Queensland’s Contribution to the Development of British New Guinea
Paul Dillon
Foreword by Geoffrey Blainey
Paperback, 180 pages, $29.95
ISBN 9781922815880
Christmas 2023 release
Dillon’s latest book investigates, with keen attention to detail,
colonial Queensland’s role in the development of British New Guinea. It
reveals the rising importance of Torres Strait and its international
steamship traffic, the contest with Germany in 1883 for the easterly or
non-Dutch portion of New Guinea and the attractive islands of New
Britain and New Ireland. Without the determination of Queensland,
Britain would never have set up a government house at Port Moresby in
1888. Dillon reminds us that, in the eyes of some major politicians, the
nearer parts of New Guinea were almost as essential as Tasmania. In
essence, “New Guinea and the adjacent groups of Pacific Islands must
form part of the future Australian nation.”
It is especially Dillon’s skill in weighing evidence, and in
cross-examining long-dead witnesses, that makes him a historian worth
reading. That he ventures into new territory is a bonus.
-- Geoffrey Blainey, from the Foreword.
Paul Dillon is a Sunshine Coast based author of Frederick Walker,
Commandant of the Native Police and many other titles. He holds a
Bachelor of Arts degree from the Australian National University. Paul
joined the Commonwealth Public Service in 1965. On 23 May 1986, he was
called to the Bar of New South Wales and practised as a barrister in the
Criminal Division of the superior courts of Queensland as counsel for
the defence.
[ITEMPRICE]