocean 200 yards away.
Anyone who said this isn't a beauty spot is wrong. There are some really beautiful spots on the island & nowhere on the coastal belt where life centres are you aware of the mining in the centre. Once up “topside” it appears quite vast & it is hard to believe that Nauru is only 8 square miles.
The job is still taking shape & there is a long way to go. The Republic has been without an internal auditor since June 1972 so there is quite a backlog of work to be done. I have worked out what has to done between now & June 1973 & prepared a program. I have a Nauruan as an assistant & he seems to spend most of his time as an interpreter. The Nauruans like to pretend they don’t understand you. They also don’t like working which means things move pretty slowly.
I’ll finish off now & try to get this on tomorrow’s plane. I still don’t know where you will be but hope Tuer’s address will find you.
Love from all of us,
Greg
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