Whaling at Norfolk

Island

Industry That May Be Revived Written for The Pacific Islands Monthly by N. J. Winter

FOR many years whaling was the principal industry of Non oik Island.

The life of the community was inti mately bound up with it, departing boats being watched by a crowd of islanders, including, of course, wives and children, brothers and sisters, of those who were going to risk their lives in quest of the sea-monsters.

When a whale was captured and towed ashore —sometimes by as many as a dozen boats—the crowd again as sembled, and songs from the rowers (for the islanders love part-singing) floated strongly over the waters.

A general holiday was observed to mark the event. The school was closed, and the children watched with glee the exciting if somewhat unsav oury work of stripping off the blubber and trying out the oil.

At the end of the season a ton of oil was given to the Church, and a solemn Thanksgiving Day was instituted in gratitude for preservation from the dangers of the work.

A few years ago the industry ceased owing to the poor price of oil (of which a considerable quantity is still stored here unmarketed), and banana culture took its place.

All over the is land are still to be seen relics of the whaling days.

Huge white bones strew the beach at Cascades. In many homes, the huge jaw-bones of the whales are set up as archways, and in many a back-yard one of the old iron try pots is in use as a

horse-trough.

Thrilling tales are current re garding the hair breadth escapes of the whale hunters.

Fatalities were

luckily, rare. Mr. Tom Adams told me of how his father, sitting on the thwart beside him, was struck by a whale and killed instantly. On another occasion a whole boat’s crew spent a night in the water, clinging to an up turned boat, being rescued next morn ing ten miles out at sea. At daylight, an experienced whaler, the father of Mr. Eddie Nobbs, set a course in his sailing boat to find them. He had spent the night walking about, study ing the wind and weather. His calcula tions proved correct, for he sailed dead on to them, and picked them all up.

One elderly member of the rescued party died shortly after from the ex posure.

It has been suggested, more than once, that Norfolk Island whaling should be revived. But nothing much has been done. So long as the island ers eontinue to get good prices for their agricultural produce, the bird in the band vail be regarded as worth two in the sea.

The ruins of the convict prisons at Kingston, N.I. It Is this port that the boats used to put out in pursuit of whales.