A NEW exhibition on an exploration of Papua New Guinea will open at the Royston and District Museum on Saturday. The display of photographs and items comes from the collection of Cyril Rayment and his wife Audrey, who have twice been to the Pacific Island

A NEW exhibition on an exploration of Papua New Guinea will open at the Royston and District Museum on Saturday.

The display of photographs and items comes from the collection of Cyril Rayment and his wife Audrey, who have twice been to the Pacific Island.

Originally, they were part of an expedition organised by BBC producer Ned Kelly, who had worked on the World About Us series and Life in the Freezer.

The party included Vincent Mulchrone, the Daily Mail's senior correspondent, and professional photographer Philip Jones.

They planned to penetrate into the heart of the jungle with its smelling swamps, crocodiles and snakes - and were led by 50 Biami warriors as the expedition's carriers.

It was later they discovered that five of the carriers had been imprisoned at one time for murder.

In the event, the expedition was a success and it inspired Cyril and Audrey to return there 11 years later. The exhibition, The Land That Time Forgot, is the story of their experiences.

Cyril, who served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and was in the recent documentary, Royston - A Town at War, spent the last 27 years in work with computer company ICL.

Travel and photography have always figured high among the couple's interests. They have gone around the world on three occasions and made repeated visits to parts of Africa, Asia, South America, Australasia and the Pacific islands.

The exhibition will run at the museum in Kneesworth Street to Sunday, September 24.

n The museum is open Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday (10am-4.45pm) and Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday (2-4.45pm).