It's A Long, Long Way To Pitcairn

THE difficulty in reaching isolated Pitcairn Island was exemplified recently when an American university student, Miss Norma Hall, tried —and finally succeeded—in getting there to spend a month to carry out investigations for a university project.

The story of Miss Hall’s difficulties was told in the September issue of Pitcairn Miscellany, Pitcairn Island’s monthly roneoed news paper.

“In her efforts to reach this tiny outpost of the world,” the Miscellany said, “her travels took her to Fiji, then on to New Zealand.

When there seemed little likelihood of a passage from there to Pitcairn, she journeyed back to Fiji.”

“Taking ship from there, she travelled on via Tonga and Niue to Pago Pago in American Samoa. Tahiti was the next place she headed for in the hope that she might find an island trader’s vessel which was travelling down through the Society Islands towards her final destination. No such luck.

“The only course she had left was to return to the United States, go down to Panama and wait there in the hope that she could obtain a berth on one of the Shaw Savill ships. This she finally managed to do.”

The editor of Pitcairn Miscellany, Mr. S. A. Kinder, drew a moral from Miss Hall’s perigrinations. “If there is determination,” he said, “then anything can be accomplished”.

“Pitcairn Island has plenty of problems, just as every island and country has, but there is not one which cannot be solved if there is determination and the desire by each and everyone to give of his best.”