Memories of Pitcairn
p. 85 · Read in the full issue
Pitcairn
LTHOUGH Captain A. C. Jones L hasn’t seen Pitcairn Island for e years now—and it is extremely ilikely he will ever do so again, retired mariner treasures some irm memories of the island and 5 Pitcairners from his small cottage Kent, England, some 15,000 miles ray.
He made more than 100 calls at tcairn over a period of 43-odd ars in British freighters and liners, iking his last call as master of ; Shaw Savill vessel Corinthic on ly 29, 1963.
On this occasion, because of a }uest from the Pitcairn Island Hindi, Captain Jones spent a too ief six hours ashore farewelling ; Islanders.
PIM got in touch with him recently d he mentioned he would be glad hear from Pitcairners (his address “Glenisla”, Seaton Ave., Hythe, ;nt).
He remembered his first visit in 19, when he was an apprentice oard the Ellerman and Bucknall amer Katuna en route to Sydney >m New York, via Panama.
“We were passing Pitcairn about ;ht miles southwards, when a boat is sighted from our bridge, viously trying to intercept us and attract attention,” he said. “It sntually pulled alongside and we Lind that the 20 or so men aboard d fruit and curios for sale.
“They also had mail for posting, iptain McLelland, not being sure quarantine regulations about dated Pacific Islands, and having übts about the wisdom of permit £ such a large crowd on board, fused permission for them to board, it brisk business was done, mostly the barter system—with fruit— :>st welcome—and curios.
“I traded a second-hand dungaree :ket and a box of three bars of nlight soap for two large baskets fruit, a painted coconut and a ;ce of coral from Oeno Island (an inhabited island, 65 miles from tcairn)”.
Captain Jones, as an apprentice or officer, kept calling at Pitcairn jreafter in Shaw Savill ships such the Arawa in the 1920’5, the old I caroa in the 1930’s and 1940’s and ally as master of the Corinthic. is calls in the Corinthic were spread er 12 years and totalled 56.
And of course today it is regular utine for the Pitcairners to board ssing ships for mail and the sale curios.