Merle’s Eulogy - delivered by John Holland
Welcome to family and friends of Merle who come together to honour and celebrate her life,
some coming from as far as PNG, Dubai and interstate
Introduction
Merle’s 85 years was an extraordinary life if we consider her adventures, achievements, the
friends she made and challenges she overcame. Growing up in north Queensland, Lila, Bill,
Merle and Marion Hallam enjoyed a great sense of freedom and fun. As an infant, Merle’s
father Bob worked in the family cordial factory in Proserpine, it was a good business, but in
the crushing season, the brothers helped out on their parent's sugarcane farm in
Cannonvale.
In 1934, her mother, Millie, saved £250 to take up a lease on Hayman Island to run one of
the earliest tourist resorts in the Whitsundays. The children had the run of the island and
Airlie Beach where their Grandmother grew market gardens, they went fishing with their
father, and got to know the Torres Strait Islanders who fished for trocus in the waters
nearby. But despite an idyllic childhood, Merle developed rheumatic fever and she and
sister Lila had a terrible experience of diving into the tentacles of a Portuguese Man-O-War
jelly fish.
Early years – the Whitsundays
In May 1942 as a teenager, Merle lived on Daydream Island with Lila and Aunt Enda.
Australian and US naval ships cruised by, keeping inside the Reef. One day two Corvettes
stopped engines straight off Daydream and were signaling each other. Merle and brother
Bill were pretty good at semaphore so Merle raced to the headland and joined in the `flag
talk.’ As the ships were departing she invited them to drop anchor and come ashore which
is what they did. Everyone wanted to meet the young lady who signaled the invitation and
hilarity ensued on meeting a 14 year old girl who could semaphore so well. As the ships
headed north to the Coral Sea they sounded off loud blasts with a "whoop! whoop!"
A young woman finding her way
It was at a dance in Redcliffe that Merle met John Voll, a piano tuner and singer, and after
corresponding as pen pals and when the war ended they married in Brisbane on 15th March
1946. Wayne was born in 1947 and for a while lived in Sydney. But sadly by 1949, the
marriage came to an end.
Boyd Higginson was running Daydream and Marion who was working there at the time sent
Merle a telegram, "Need one housemaid. STOP. Bring Wayne. STOP." It was while working
on Daydream that Merle met Greg Wall, a marine engineer, running one of the Roylen
Cruisers out to the Barrier Reef.
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Merle became very ill and medical specialists recommended she dodge the winter of 1954
to recuperate in a warmer climate. Bill was a captain on the MV Polurrian which was owned
by the Bougainville Trading Company and he invited Merle up. The ship called into Nissan,
Cartarets, Buka and all ports along the east coast of Bougainville, uploading copra, cocoa,
plantation workers and mail. The relaxing cruise soon turned into being chief cook and
bottle washer. Bill and the ship’s engineer, Noel Jones, had visions of home cooked meals
dropping hints that “scones would be appreciated for morning tea.” Merle learned to cook
on a rocking primus stove. The ceiling barely cleared headroom and a slither of light
shimmered through a port hole that hadn't been wiped since the ship's maiden voyage.
They had a tiny kerosene fridge to keep a little meat and a small supply of beer - for
emergencies. Butter and milk came in tins and batting flies off the milk turned Merle off
white tea for decades. Apart from the odd near heart attack when Wayne thought diving
overboard was a good way to cool down, Merle felt like a new woman by the time she
returned to Australia.
Greg and Merle made plans to marry when word came through that a job was going on
Tenakau Plantation. Being a marine engineer, a good all-round mechanic and builder, with a
small ship’s master’s ticket, Greg applied and was accepted. The job paid £80 a month, with
three month's leave after two years. The Walls would have a house with a galvanised iron
roof, attached kitchen and bathroom, kerosene fridge, some crockery and cutlery and two
house servants! They were so excited.
On the 8th January 1955, Merle and Greg married in Mackay before flying with 7 year old
Wayne to Bougainville. The trip took three days to reach Kieta.
A planter’s wife
Life on plantations was what you made it. The ship brought mail, freezer goods and stores
every six weeks. The Walls spent five happy years on Tenakau during which Merle was
finding her place in the complexities of colonial expatriate life and a growing awareness of
local people, their culture and the challenges they faced. Tenakau employed Bougainvillean
labour from Buin, Buka, Rotakas and Eivo. While Greg was learning the ropes of plantation
life, Merle taught Wayne through correspondence.
Merle used to look in on the women and children in case they needed medicine. There were
at least two new born ophaned infants that through Merle’s quick action, saved and found
good homes for.
During the ‘50s and ‘60s Merle suffered an ongoing heart disorder. Doctors had warned she
may not live past thirty and having more children was out of the question. So when she was
expecting Christine in 1955, Merle was advised to have the baby in Rabaul. Namanula
Hospital was a rambling structure with push out windows, a thatched roof and sisal paper
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walls. While conferring with specialists in Brisbane over a radio-telephone Dr Mattie
Radcliffe-Taylor delivered the child by caesarean section under local anesthetic.
In 1960 Greg took up a manager’s position on Cutarp Plantation located on the South Coast
of New Britain. The Walls spent two happy years there but with the children growing up,
Wayne went to boarding school and Christine started correspondence.
Returning to Bougainville
Brother Bill was managing the Kieta Trading Company but keen to return to sea and sent
word that a job was in the ‘offing’. So in 1963 Greg accepted the job of managing the Kieta
Guest House and the second business. But by the time the Walls arrived in Kieta the guest
house had been upgraded into a Hotel and Merle took charge of the housekeeping, teaching
school and supporting Greg in the running of two companies.
Kieta was a frontier town heading for radical change. Ken Phillips, CRA’s first Geologist
would rest up at the Hotel before heading up into Panguna. An overseas wharf was built
and the road between Kieta and Arawa opened up. On hearing that there were plans to cut
down the beautiful rain trees in Kieta, many which were planted in the German times, Merle
galvanised public protest even threatening to fly to Moresby and wave a banner ‘SAVE THE
TREES’. She managed to get agreement to reduce the destruction order from two rows to
one. It left a terrible scar in Kieta though for years.
Guiding
The hotel employed men from nearby communities which is how the Walls got to know
local families and their culture. The pressures of village life often meant the girls were taken
out of school so Merle searched for ideas to create a culture of learning. She decided that
girl guiding, an international movement was the answer. With no experience, Merle began
with eight Brownies. It was 1963.
Guiding and Brownies focused on domestic science, practical hygiene, fun and fellowship.
Out of the first intake, two girls, one being Therese Tovin Thornton, went on to take up paid
Guide Trainer positions in Port Moresby. Cecelia Wato Mah became PNG’s first Stewardess
with TAA.
While a bulldozer was marking Kieta’s roads Merle appealed to the Lands Department for a
small block to build a Girl Guide House. Brownie and Guide Packs had expanded to Sohano
and Buka. At first they said there was no spare land. Undaunted, Merle asked, “if I find
some, would the answer be ‘yes?’ It was hard to say no. Greg and Merle knew the ‘dozer
driver and worked out that if he scooped an area out at the base of Kieta Hill, they’d end up
with an ideal house pad. The project was a banker’s delight as it was the only scheme that
finished with a bigger bank balance than when it started.
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Meanwhile Merle kept up her prolific letter writing to friends and family in Australia, sharing
her daily events so that despite the infrequent trips back to Queensland her lifelong
friendships and connections remained unbroken.
Back to plantation life but busy as ever
In 1964, The New Guinea Biological Foundation, the brainchild of Kip McKillip from Arawa
Plantation, purchased Aropa Plantation. Exciting plans were being put in place to introduce
new varieties of tropical fruits and plants. The Aropa project would benefit PNG in
agricultural research and the availability of scholarships in agriculture. Greg was offered the
Manager’s position which included handling the airline agency. Merle made scones and
morning tea on plane days as the airport was a long way from town. It was a very busy time
but Merle turned her hectic responsibilities into an opportunity to fundraise.
In the seven years on Aropa, Merle and Greg threw themselves into many initiatives
including Merle teaching school for a while from their house. Aropa was a great location for
Wayne and Christine to return to on school holidays. They were holidays filled with
adventure and freedom.
Tom Peni was born on Aropa but after becoming an orphan he lived with Merle for some
years. Tom went on to have a good job an achievement Merle was very proud of.
Together the Walls supported the RSL and what was then the native ex-servicemen’s
association, with Merle’s commitment to Guiding and Brownies and Red Cross continuing.
In 1970 Merle started a small part-time business in Kieta called Island Casuals. Lila was
living with the Walls at Aropa and helping in Island Casuals which gave Merle free reign to
expand her extracurricular activities. Merle asked Theresa Reina Jaintong one of the first
guides, to stand as Bougainville’s first entrant in the Red Cross Miss Papua New Guinea
competition. It was 1971 and a good choice, because Theresa won the competition.
Merle purchased some land in Toniva and built four flats which were finished just months
before Greg’s sudden death in July 1971. He was 48.
Widowed and another phase in life
When Greg died Merle was 42. Wayne was doing an apprenticeship in Brisbane and
Christine was in her second last year of school. Merle had to make a living out of her little
shop which was situated in Kieta’s Council Chambers, a few doors along was the Court
House. Possibly because of the proximity Merle was invited to on the Children’s Court filling
in as lay magistrate. With Arawa and Kieta towns expanding Merle wrote to the Bank of
New South Wales in Rabaul suggesting it was time they opened a branch in Kieta. To her
surprise they asked if she could handle the sub-agency. She also became a stringer for
PNG’s national newspaper.
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By the end of 1972, Christine finished school and returned to Bougainville to live with her
mother and Aunt Lila. Wayne and Jenny got married not long before setting off to start a
new life in Western Australia.
After Greg’s death, ex-servicemen regularly sought Merle’s advice. Her visits to Arawa
Hospital were almost a daily routine, taking food, clothes, sleeping mats and running
errands. Merle’s contacts with Red Cross and the Lioness Club proved invaluable. She
organized for at least two children to be medically evacuated to Australia.
The Kieta Lions Club built a war memorial in ANZAC Park. Merle order a bronze plaque from
Australia to honour Chief Barosi of Sirovai Village near Koromira, who was beheaded in 1942
in Kieta by the Japanese because of his loyalty to Australian troops. Merle was also
instrumental in securing a small pension for his two widows.
Meeting the Queen
In 1975 The Britannia arrived in Kieta Harbour. As Guiding Commissioner Merle met Queen
Elizabeth II and escorted her past the Guides and Brownie parade. She bore an uncanny
resemblance to the Queen at the time, and when officials underwent a dress rehearsal the
day before, they asked Merle to be ‘stand in’. She hammed it up smiling and waving as she
was driven by.
Merle became closely involved with the Manarom family in the late ‘70s. From
approximately 1991, after being displaced during the crisis, the three eldest children,
Martha, James and Jackson came to live with Merle in Brisbane. Her relationship with the
family has endured, and despite the challenges during and after the Crisis, seeing her
protégées grow up has enriched her life immeasurably. Martha has been like a daughter to
Merle, and given Tete (grandmother in pidgin) unswerving love and devotion. Merle also
loved being a ‘bu bu’ (another word for grandmother) to Erin, Rhiannon and Leilani. Merle
also has five grandchildren and three great grandchildren of her own who are all here today.
In 1980, Merle was honoured with the MBE for service to the community. Christine
travelled with her mother to Port Moresby to witness then Governor General Sir Tore
Lokuloku officiate the investiture.
Merle’s brother Bill’s death less than ten years after losing Greg was a terrible blow, and
both are buried near each other at Aropa cemetery. Merle’s application for PNG citizenship
was ready for acceptance but by 1983, her cataracts were becoming troublesome and the
family strongly advised against giving up her Australian citizenship but Merle’s ashes will
return to Bougainville to settle in the coral sands on Greg and Bill’s graves. This will occur
sometime in the next year.
To keep a promise
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In 1984 Merle had promised the Tasman people of Nukumanu that she would visit before
leaving. The Atoll Enterprise was making a special fuel run out to the Atolls. Merle’s cargo
included boxes of tinned meat, bags of rice, fruit and vegetables, small gifts, kerosene, a
folding chair, small mattress and pillow and a basic medical kit. She assured family and
friends it was only for 10 days and with a new car battery she’d keep in radio contact.
As the ship headed out Merle relaxed on deck in her folding chair, feet up on the rail
watching the sun set behind the mountains. At daybreak, eyes strained on the horizon for a
few coconut trees sticking up, signaling the first stop, Mortlocks. As the trawler dropped
anchored, canoes approached led by Chief Sieki. Once ashore for a brief visit, Merle was
greeted by Sunde, the spiritual leader who placed a small wreath of vines on her head while
chanting ancient songs to ward off bad spirits.
The weather deteriorated after leaving the Mortlocks and by the time the boat reached the
Tasmans it was ‘big night’ as they say in Pidgin with Merle climbing down the ship’s side into
a bobbing canoe in the pitch black. The next day on examining the cargo Merle explained
the car radio and her promise to stay in touch by radio……and then the room went quiet.
The island’s only radio transmitter was put on the trawler for servicing on Bougainville.
Camp Aropa
1988 was the 25th Anniversary for Guiding on Bougainville and thanks to the brilliant
organising by Annette Embery and others, Camp Aropa was staged in Arawa 80 Guides and
Leaders from PNG, Australia, Canada Solomon Islands and New Zealand attending. Merle
returned to officially open the Camp as the name was chosen in honour of Merle and all she
and Greg had done for Guiding. The camp’s theme, PUFF, was an acronym for Peace,
Understanding, Fun and Friendship. It was about 12 months before the Crisis.
Retirement
After Bougainville, Merle lived in New Farm and then Newmarket. With Wayne, Jenny and
their three children also returning to Queensland, Merle took every opportunity to enjoy
her grandchildren which included trips to the Whitsundays to show them where her roots
still lay.
Merle loved being a Grandma and Great Grandma, and even as her health worsened, Merle
always remembered birthdays and special occasions. When letter writing became too
much, Merle still kept in touch with a vast network through the telephone. Merle’s address
books are shades of the yellow pages, they come in volumes 1,2,3, and more.
Leaving Newmarket in 2012 to living in a nursing home was a difficult decision but after
getting breast cancer in 2009, followed by a debilitating auto-immune disease was taking its
toll on Merle’s health. With ongoing support from Wayne, Christine and Martha, and their
families, Merle kept a positive outlook in adjusting to her new lifestyle at the Churches of
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Christ Care Moonah Park Nursing Home. She was always cheerful and friendly with fellow
residents and staff despite the struggle as her health deteriorated.
Reflecting on Merle’s life, she took every opportunity and challenge as a lesson to learn and
grow. Her compassion for others came from recognizing how easily we may succumb to the
adversaries that can assail us. Her guiding strength has been her deep commitment to
Christ in the knowledge of how precious life is.
Merle touched so many peoples’ lives. She is a true inspiration to many of us. She never
sought personal reward for her actions, to the contrary, she shunned the limelight. Merle
will be remembered and loved by those that knew her.
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