Magazine Section

Pacific Islands Monthly

Pitcairn Island feels the tread of V.I.P. feet

By PASTOR W. G. FERRIS, Seventh-day Adventist missionary on Pitcairn

The first week of December last year was a rather exciting one for Pitcairn Island. It could have been termed “Armistice Week”.

December 7 was the 150th anni ersary of the death of Captain High, and the island commemorated tie event by issuing three beautiful ew postage stamps depicting events i his life.

A 20-cent stamp shows his tomb i London. An eight-cent stamp lows him being cast adrift by letcher Christian. And a one-cent amp depicts Bligh and his little lunch.

Christian and his folk mutinied gainst Bligh nearly 180 years ago. ow their descendants on Pitcairn ild him in honoured memory.

Governors visit

It happened in the same week as e Bligh anniversary that a repre ntative of Her Majesty the Queen, e Governor of Fiji, Sir Derek keway, arrived on Pitcairn on an ficial visit.

He flew from Fiji to Tahiti and me the rest of the way in a small iierican ship. He arrived in beautiful ;ather and came ashore in style.

I had the honour of driving him state to the Square where all the

people had gathered for the official reception.

Qur vehicle was a Morris Mini M oke given To the Seventh Adventist missionary on Pitcairn by the Central Pacific Union Mission, which had reached the island in the passenger-freighter Amaleric on November 25. The Mini is Pitcairn’s first motor car.

The Governor looked good in his “* SPeeCheS ° f " 8 c . u , L When they were finished, the Gov ernor called John Christian up and presented him with the documents and P a P ers that made him an MBE.

Fletcher’s descendant has thus now been honoured by a forgiving Queen, and a forgiving Pitcairn gave feasts and presents to the Governor, when Sabbath dawned His Ex cellency expressed a desire to attend church for the n a m , vitS ‘ h ' S a " d , m ‘ f d h l m read lesson scripture - t Blb e ‘ He dld ?° Y niCely ’ and it W3S an historic moment when the Bible that had meant so much to the families of

the Bounty sailors in bringing about this forgiving spirit, could be read once more by the representative of the Queen.

In the evening, my wife invited the members of the Island Council and their wives to dine with the Gov ernor at our home.

This meant catering for 25 all told, but with five tables in our large lounge room there was plenty of room tor all. We prepared everything on Friday, and borrowed the best of everything to make the tables look like a banquet fit for a governor.

The ladies all brought prepared tood and there was plenty to spare It was a happy gathering, and every one dressed up.

The folk said it was the nicest gath ering that Pitcairn had had for a l 01 ?f . whlle - A grand concert was held in the hall that night and all enjoyed it.

Next day, we went for a tour of the island. His Excellency, Pervis Young, (the magistrate), Mr. Warner (the Government adviser) and I as driver climbed the hills.

We went to spots I had not seen before, and it meant some walking down and up steep trails to see all the plantations of trees that are grow ing very nicely.

The ladies had provided cool drinks

The "Bounty" Bible, now a revered relic on Pitcairn, was given to an American visitor to the island in 1837 and for the next century or so it remained in the United States. It was returned to Pitcairn in 1951.

The Governor of Fiji, Sir Derek Jakeway, "looked good" to the Pitcairners in his official uniform. The picture was taken when Sir Derek was sworn in as Governor in Suva in 1964.

: various points to keep us going. /e visited the radio station, then ent to the satellite tracking station id met the American boys.

We had our pictures taken with big satellite camera worth thousands dollars. His Excellency took the ;gative to Fiji, so we may see a •py some day.

We then followed new roads.

New world

The little Mini was a real bless and the Governor never stopped ying how delighted he was with r performance.

We crossed the mountain through large cutting and went down into d’s Side. This was a new world

to me, and His Excellency was amused that he had to come to Pit cairn Island to show me some of the interesting places. We returned to Adamstown and had lunch with the school teacher at the school.

His Excellency then met the Island Council and answered many questions.

That night, His Excellency provided a real banquet feast for everyone on the island. The food was brought ashore from the ship, and this was his farewell gathering. He had come as Governor of Pitcairn Island and all fell in love with him for the kindly man he was.

Rain began to fall on the Monday morning of the Governor’s departure as I drove him to the Edge to board his ship.

It seemed a tearful farewell. He invited nine Pitcairn boys to go with him to Tahiti to see the land of their mothers. They went, and have since returned home again.

NZ Governor-General's visit

Sir Derek Jakeway was Pitcairn’s first official vice-regal visitor. But only a week earlier, the island had had an unofficial call from Sir Arthur Porrett, who has since been sworn in as Governor-General of New Zealand.

It happened that when the Ceramic arrived from London, my wife was dreadfully worried about the illness of the teacher’s wife, Mrs. Reeves.

She appeared to have pneumonia

and was very sick. So a message was sent to the ship’s doctor to come ashore to see her and some other patients.

It turned out that the doctor could not come, but there was a passenger who could, he was none other than Sir Arthur Porrett, who, with his lady and party, was on his way to New Zealand to take up his appoint ment.

Sir Arthur is a retired surgeon to Her Majesty the Queen.

Sir Arthur Porrett sought per mission from “high up” to be landed on Pitcairn to take a look. But the powers that be said, “No, it is too dangerous.”

However, when he heard that Pitcairn needed a doctor, he said, ‘They won’t let me go ashore as Governor-General, but they can’t stop me from going ashore as a surgeon!”

We went aboard the Ceramic and were officially introduced to the vice regal party. Blenda Christian and Menan presented flowers to Lady Porrett, and we gave gifts to His Excellency.

Ours from the church was an illum inated address of welcome, beauti fully painted and printed on a Pit cairn skeleton leaf. It looked good framed.

When the doctor and his party came ashore, ropes were tied around the ladies as they climbed down Jacob’s ladder. I heard an officer say to one of the Pitcairn Island boys, “I knew you were a good fisherman, but

[?]n Christian, a descendant of mutineer cher Christian, who received the in [?]jia of Member of the Order of the [?]ish Empire from Sir Derek Jakeway [?]uring the Governor's visit to Pitcairn.

Whether you go into Pitcairn's Bounty Bay by longboat or by molor-boat, as is more usual these days, the experience is always an exciting one. Two vice-regal repre sentatives of the Queen can now claim experience.

never heard tell of you having a rovernor-General’s daughter on the ad of a line before.” The captain’s ife came along, too.

We quickly made Bounty Bay and imbed the hill. Motor bikes took ic medical folk to see the sick, and tractor and trailer with boards >r seats took the party around. They id lots of fun.

I rushed around and with the help : two ladies prepared morning tea our house for the vice-regal party.

They all came down on the trailer id seemed to enjoy the fruits and inks provided. They were de >htful folk, and appreciated every ing we did. My wife appreciated e medical help and advice.

The visit afterwards to the Square, inic, and to the church proved teresting, and His Excellency stood verently before the Bounty Bible id thought of what it had done r Pitcairn.

We returned to the bay and out the ship where the 70 passengers id crew cheered as the VlP’s mbed the ladder.

We said farewell to real friends the ship sailed away for New :aland. They all loved the Pitcairn rewell songs.

I was sorry that the mini-moke d not arrived when they called, t it came two days later and was wonderful help to the Governor Fiji.

Radio station plan

Another recent event of interest is the return to Pitcairn of Tom iristian and his wife Betty from ;ir trip to America.

Tom is the wireless station matt er here. He has been working at ; Voice of Prophecy centre in Los igeles.

He took a special course in the of running a broadcasting station, th the thought in mind that some y he might run one here on Pit rn.

Fhis is really going to function, i plans are already drawn for the ildings. I have a real vision of : possibilities of the station.

By ham radio we have been talk ; to the world. I spoke to a man Nazareth in Palestine the other :ht, and surely we could preach the issage unmolested from this Seventh / Adventist isle. I hope that we i make capital of this and not let ■ chance slip out of our hands, poke with Tom Christian and Sir rek Jakeway about it while the wernor was here. The Governor not object.

Fhis could mean the best income t Pitcairn could provide for the ure. What a mission programme!