June ANTILL

28 June 2004, aged 88

June was born at Guyra NSW in 1916, later moving with her family to Sydney. She went to Rabaul in 1947 to marry Dan, a Burns Philp plantation manager then stationed in the remote Witu Islands, and always looked on the hardships and primitive, isolated, life there as a meaningful and rewarding experience. In 1950 the Antills moved to a plantation near Kokopo. Always a very popular, cheerful and capable person, June involved herself in many Gazelle Peninsula community affairs, notably the Kokopo Show and CWA.

In 1962, when her two daughters had gone off to secondary school in Australia, June took a position at the sub-district office, Kokopo, looking after the Post Office and Commonwealth Bank agency. At Independence in 1975 she was asked to set up a Training School for PNG clerks and clerical assistants to enable them to be appointed to Administrative positions. June remained in charge of this school until 1980 when, along with Dan, she retired to Cremorne and finally to the NSW Central Coast 15 years ago. June is survived by her daughters Alison and Anna and their families. Betty Benson