Gander, Stanley Herbert (1896–1969) and Greta Irene (Tivey) (1899–1984)

Stanley and Greta Gander were Australian missionaries to Papua New Guinea.

Early Years

Stanley Herbert Gander was born in Dorset County, Great Britain, on August 25, 1896.¹ He had two brothers and a sister.² As a 13-year-old he emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, with his family. There he trained as a fitter and turner and became a foreman in an engineering business, earning a handsome salary. Although he considered himself a “contented Methodist,”³ in 1915 and 1916 the American evangelist, Nels Waldorf, conducted evangelistic meetings in the Melbourne suburbs of Malvern and Hawksburn that abruptly changed his thinking.⁴ “God directed my steps on to a Melbourne camp meeting,” Stanley later recalled. “There was I, with a cigar in my mouth, and with that feeling that I owned one half of Collins Street [the main business hub of Melbourne] and was quite capable of owning the other half.”⁵ The encounter led to Bible studies and the baptism of himself, his siblings, and his parents. The observance of the Saturday Sabbath conflicted with his employment, so he eventually resigned and resolved that one day he would be a missionary.⁶

Career in Christian Service

On August 30, 1922, he married Greta Irene Tivey in her parents’ home at Reservoir, an outer Melbourne suburb. Greta was a government-trained school teacher serving at the Warburton church school.⁷ She had been born in Melbourne on June 10, 1899.⁸ In December 1923 Sydney Sanitarium accepted Stanley into the 1924 class as a trainee nurse,⁹ but within a few weeks he became the chef in the Brisbane Café,¹⁰ followed later by the Melbourne Cafe in the familiar Collins Street.¹¹ Realizing that it was not a path to overseas mission service, he decided to become a bookseller, beginning in November 1926. He sold Home Nursing from door to door in Melbourne with good success.¹² With some experience to his credit, publishing leaders then permitted him to canvass Ladies Handbook of Home Treatment, a comprehensive and more remunerative volume. At the same time he carried Bible Pictures and Stories for the children. Once again, his sales figures were impressive.¹³

Having served six years to achieve his real goal, Stanley was rewarded. Church leaders appointed him and Greta to go to Papua New Guinea. They sailed from Sydney on the SS Montoro on February 22, 1933.¹⁴ For two years they conducted the training school at Boliu, Mussau Island, and were then selected to pioneer in the inland mountains of Papua New Guinea.¹⁵

Mission leaders had selected a mission base at Kainantu in the Eastern Highlands and 10 national laborers had gone ahead of Gander to build a home of local timber, bamboo, and grass thatch. Stanley and Greta, with 12-year-old daughter, Gwen, flew into Kainantu on a chartered aircraft from Salamaua in January 1935.¹⁶ Gander’s first assignment was to walk the laborers to safety through uncontrolled territory as far north as the outskirts of Madang. There the men sailed back to their homes in Mussau, Matupi, and the Solomon Islands, and Gander and a few carriers returned to Kainantu. The solitary track led over the mountains, following ridges more than 2,000 metres high.¹⁷ Gaining the confidence of the people, Stanley placed a number of New Guinea missionaries in surrounding villages. Their influence quelled much of the tribal fighting so deep-seated in local society. The population welcomed the peace, and the chiefs pleaded for more missionaries to enter the district.¹⁸

After their furlough in 1936, the Gander family located further west in the mountains to pioneer a new mission station at Bena Bena. It was a repetition of their time at Kainantu. The people were friendly and eager to have New Guinea missionaries build outposts and conduct worship services for them. Gander wrote of giving numerous vaccine injections for the prevalent diseases. Pidgin English refers to an injection as a “shoot.” When Stanley joked that he was “shooting natives,” he meant that he was giving them injections.¹⁹ The family remained at Bena Bena after their second furlough, returning in 1940.

The Japanese invasion during World War II brought about the evacuation of all expatriate women and children early in 1942. In hindsight it was not a wise decision for the husbands to remain at their post, most of them isolated with few options for a rapid escape. Gander with colleagues David Brennan and Alexander Campbell were virtually trapped. Their only path to safety was an arduous trek over mountains and rivers further west of Bena Bena. Reaching Mount Hagen after nine days, they eventually found a pilot willing to fly them to the relative safety of Australia.²⁰

In 1942 leadership ordained Stanley Gander at the Avondale church soon after his return from New Guinea and reunion with his family.²¹ For the remainder of the war years Pastor and Mrs Gander ministered in the North New South Wales Conference.²²

The northern districts of Papua New Guinea were the last to be cleared of retreating Japanese troops. When it was considered safe, Stanley and Greta Gander received permission to enter. They were appointed to Wewak and given the MV Lelaman to service the area. In 1949 Gander braved the currents and hazards of the mighty Sepik River, exploring villages for possible mission outposts. Mosquitoes were in plague numbers. He took the vessel upstream to Angoram and beyond to villages such as Kambaramba, Mindimbit, and Kundima on the Kariwari tributary. He found the villagers friendly and receptive to the idea of New Guinea missionaries coming later to live among them.²³ Placing ministerial workers in various villages, for 12 months Stanley and Greta lived on the Lelaman as they supplied and encouraged the indigenous missionaries.²⁴ Further trips included taking the Lelaman to Vokeo Island opposite Wewak. He began a school on the island for the relatively small population.²⁵ When the church established the Northwest New Guinea Mission in 1953, it appointed Stanley as its initial president, based in Madang.²⁶

The Gandys took a welcome furlough in mid-1954.²⁷ On their return, Stanley became the home missions secretary for the Coral Sea Union Mission based in Lae. He was only in the role for five months when he was one of three Seventh-day Adventist missionaries involved in a serious plane accident on August 2, 1955. The men had attended meetings at Togoba Hansenide Colony and had rented a DH.84 Dragon aircraft to take them to their next appointment.²⁸ The plane was one of 98 built at De Havilland workshops in Mascot, Sydney. During three decades at least 75 of them crashed in Australia and Papua New Guinea, causing the deaths of 50 pilots and passengers. They were not robust craft, prone to engine failure on take-off and brake failure on landing.²⁹

When the plane tried to lift off Togoba airstrip, it could not gain altitude and descended into the gorge beyond, smashing into the forested mountain. The pilot, William Passlow, realized his dilemma and switched off the ignition seconds before impact to reduce the danger of the wreck bursting into flames. He was killed instantly, deliberately tipping the wings so that he took the full force and shielded his passengers to some extent. The three missionaries were knocked unconscious but one revived and assisted the other two men, dragging Gander from under the fuselage and cargo. Some local villagers scrambled down into the gorge and stretchered the men to the doctors and nurses at the Hansenide clinic. Gander was air-lifted to Madang District Hospital with broken ribs and his right wrist almost severed.³⁰ A later investigation found that the plane was overloaded.³¹ When he had recovered sufficiently to travel, Stanley entered the Sydney Adventist Hospital where he received further treatment for 12 months. The accident compelled his early retirement.³²

Stanley and Greta settled near the hospital and church headquarters at Wahroonga, Sydney, transferring early in 1969 to a Kressville Retirement Village unit in Cooranbong, New South Wales. On Thursday, September 11, 1969, he suffered a heart attack and died in the Belmont Hospital, suburban Newcastle.³³ Daughter Gwen and son-in-law Ken Adair cared for Greta. She died on August 26, 1984. Their graves are found in the Avondale Memorial Cemetery, Cooranbong.³⁴

Sources

“Adventists in New Guinea Plane Crash.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, August 22, 1955.

Campbell, A[lexander] J. “Leaving New Guinea.” Australasian Record, July 20, 1942.

Cavanagh, Paul. “Beginnings: Through Indigenous Eyes.” Journal of Pacific Adventist History, June 2007.

“Curtailing his furlough to attend . . .” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, January 31, 1955.

“Distribution of Labour.” Australasian Record, September 17, 1934.

Gander, S[tanley] H. “Letter from Missionary Gander.” Australasian Record, June 13, 1938.

Gander, S[tanley] H. “News from New Guinea.” Australasian Record, April 6, 1942.

Gander, S[tanley] H. “Sepik Survey.” Australasian Record, February 13, 1950.

Greive, R. A.(sic) [Louis T.] “A Wonderful Deliverance.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, August 22, 1955.

Hill, H[enry] A. “Agnes Annie Gander.” Australasian Record, October 14, 1935.

“It was voted that Brother S. H. Gander . . .” Australasian Record, February 25, 1924.

Lemke, E[rnest] C. “Greta Irene Gander obituary.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, January 12, 1985.

Lukens, M[orris]. “Items from the Victoria-Tasmania Conference.” Australasian Record, February 22, 1915.

Lukens, M[orris]. “Victorian Notes.” Australasian Record, February 28, 1916.

McGuiness, Paul. “DH.84 Dragon.” ADF Serials, 2016. Retrieved from www.adf-serials.com.au/2a34.htm

“Monthly Summary of Australasian Colporteur Work.” Australasian Record, January 10, 1927 through January 23, 1933.

Nolan, H. W[ard]. “Amid Mud and Miracles of Mission Advance.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, August 9, 1954.

Peacock, G[erald]. “Penetrating into New Guinea.” Australasian Record, November 11, 1935.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbooks. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1935-1955.

Stanley Herbert Gander Biographical Information. Sydney Adventist Hospital Archives, Wahroonga, New South Wales. Folder: Nurses’ Biographical Information. Document: “Stanley Herbert Gander.”

Stockton, H[arry]. “New Helpers for New Guinea.” Australasian Record, March 6, 1933.

Turner, W. G[ordon]. “Life Sketch of Pastor S. H. Gander.” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, October 13, 1969.

Turner, W. G[ordon]. “The President’s Report.” Australasian Record, September 15, 1936.

“Wedding.” Australasian Record, September 18, 1922.

Notes

1. W. G[ordon] Turner, “Life Sketch of Pastor S. H. Gander, Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, October 13, 1969, 13.↩

2. H[enry] A. Hill, “Agnes Annie Gander,” Australasian Record, October 14, 1935, 7.↩

3. W. G[ordon] Turner, “Life Sketch of Pastor S. H. Gander,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, October 13, 1969, 13.↩

4. M[orris] Lukens, “Items from the Victoria-Tasmania Conference,” Australasian Record, February 22, 1915, 6; M[orris] Lukens, “Victorian Notes,” Australasian Record, February 28, 1916, 8.↩

5. S[tanley] H. Gander, “News from New Guinea,” Australasian Record, April 6, 1942, 3.↩

6. W. G[ordon] Turner, “Life Sketch of Pastor S. H. Gander,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, October 13, 1969, 13.↩

7. “Wedding,” Australasian Record, September 18, 1922, 7.↩

8. E. C. Lemke, “Greta Gander obituary,” Australasian Record, January 12, 1985, 14↩

9. Stanley Herbert Gander Biographical Information Sydney Adventist Hospital Archives, Wahroonga, New South Wales. Folder: Nurses’ Biographical Information. Document: “Stanley Herbert Gander.”↩

10. “It was voted that Brother S. H. Gander . . . ,” Australasian Record, February 25, 1924, 8.↩

11. W. G[ordon] Turner, “Life Sketch of S. H. Gander,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, vol. October 13, 1969, 13.↩

12. E.g., “Monthly Summary of Australasian Colporteur Work,” Australasian Record, January 10, 1927, 5.↩

13. E.g., “Monthly Summary of Australasian Colporteur Work,” Australasian Record, February 9, 1931, 4.↩

14. H[arry] Stockton, “New Helpers for New Guinea,” Australasian Record, March 6, 1933, 8.↩

15. “Distribution of Labour,” Australasian Record, September 17, 1934, 3-5.↩

16. W. G[ordon] Turner, “The President’s Report,” Australasian Record, September 14, 1936, 2-5.↩

17. Paul Cavanagh, “Beginnings: Through Indigenous Eyes,” Journal of Pacific Adventist History, June 2007, 28, 29.↩

18. G[erald] Peacock, “Penetrating into New Guinea,” Australasian Record, November 11, 1935, 3, 4.↩

19. S[tanley] H. Gander, “Letter from Missionary Gander,” Australasian Record, June 13, 1938, 2.↩

20. A[lexander] J. Campbell, “Leaving New Guinea,” Australasian Record, July 20, 1942, 3.↩

21. W. G[ordon] Turner, “Life Sketch of Pastor S. H. Gander,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, October 13, 1969, 13.↩

22. E.g., “North New South Wales Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1945), 66.↩

23. S[tanley] H. Gander, “Sepik Survey,” Australasian Record, February 13, 1950, 3.↩

24. W. G[ordon] Turner, “Life Sketch of Pastor S. H. Gander,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, October 13, 1969, 13.↩

25. H. W[ard] Nolan, “Amid Mud and Miracles of Mission Advance,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, August 9, 1954, 6-7.↩

26. “Northwest New Guinea Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1953), 90.↩

27. “Curtailing his furlough to attend . . . ,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, January 31, 1955, 8.↩

28. “Adventists in New Guinea Plane Crash,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, August 22, 1955, 3.↩

29. Paul McGuiness, “DH.84 Dragon,” ADF Serials, 2016, accessed March 30, 2020, www.adf-serials.com.au/2a34.htm↩

30. R.A. (sic) [Louis T.] Greive, “A Wonderful Deliverance,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, August 22, 1955, 3.↩

31. Paul McGuiness, “DH.84 Dragon,” ADF Serials, 2016, accessed March 30, 2020, www.adf-serials.com.au/2a34.htm↩

32. W. G[ordon] Turner, “Life Sketch of Pastor S. H. Gander,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, October 13, 1969, 13.↩

33. Ibid.↩

34. E[rnest] C. Lemke, “Greta Irene Gander,” Australasian Record and Advent World Survey, January 12, 1985, 14.↩