Editor’S Mailbag
pp. 21-23 · Read in the full issue
The Suva 'Y'
The article “Teeth and Talons Bared at Suva ‘Y’ ” in September PIM (p 16) by Robert Keith-Reid, is notable both for its misreporting and misrepresentation of the facts.
However, most voluntary organisations, particularly those ser ving and run by women, are com paratively immune to this after cen turies of learning to live with it. There are two rather more serious concerns however: 1. The totally male chauvinist tone of the writing surprises, and I per sonally was amazed that even PIM, with its all-male staff, would go along with this. Writing in the classic tone (employed by all but a few notable reporters in the Pacific) which puts down women, is surely going out at last? 2. The concluding section of the ar ticle fails totally to point out that, in spite of mistakes by both board members and staff, the membership of the Suva YWCA, as befits a democratic membership movement, stepped in and voted their into action, which all of us connected with this international organisation consider a triumph.
Ruth E. Lechte,
(World YWCA South Pacific Area Secretary.) Nadi. ’
Fiji • With regard to the second of the ‘more serious concerns”, the offen ding article did report that the members met. passed a vote of no :onfidence in the directorate and dected a new board. Editor.
I have just returned from attending he third convention of the Fiji fWCA as official representative of he World YWCA. I was appalled to ead the article in the September issue )f PIM entitled “Teeth and talons >ared at Suva” and take exception to he chauvinist, sexist language used by Robert Keith-Reid.
Apart from incorrect facts stated, it 5 one of the worst put-downs of /omen I have read and to say I am
surprised to see it in a respected magazine such as PIM is to put it mildly. Would the author have been allowed to use such language if it had been about a business firm run by men? It is obvious that men can.be “bitchy” too. I request a public apology in the next issue of PIM.
Heather B. Crosby
(Member, World YWCA Executive Committee) North Adelaide
Our Nice
Exuberance
We are long subscribers to PIM.
However, somehow we think the com puters goofed this time because we received today three packages of Pacific Islands Monthly, which all were addressed to me, Mr H. S. Judd, 8505 Woodlawn Avenue SW, Tacoma, Washington 98499, USA,’ and in those three packages we receiv ed three of the August PlM’s and two of the July PlM’s.
Please make whatever necessary corrections you need to as we do not need all these copies. With your per mission, and really without it even, we are going to give the additional copies that we do not need, like one for July and two for August, to our local library. This might be very good advertising for PIM by the way, as someone reading these might ask that the library subscribe to PIM.
We thoroughly enjoy PIM and we will continue our subscription, but we just wanted to let you know that your exuberance is nice, but unnecessary.
Herman S. Judd
Tacoma, Washington State.
Where's George?
I am writing to anyone who may have any information concerning the descendants of a British subject, Matthew Hunkin, originally from Cornwall, England.
In 1838, Mr Hunkin married the daughter of High Chief Faiivae of
Leone, American Samoa. One of his sons, George (Siosi), was believed to have settled either in the Gilbert Islands or on Thursday Island, Torres Strait, Australia it was rumoured also that George may have changed his name from Hunkin to “Hankin”.
Will appreciate any contacts from anyone having knowledge of George, especially the descendants of the Hunkin family.
Eni F. Hunkin Jr.
1324 Longworth Office Building US House of Representatives Washington DC 20515 USA.
A Cod!
To your knowledge has PIM, or one of its contributors, or the EDITOR himself done any research into what Pacific Islands fishermen’s wives talk about when their husbands are away fishing?
It is one of the most interesting matters for research in the whole of the Pacific, and I believe, one which has been somewhat neglected by
anthropologists, ethnologists,
ethnographers, economists, prime ministers and editors.
It has been suggested that Pacific Islands Fishermen’s Wives Discuss Their Husbands’ Prowess As Fishermen. In your opinion, how true is this?
Tripolemus Gillowley
• Neither the editor nor any of his stuff has been with a fisherman’s wife while her husband has been away fishing. Editor.