Patrick Donald MacDonald

• Born July 21, 1909, in Bells Hill, Scotland.
• Died June, 1987. Death registered in Surrey South-Western, v. 17, p. 1313.
• Nicknamed "Paddy."
• Rose from Assistant Secretary in 1941 to Colonial Secretary--a very prestigious and important position.
  • The Colonial Secretary was virtually a dictator. The Governor was a ceremonial figure and might set policy, but the Colonial Secretary was the CEO. He had three telephones on his desk, gave orders, and approved spending. He was "pretty damn good" (RG).
• Employed by WPHC from ~1941 to 1978.
• 8th April 1940 became Acting Assistant Secretary WPHC under Vaskess (source: WPHC personnel file), assuming job from Harry Maude, who had been seconded to Pitcarn (Source: Woodburn, "Where Our Hearts Still Lie").
• 2nd May 1940 relinquished AAS post, but on 24th May became Acting Secretary until 11th July when he returned to being AAS (Source: Personnel file); presumably he stood in for Vaskess while Vaskess was on leave or secondment.
• On vacation leave 14-28th October 1940
• 11th -- 19th November 1940 traveled to Samoa and Tonga
• 11th December again became Acting Secretary to WPHC, apparently continued in this post until 2nd July, when his personnel file says he "resumed duty in substantive post, with the note: "statement of pensionable service instrument(?) in GEIC." Does this mean he was back on Ocean or Tarawa?
• 24th April 1941 personnel file says he "proceeded(?) on duty with HC (sic: High Commissioner) to BSIP & HH." BSIP would be British Solomon Islands Protectorate; don't know about HH. Sir Harry, on page 179 of "From a South Seas Diary," notes that on 20th April he sailed on Viti with "Dr. Macpherson, Tomblings and Paddy Macdonald" for the Solomons; they got back on 14th May. Our copy of Macdonald's personnel file ends with the 24th April 1941 entry.
• Took the bones from the office to Hoodless at FSM in summer of 1941.
• Colonial Secretary and in charge of boxing things up in 1978. Acting Archivist from the time that Burne retired (or quit) in 1976 until at least April 6, 1978.
• Both files and office equipment were sent to London. Lists of files were drawn up and typed. They were then packed in small archive boxes--no more than 5 files to a box. The small boxes were then stacked in a wooden packing crate. They fit perfectly, with no need of any kind of straw or other packing material.
• Tofiga remembers Paddy as "fair, firm and meticulous."
• Ron Gatty: "The Governor was a ceremonial figure and might set policy, but the Colonial Secretary was the CEO. He had three telephones on his desk, gave orders, and approved spending. Paddy was pretty damn good."
• Daughters: Hillary and Sally? Hillary is now Hillary Roberts, living in Bermuda as of 2007 (See below). She worked for BOAC and got reduced fare flights for her father (RG).
• May have had a part-interest in the Grand Pacific Hotel. Ron Gatty saw him there in a humble role--acting, perhaps, as the manager or desk clerk.
• Died in the late 1990s?
• Almost certainly knew everything there was to know about the bones found on Nikumaroro.

Family

• Wife: Delia Edith MacDonald (3 Aug 1913, Westcliff, England, to November, 1994, in Hove, Sussex).
• Son: Neil Mateson MacDonald, Auckland, New Zealand. 1940 or 1941.
• Daughter: Hillary (~1947?). Hillary Roberts ("The daughter of former Fiji deputy Governor Patrick Macdonald...") lived in Bermuda until November 2007 and perhaps could be contacted through the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.
• Daughter: Sally.