Australian Women in Papua New Guinea: Colonial Passages 1920–1960

By the time Australia withdrew from Papua New Guinea in 1975, about 10,000 Australian women had lived there at some stage since 1920. Many came with their husbands who were missionaries, plantation owners or government administrators while numerous others came of their own initiative working as teachers, medical practitioners, nurses and missionaries. Australian Women in Papua New Guinea is an evocative and compelling account of the experiences of these women in Papua New Guinea between the 1920s and 1960s. The book is based on oral interviews and the written documentation of nineteen women and is written against a backdrop of official colonial affairs.