Horace Niall

Niall was born on 4 October 1904 in Coolah, New South Wales.{{Cite book|title=The Members of the House of Assembly 1964|page=26|publisher=Papua New Guinea Department of Information and Extension Services |date=1964|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vXEHAQAAIAAJ&q=%22horace+lionel+richard+niall%22}} He attended Mudgee High School and later the University of Sydney.{{Cite magazine|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-326378866/view?sectionId=nla.obj-334546156&partId=nla.obj-326389919#page/n73/mode/1up|magazine=Pacific Islands Monthly|title=The Man From Morobe|author=Hilder, Brett|date=1 August 1961|volume=XXXII|number=1|page=72|via=National Library of Australia}} He later joined the Australian military with the rank of cadet patrol officer, and in May 1927, he arrived in Rabaul, Territory of Papua, as a member of the Australian administration of the territory.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/papua-new-guinea-post-courier/173473518/|newspaper=Papua New Guinea Post-Courier|via=Newspapers.com|date=July 13, 1973|page=4|title=He helped run PNG on bluff ... But Predicts A Tougher Future}} {{Open access}} He was promoted to the rank of patrol officer in 1930, the same year he married.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, much of Niall's work was "in trudging over jungle-clad peaks, finding unknown tribes and filling in hitherto blank spaces on maps."{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald/173473855/|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|via=Newspapers.com|date=June 15, 1974|page=4|title='Hangman' of killers he defended|author=Cunningham, James}} {{Open access}} He was later moved from Rabaul to Talasea, where he continued patrolling. He received a promotion to assistant district officer in 1935 and to district officer in 1941. According to the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, he "spent two-thirds of his time in the bush", and at one point went four months without seeing a white man. He was also active in law enforcement, recalling being "in the bush for nine days" shortly after his arrival, in an attempt to catch a few criminals who had escaped. He worked with local police in capturing killers from Papuan tribes. Once, after arresting a group of five murderers, he served as the magistrate but was later ordered to defend them at the Supreme Court, then, when they were convicted, served as their executioner and the coroner.

Niall patrolled all areas of Papua New Guinea except for Bougainville prior to World War II. A major, he was stationed at Wau during the war, and although his home was blown up, he escaped capture by the Japanese. He was the only district officer in the territory during the war. During this time, he mostly lived in the bush, but eventually Papua New Guinea was recaptured from the Japanese; afterwards, he was named by the Australian government to rebuild the city of Lae.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/173477078/|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|via=Newspapers.com|date=April 19, 1970|page=45|title=Recalls Paratroops 'Umbrellas,' Big Air Base in New Guinea|author=Veysey, Arthur}} {{Open access}} He mainly worked in the Morobe Province from 1940, except for a period from 1946 to 1949, when he worked in East Sepik Province. In 1949, he became the district commissioner for Morobe Province. Two years later, he became an inaugural member of the Legislative Council of Papua and New Guinea, serving until the legislature's abolition in 1963.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thenational.com.pg/airport-news-welcomed/|newspaper=The National|via=Wayback Machine|title=Airport news welcomed|date=25 October 2015|author=Nalu, Malum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721044928/https://www.thenational.com.pg/airport-news-welcomed/ |archive-date=21 July 2022 }}

In 1964, Niall was elected unopposed to the new House of Assembly of Papua and New Guinea. He was the only candidate in the election who ran unopposed. After winning election, he was named the first Speaker of the House of Assembly. He served for four years in this role until his retirement in 1968 and was also the commissioner of the Papua and New Guinea Energy Commission. Afterwards, he worked as a director with local companies before departing Papua New Guinea in 1973, subsequently settling in Palm Beach, New South Wales.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/papua-new-guinea-post-courier/173476871/|newspaper=Papua New Guinea Post-Courier|via=Newspapers.com|date=August 29, 1973|page=12|title=For Horrie Niall after 46 years ... tearful farewell}} {{Open access}} Niall was named a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1943 and a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1958. He was knighted on the recommendation of the Papua New Guinean government during the 1974 Birthday Honours.{{Cite magazine|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-333436519/view?sectionId=nla.obj-338641430&searchTerm=Horace+Niall&partId=nla.obj-333503992#page/n112/mode/1up/search/Horace+Niall|magazine=Pacific Islands Monthly|date=1 July 1974|volume=45|number=7|page=111|title=Knighthoods For PNG Men|via=National Library of Australia}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/papua-new-guinea-post-courier/173477022/|newspaper=Papua New Guinea Post-Courier|via=Newspapers.com|date=June 17, 1974|page=3|title=And Sir Horace}} {{Open access}} He was married and had a daughter, and died on 1 May 1994, at the age of 89.{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cLsVAQAAIAAJ&q=%22horace+lionel+richard+niall%22|magazine=Pacific Magazine|title=Sir Horace Richard Lionel Niall|date=1994|volume=19|page=33}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/papua-new-guinea-post-courier/173476953/|newspaper=Papua New Guinea Post-Courier|via=Newspapers.com|date=February 28, 1973|page=5|title=Horrie Niall Tells It As He Saw It}} {{Open access}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niall, Horace}}

Category:1904 births

Category:1994 deaths

Category:People from New South Wales

Category:University of Sydney alumni

Category:Australian emigrants to Papua New Guinea

Category:Members of the Legislative Council of Papua and New Guinea

Category:Members of the House of Assembly of Papua and New Guinea

Category:Speakers of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea