Port Moresby wasn’t in 1917

[Mr R P]

#4747

Here’s an interesting item from the Aug 7 1917 issue of The Australian Philatelist.

There is an item (supplied by a G. Turnbull) that the legal name of Port Moresby was still Granville. He writes:

“There were two townships, Granville East and Granville West. The term ‘Port Moresby’ only applies to the harbour.”

I have no idea when Port Moresby became the official, legal, entity.

And later in the article:

”Mr. Turnbull has a friend in the island who has something unique in the way of Papuan stamps. It is SG No 83 with the word ‘Papua’ spelt ‘PCAPUA’. Has any other collector of these stamps seen this variety?”.

I don’t know if there was any reply to the query – anyone come across that?

[Terry Commins]

#4864

Captain John Moresby of HMS Basilisk landed at the inner reaches (Hanuabada) which he named Fairfax Harbour. At 10 am on 20 February 1873 he named the surrounds Port Moresby in honour of his father Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby.

In 1905 the Federal Government of Australia passed the Papua Act which transferred Papua, with Port Moresby as the capital, to direct Australian rule. The Act came into effect in 1906.

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