THE Editor's Mailbag

Letter From Pitcairn

Sir, —The arrival of a ship at Pitcairn these days is really a big event and as one is coming tomorrow everybody is writing to catch the westbound mail. We surely feel isolated these days since the good Shaw Savill liners were taken from this run. We are being as nice as we possibly can to captains of stray ships that pass to encourage them to call again.

There are certainly some very nice men running the ships that pass our way, and we want them to feel wel come. From the beginning of the year we have had good rains and the crops are fine so there is really no shortage of homegrown food. The necessities of life are in good supply and I think all are happy with life in general.

Christmas and New Year came and went with very happy doings.

The Christmas trees were well filled with toys and all kinds of presents for everyone on the island. The pre sents ranged from mero logs to talk ing dolls and from coconuts to fancy chocolates. On Christmas Eve the children hung up baskets at the back door and by morning these were well filled with cookies and home-made sweets. Pacific children have a good meal of sweets and follow it with a piece of coconut to chew and there is no appointment needed with the dentist!

Christmas is the time for the appointment of new officers to hold the government positions for the coming year. The magistrate holds his position for three years before re election. Pervis Young still main tains this post and he has a good band of helpers in the Island Council.

They are busy planning improve ments on the island to make life more comfortable for 1969.

During 1968 the people here were thrilled to have the HMS Andrew call to show the British flag. She is a submarine and was on her way from Singapore to London when she called for a day. The master and some of the men came ashore and were entertained to lunch and a visit over the island. A few of us were taken for a diving trip in the sub. and this was a wonderful thrill for us. The men of the island who stood by in their boat wondered if we would come to the surface again.

My sister, Edna, wondered if this weren’t getting a bit low for a pastor!

However we have redeemed our selves this year by having the USS Breton call on her way to our Oeno Island. Her arrival brought great excitement, for she was bringing drums of fuel oil from the States and this was to be landed by helicopter. Len Brown levelled off a landing field near the cemetery with his big bulldozer.

The Breton, an aircraft carrier, went to Oeno to erect beacons to assist aerial and space navigators.

On arrival, her small helicopter, known as the “Mixmaster”, flew ashore and landed on our copter-port.

The magistrate flew aboard to arrange the programme for the day.

Soon the big copter came in and was about to land when the pilot noticed everyone on the island fleeing across the cemetery for protection from the hurricane being caused by its blades. He came back when the field was clear and landed nicely, to the shouts and cheers from the whole population.

Men from the ship came out of the helicopter to help unload the fuel. The copter then started a shuttle service to and from the ship, bringing back each time 16 large drums of fuel. They were dangling on the end of a long, steel rope, and as he waited in the air men un hooked the sling and away he went for another load. In no time he had over 200 drums ashore and none of these had come through Bounty Bay!

The ship also landed some goods for Tom Christian’s new home and a case of films for the church.

There was also a lovely new movie projector as a special gift to the island people for allowing Walt Disney to use part of the Pitcairn film. It is a beautiful machine and we thank the donor very sincerely.

After a trip over the island in the little Mini Moke we brought the leader of the project, Captain Jolley, and the master of the ship, Captain Mahoney, home for lunch. During lunch our daughter, Merian, showed them some of her paintings so they said to her, “come aboard and we will show you the ship”. All strapped up in life jackets, Merian and I joined the Mixmaster and flew to the ship. It was a thrill to land there

so easily and we had a good look around.

Merian came ashore in a special trip of the copter with a bundle of presents from the officers of the Breton. Merian was very self conscious when she landed in the midst of a crowd of children all wondering what she had under her arm. Their turn came later however, when the ship returned with a large carton of toys for all the children and they also had a trip and a meal on board.

We menfolk spent the evening on board and I showed slides of life on Pitcairn and also pictures of Oeno Island taken on our recent holiday trip there for a week. The Breton sailed away at midnight and we re turned in the rain to Bounty Bay, for a dark landing.

After a week at Oeno Island the Breton came in for a visit last Sunday. They again brought a lot of timber ashore and gravel they would not be using. A party ex plored Pitcairn and then by midday all hands were to be on board for lunch. By helicopter and launch, folk made their way to the ship for a lovely afternoon on board. A banquet was served and Disney films shown and it was strange how there appeared faces of islanders on board we very seldom see at the Square.

What a wonderful day it was for all, and then the flights ashore made it the commencement of a new era which will long be subject of con versation. We were sorry to see our friends sail away and we wish them happy travelling for the happiness they brought to Pitcairn Island.

The new headmaster for the school has arrived and settled in nicely. Mr. Henry comes from New Zealand and Mrs. Henry comes from Australia so we from Aussie gave her a special welcome. They have three lovely little children. We are sorry for the terribly rough landing they had through Bounty Bay. We said farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Reeves and a party of islanders about a week before the Henrys arrived. We wel comed home recently Ben Christian from a business trip to Suva and Noggie Young, who went to Suva for training in the maintenance of marine engines. Parkin Christian also re turned from a medical trip to New Zealand.

All is well on Pitcairn Island and life goes on with a happy swing.

Walter G. Ferris

Seventh-day Adventist Church, Pitcairn Is.

March 9.

• For more letters, see p. 52.