James Lindsay Taylor (25 January 1901 – 28 June 1987) was an Australian born,
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
n explorer. He is most noted for leading patrols (explorations) into the Highlands of Papua New Guinea in the 1930s. In particular the 1933 patrol in the Wahgi Valley with the brothers Dan and
Mick Leahy and surveyor Ken Spinks;
[Argus 1933] and for the Hagen-Sepik patrol with John Black in 1938–39.
Taylor enlisted in the
Australian Imperial Force in March 1917 aged 16 and served with the
34th Battalion in France where he was gassed and wounded. He also served in the Second World War in the
Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit
The Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU) was a civil administration of Territory of Papua and the Mandated Territory of New Guinea formed on 21 March 1942 during World War II. The civil administration of both Papua and the Mand ...
(ANGAU) reaching the rank of Major.
Following the war Taylor married and settled at
Goroka
Goroka is the capital of the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. It is a town of approximately 19,000 people (2000), above sea level. It has an airport (in the centre of town) and is on the " Highlands Highway", about 285 km from ...
in the highlands.
Jim Taylor had two daughters and an adopted son. His daughter
Meg Taylor
Dame Meg Taylor is a Papua New Guinean politician who served as Secretary General to the Pacific Islands Forum from 2014 to 2021. She was previously an athlete, lawyer and diplomat.
Life and career
She received her LL.B degree from Melbourne Uni ...
was Ambassador of Papua New Guinea to the United States, Mexico and Canada in Washington DC during 1989–1994, and in 2014 was appointed as Secretary General of the
Pacific Islands Forum
The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation between countries and territories of Oceania, including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 197 ...
.
Notes
References
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External links
* National Library Australia - http://nla.gov.au/nla.ms-ms9218
* 1933 Argus Article – http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11724180
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Jim
1901 births
1987 deaths
Explorers of Papua New Guinea
Australian explorers
Australian military personnel of World War I
Australian military personnel of World War II
Australian emigrants to Papua New Guinea