Aneityum rediscovered

Two New Hebrides locals, Bob Paul and Reece Discombe, have been relic-hunting on Aneityum, one time centre of whaling and sandalwood industnes. During their search pots were discovered, along with some whale bones, in dense undergrowth 100 yards inland from the site of the whaling station run by Fredenck Freeman and Alexander Cronstadt.

The station was set up in the early 1860’s and ceased operations in 1884 when Freeman bought his partners’ share and moved to Port Patrick to set up as a trader. Each pot weighs about 15 cwt and required the strength of 13 men to roll it to the beach and load it on the Tui Cakau.

Mr. Paul’s son Robin discovered an ancient cannon on the beach at Inyuc Island, the site of a whaling station. A second cannon was found in the wreck of the vessel Leslie, a blackbirding ship that had foundered in 1883.

Cronstadt and Freeman had used timbers from the wreck for building on the station.

Both cannons were encrusted with coral and are being cleaned by Mr. Paul. Seven

other wrecks were located, a mong them that of the Southern Cross which was wrecked in 1932.

Mr Discombe and Mr.

Paul visited the Freeman station at Port Patrick and took photographs of the family aves The most recent ' is that o( H oscar Free . man who died on November 12 1969 ’ . .. . ? tI JJ on Aneityum the party ™ lted a an od 0 ™'? 10n , k stat ' on ' funded in 1852 by the Rev.

J ? h . n Inglis-.ln a veiy old chest ° f drawers “ * he church ho « se they uncovered a communion set that must have lain un used sln £S f u ™ the £ entu T The set '//bought to been presented to Inglis hy his church in Scotland, Near Isangel, Tana, the party visited a site on a hill near the French school where Ross Lewin once lived. Lewin was the first captain of a blackbirding ship belonging to Robert Towns, and he set up as a trader at Isangel in the 1870’s. The ruins of his house are now hidden behind the roots of a large banyan tree and were discovered by the historian Dorothy Shineberg.