Members of the concert party the 'Moresby Microbes'
who presented 50 concerts between
May 1942 andApril 1943.

[AWM P02704.012]

Padre Sands, the first RAAF chaplain in wartime Papua, worked hard to organise and furnish a Rec(reation) hut for the troops in Port Moresby. The men also found him a car, a 'canonised Austin', and they painted a stick figure with a halo on its door. As a further boost to troop morale the Padre formed a concert party, the 'Moresby Microbes'. Between May 1942 and April 1943, the 'Microbes' presented 50 weekly concerts.

A 'Moresby Microbes' album telling the story of the Padre, the concert party and their performances was given to one of their members, Leading Aircraftsman Frank Lansdowne. In the album are photographs of the men and their concerts with accompanying verse written by Padre Sands. It is now held in the Private Records Collection at the Australian War Memorial.

This is the car that was looted by night!
Pinched by the transport who made it work right
In time for the DO, with its camouflage paint.
A canonised Austin, a rightly-named SAINT!

[AWM P02704.002]

This is the Padre, a scrounger renowned,
But we furnished the REC HUT by the loot that we found!
At Moresby he lost all his middle-aged spread
And most of the fluff from the top of his head!

[AWM P02704.001]