(And Leaflet)
pp. 56-57 · Read in the full issue
An Era Ends Last Of The Theatr (And Leaflet) Trucks
From Johnny Frisbie and Carl Hebens in Rarotonga Old hands in the islands I seen many changes occur in years under the name of gress. But now there has 1 an event of greater signific; to the “young” hands. At end of January, the last to\
teata (theatre truck) roui
the island of Rarotonga.
IT signalled the end of an era. toroka teata has always popular with the children. As as they heard the approaching with its band of five to musicians playing drums, pates kerosene tins, the children many an adult) would run tc road in breathless excitement, starting an impromptu dance dozen naked little children broke a spontaneous ura.
As the truck passed, there v be a wild scramble for the paper leaflets scattered in its and drifting to the ground.
For nearly a half century, th owners and to a lesser extent mercial trading firms, used method of advertising to the islai of Rarotonga.
Horse-drawn wagons were us( the beginning but when these replaced by trucks the familiar \ was coined and has lasted till day.
The toroka teata was a daily light in many a Cook Islander’s Not only did it inform of comm events and bargains but it of diversion and entertainment. Ar a means of advertising, it was h effective.
No theatre owner would thin holding a movie or dance wii first sending out one of the mi trucks to distribute leaflets.
But the combination of incn traffic plus excited children rui on the road to pick up the lea led to inevitable accidents. No was seriously injured but many cerned parents felt it was on question of time. Complaints ag the practice grew.
Finally yielding to pressure,
and Council passed a resolution to d this traditional but potentially ngerous practice.
The theatre owners accepted the cision with resignation, to operate )m February 1, so the last drum ing truck scattered the final leaflets i the last day of January.
A few sentimental souls joined e children by the road that day to llect leaflet “souvenirs”. (The at iction was a double bill: “The ikings” and “Pardon My Birth ark”.) Residents were somewhat startled e following day to hear the ap oaching sounds of a drumming ack. The children rushed to the iad as usual but were surprised to e the truck roll by, the band play g furiously but unaccompanied by altering leaflets.
However, the truck did stop :riodically in front of strategically cated empty powdered-milk tins hich had been nailed to palm trees ong the road the night before, bove the tins were flattened bits of
petrol tin, painted red and serving as billboards.
At each stop, while the drums pounded and the kerosene tins rat tat-tatted, a man solemnly got out of the cab to stuff the containers with leaflets, careful not to drop any on the road and thus violate- the new law.
Then the truck drove off while the children pulled the leaflets out of the tin and scattered them on the road as before.
Thus is the law respected and the leaflets distributed under the new system in Rarotonga. And it is still a toroka tea to. Well, sort of. The kids know that it just isn’t the same.