21 February 1974

Government Settlement

Republic Of Nauru

Central Pacific

21 February 1974

Dear Mum & Dad,

Speaking of letter, I haven’t seen one from your end since I was down in Warnambool. This is just a note to catch the Friday plane. We haven’t got any transport now as I have sold the car & bike. I probably mentioned that I has intended to keep the Falcon & take it to Honiara. I had it in the garage getting some rust cut taken out & the Nauruan who was going to do the job asked if it was for sale. I put a price of $1,300 on it which is $200 more than I paid for it. He was very happy & so was I. My plans now are to buy a 1966 Triumph sports car for $450, & buy a cheap sedan for about $600 in Honiara. The Republic will pay freight on one vehicle to Honiara & the duty payable will be very little. That’s getting 2 cars for the price of one which will make life a lot easier for the family. The house down there is a good 4 miles from the shops & my work & I think particularly with the way it rains in Honiara that a car for me to go to work would be better than a bike. The Triumph is a really nice little machine, red with a beige interior, push button radio, with a soft vinyl top & also a hard fibre glass top. There is very little rust in it but the duco is not much chop & a respray would make the world of difference. The Chief Accountant has had it for about 3 months with no problems & provided he can pick up a Toyota from a shipment due on Saturday I will probably buy it from him. Anyway my business deals seem to be on the improve & with the free freight down to Honiara & a respray I am sure I could sell it for a profit.

Our move arrangements are well under way. We have bought our air tickets, Andy & the kids to fly to Melbourne on Monday 25^th March & me to Honiara on Friday the 29^th. The Republic would only approve sea fares for us to return so I have got them to pay me the equivalent fares in cash so I could make the travelling arrangements myself. It has still worked out ok financially for us. Sea fares are 2 x $160 & 1 x $$80 (Darren). Shane didn’t rate a fare. That is $400. By sending us by sea they are up for 8 days travelling which is about $130. That’s a total of $530. Airfares are Andy $300, Darren $200 & Shane $30 = $530.  My airfare to Honiara will be paid by the company so we are all square.

The method of transport is a real farce. Too many people have tried to explain to the Chief Secretary that the only real cost to the Republic when returning people to Australia is the travelling time, one day by air compared to eight days by sea. Also if a family returns by ship, the Republic has to feed them all for 8 days. The Republic owns the airline & the shipping line so that one Department’s expense for fares is another Department’s income. Most people would prefer to return by air. Anyway, in our case it didn’t matter. I have one win. My contract allows us to take back up to 4 cubic tons on personal effects at the Republic’s expense. The cost of freight on 4 cubic tons is $120. They have agreed to pay me the $120 in cash so that I can make my own arrangements. That is the equivalent of about 7 cubic tons to Honiara.

Andy is really looking forward to her trip to Melbourne & in particular to Barbara & Peter’s wedding which originally she thought she would have no hope of attending. Darren is also looking forward to going to “stralia” because that’s where daddy goes in the plane & also a lot of his playmates who left at the end of last year. Lord knows what impression he has in his mind about this strange place. Just listening to him I think he thinks its in the sky.

We are all well & I hope you are too.

Love from all of us here,

Greg