South Pacific Sailor-Man

Story Of Tony Olsen

(See photographs opposite )

]yHEN “Tony” Olsen, trader and 't planter aged 67, died on •ctober 7, the British Solomons lost ne of its most valued residents, and very colourful and adventurous life ime to an end.

Anton Daniel Olsen was only 15 hen he left home (Tunsberg, orway) and signed on a Norwegian tiling-ship. He deserted her in apetown, in 1900, in an attempt to ilist in the British Army (then igaged in the Boer War) but was •mly returned to his ship. For the jxt few years he wandered in North id South America, and North China -he actually saw some of the naval igagements of the Russo-Japancs£ At Boston, soon after, he joined e largest wooden sailing ship afloat, e Susquehanna, bound for New aledonia to ship chrome ore. While le was in Noumea her sister ship, ie Roanoke, burned to the water le, and the Roanoke's crew were ken aboard the Susquehanna.

When the ship was en route to hina, the chrome ore loaded in New aledonia shifted during a hurricane,

and the ship broke her back and foundered at sea about 500 miles from the British Solomon Islands.

All personnel on board took to three

lifeboats.

In Tony’s lifeboat was the brutal captain of the Roanoke, a man buTlt in the old bullying tradition of sail ing vessels, and the captain’s young bride. After they had taken to the boats it was discovered that this young lady had put her clothing into one of the canvas bags which nor

mally would have contained food!

She and her husband occupied half! the lifeboat, and the men were! ordered to surrender their shirts to make for them an improvised screen!

They had been nine days at seal without water, when Olsen’s boat] sighted San Cristoval. The crew was] picked up there the next day by thd late Captain Svensen, one of the] early pioneers of the Solomons and] father of Mrs. E. A. Palmer. This] was in 1904.

Eventually, the other lifeboat! from the Susquehanna made land at] Tulagi, and all personnel from the!

Susquehanna and Roanoke were re-1 turned to Australia by the first avail! able ship, except three—Tony Olsen!

Harry Caspar and “Long Jack”, who remained in the Solomons and were] employed by Lever Bros. • TONY signed on for two years with!

Levers’ trading ship Lindsay! which ran between Lord Howe atoll!

Sikiana and the Santa Cruz group.] In 1907 he went to Australia for his] first vacation, and the Lindsay was! wrecked during his absence.

On his return he was given thd Jessie. During 1908 he met thd famous Jack London and his wife] Charmaine* London’s book ThA Voyage of the Snark describes “Aj Lost Week-end” at Penduffryn Plan! tation, now known as Berande Plan! tation, on Guadalcanal.

Soon after his return from leave Mr. Olsen was married—a marriagd which lasted from 1909 until hisj death. He resigned from Levers and,] accompanied by his young wife, hei recruited labour on Malaita, then! very much of a “hot spot”. Subse! quently he cleared and planted hisj own plantation at Tanemba, 18 miles west of Honiara, on the Guadalcanal! coast.

IN 1908, while on a recruiting trip! to Malaita, Tony Olsen met a notorious gentleman who had per! suaded a group of Australian busij ness men to finance a prospecting expedition to Malaita to find King Solomon’s Mine. A well-known! schooner had been purchased and! outfitted for the purpose. AIH members of the expedition dressed! fully for dinner every night, and the| table appointments were elaborate!

When the schooner finally reached Malaita—where the natives then werq very savage—the District Officen would not allow any member of thej expedition to land.

While the vessel lay at anchor off! shore one moonlight night, with!

veryone asleep on board, one of the »arty, Simonds, awakened on deck yhen three canoes came alongside; nd he heard a whispered conversa ion between the “gentleman” and the latives. They arranged that at lawn all the Europeans except he “gent.” were to be murdered, for /hich payment in rifles, cartridges nd other items was promised.

Simonds waited until the gent, lad gone below, and then he took the inghy and rowed round the point to tie vessel Minota, whose Captain, lob Jensen, was informed of the dot. The gent, was overpowered nd the schooner got under way be ore the pre-arranged dawn attack ould take place.

The gent, was handed over to the Resident Commissioner, Mr. C. M.

Woodford, and sent to Fiji for trial, t was found that this was the second xpedition the gent, had arranged; lembers of the first had been mrdered under similar circum ;ances. ”N 1914, and the ensuing war years, ■ very little European food was rought into the Solomons, and the ioneers had a difficult time.

In 1916, the northern coastline of ruadalcanal was swept by what was,

according to old residents, the worst hurricane in Solomons history, and Tony’s plantation suffered with the rest. In 1918 he met Martin and Osa Johnson, who photographed the Solomons and the New Hebrides.

In 1919, Tony Olsen went to Sydney and met the late Mr. W. M.

Hughes, with whom he went actively campaigning. It was then, also, that he met that remarkable man Sir Edgeworth David, famous explorer, soldier, geologist and philosopher.

Tony and his wife saw much of Professor Edgeworth David and his family, and it was then the thought

of gold first entered Tony’s mind.

He took an active interest in prospecting for the rest of his life.

During the early ’twenties, Tony was recruiting with a well-known and respected resident of the Solomons, Mr. Geoff Clift, in the A. V. Men-

dana, mostly on Malaita and San Cristoval.

FN 1927, early in October, news was * received in Tulagi of the massacre on October 4 of the District Officer on Malaita, Mr. Bell, and his ADO,

Mr. Lillies, with 19 native members of the Armed Constabulary, at Sinerango, Malaita.

HMAS Adelaide and the supply ship HMAS Biloila were sent from Australia at the Protectorate Govern ment’s request, and a party of 30 European volunteers were recruited.

Among the first to volunteer were Tony Olsen and Geoffrey and J. M.

Clift. Thirty days of strenuous operations in the bush resulted in the capture of those responsible, and the ringleaders were ultimately hanged or imprisoned. (See photos.) THE depression in the early ’thirties brought copra prices to below production costs. About this time, Tony Olsen and Jack Clift set off on an expedition into the Guadalcanal mountains, prospecting.

They discovered gold in the Betilonga River, at the headwaters of the Tenaru River; but a more sensational earlier discovery on the Sorvohio River distracted attention from their venture. Tony Olsen then ran his own vessel, the Pedeu, recruiting and trading, until during a heavy north west blow she dragged her anchor, struck a reef and sank.

In 1939, Tony started with the Balasuna Syndicate, and was engaged

on alluvial gold leases for nearly three years. In October, 1941, he went with his wife to Australia on leave, and was in Sydney when war was declared on Japan. He im mediately booked their passages in the MV Malaita back to Tulagi, but when they arrived at Cairns Mrs.

Olsen was not allowed to go on— women and children had been evacuated.

Tony returned alone to the Solomons, arriving on December 31, 1941, and continued work on the Sorvohio River lease until the ad vancing war forced them out. He left with other residents in the A. V.

Ruena, owned by the Fairymead Co,, and after a hazardous voyage—the lapanese being then established in ;he Solomons—the party got to Aus ;ralia, via Vila, early in April, 1942.

During the war, Tony, then well )ver 50, was one of the rigging crew )f a giant crane known as The Hawk m Sydney Harbour, unloading heavy var material for transhipment to heatres of war.

With other European pre-war )ioneers, Tony returned to the Solomons by MV Southern Cross in 946, and went to Ruanu Plantation, ■le then returned to Onavatuva )lantation, near his old plantation >f Tenimba on Guadalcanal, and was here until his death.