Series 792 - William McGrath papers

William (Bill) Adrian McGrath completed an Engineering, Surveying Cadetship in the Public Works Department of Western Australia from 1950-1953, and joined the Administration of the Territory of Papua New Guinea as a Cadet Patrol Officer in April 1953. In 1955 he was promoted to Patrol Officer at Erave Patrol Post in the Southern Highland Province. In 1958 McGrath attended a Long Course at ASOPA and in 1959 was appointed as Patrol Officer [Lands] at Konedobu Headquarters. He undertook land buying assignments for the PNG Administration in the Central, New Britain and Northern Districts. From 1961-1965 McGrath worked in the Lands Department before becoming Director of Lands and Surveys of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands at Saipan. From 1971-1975 McGrath was the Land Department Manager in C Brewer and Co. Ltd in Hawaii. From 1975 to 1979 he was appointed the founding General Manager of the Native Land Development Corporation. From 1980 to 1984 McGrath worked as a Land Consultant to the then New Hebrides Condominium Government, continuing in the position after Vanuatu gained its independence. From 1984 to 1997 he was Land Supervisor with Chevron Niugini as the operator of the PNG Kutubu Petroleum Development Project. In 1984 Bill McGrath set up the Pacific Book House as a mail-order bookshop, which he ran intermittently until being able to devote more time to the business in 2010.