The Pitcairn Miscellany Volume 54 Number 7 August 2011

My Journey to Henderson by Ralph Warren Peu. (Pulau School)

The ship M/V Aquila came on Saturday the 13th of August 2011 to pick up Jay, David, Ariel and me to take us to Henderson Island along with the RSPB people, two helicopter pilots and the crew of the Aquila to help make the Island rat free. When the Aquila was ready to go Jay, David Ariel and I all went down to the landing. Others came down to wish us good bye and good luck. The men walked up to the longboat and pushed it down in to the white, rough water. As the men started loading the stuff we needed in to the longboats the ones who were going said farewell and stepped in to the longboat along with some of the crew off the Aquila. When everything was in the longboat and ready to go the longboat sped out of the harbour. Slowing down, the longboat went up a big white wave then came down with smash. When we got out and came alongside the Aquila some crew hopped on first while some of the others helped unload the stuff off the longboat on to the Aquila. After all the stuff was on we waved good bye to guys in the longboat and were led up to our cabins by Mackenzie the captain‟s daughter. When we saw our cabins we thought how small. I went on the top bunk and Ariel on the bottom on the right and on the other side David took the top bunk and Jay on the bottom. When we were all settled in we all went up to the bridge and watched the front of the boat digging in to the waves. After a while Ariel and I got bored and headed back

down towards our cabin and just lay in our bunks listening to music. After a while Jay and David came in and said would you like to have dinner? Ariel said no but I said yes and went along with them down to the galley. When I saw our dinner the first time I quickly rushed back up to the toilet and threw up. Believe it or not I was seasick on the way to Henderson. Through the night I was so sea sick I couldn‟t sleep much. I spent most of my time with the toilet and when I was finished, just ten minutes later I would be back there again having another date with the toilet! After a while I stopped throwing up and finally I went into a deep sleep. At seven in the morning everyone started waking up. David and I were the first awake and just lay in our bunks and started talking. Next Jay woke then Ariel. Jay got up and made his way up to the bridge. It was still a little bit rough. After a while he came back and asked are you guys going to have breakfast? David hopped out of his bed and joined him at the door. Ariel said no and I said

Henderson Island

thanks but no thanks. So Jay and David went down for breakfast while Ariel and I were in our bunks. Jay and David came back and said they had egg and bacon for breakfast. We all went up to the bridge and watched the Island as we passed it. We saw a whale between us and the island. I quickly shot off down into our cabin and grabbed my video camera and raced backed up on deck and saw they were gone, Then 5 minutes later they were back and I caught some good video of them. In the afternoon David and Ariel were flown ashore while Jay and I worked on the Aquila.

The MV Aquila by Rodger

Even when viewed from afar, there was not one graceful line on the boat! Her blunt nosed, black steel strength was completely at odds with the two streamlined and fragile looking helicopters perched on the rear deck. The rack of six huge sodium vapour lights glaring out across the sea from the roof of the wheelhouse indicates a willingness to work 24 hours a day. The gaping scuppers at the

water line of the deck hint that the work place is often deep with foaming seawater! The shiny black paint cannot hide the bent and bruised steel of her hull, and the deep throb echoing from the dual exhaust stacks tells of thousands of horsepower hidden below! Most of the boats that anchor off Pitcairn Island are slim and sleek. Gadget covered sailing craft, seaworthy enough, but built to a design meant to please the eye of a keen yachtsman. But meet the M.V. Aquila! A boat made for strength and utility! The fact of the matter is, that the Aquila was built to work hard in rough seas. Thanks to National Geographic‟s thrilling documentary following the lives of King Crab fishermen in „The worlds deadliest catch‟, the lines of the Aquila may be recognised by many of our readers. Built to hunt for crab near the Arctic Circle, to see her in the warmth of the south Pacific would suggest that she is on „holiday‟. But this time, instead of hunting crabs…she is hunting rats! Based in Seattle, the Captain and owner of the Aquila, Kale Garcia has the job of transporting men and machinery through the Pacific Ocean on a mission to eradicate rats from three very isolated islands. The details of this project were described by Johnathan Hall in last months Miscellany, where it was mentioned that two volunteers from Pitcairn would accompany the team to Henderson Island. I was lucky enough to be one of those volunteers! Welcomed on board by Kale and his wife Anji, we were given a tour of the bunks and bathrooms. I stand at 2.01 metres, and in places the headroom aboard was about 1.75m! As the roof and beams were solid steel plate, Kale handed me several sticky plasters for my bald spot, „you will use them

On board the Aquila

soon enough‟ he laughed. He was right of course! Kale‟s daughter, Kinsi looked very comfortable sitting at the controls in the wheelhouse, but it was difficult to see her half hidden behind banks of computer screens, navigation aids, radios and techno wizardry! Anji unpacked the bright red survival suits, and gave us the run down on how to wriggle into them. Mine looked a bit small, but I guessed neoprene rubber would stretch quickly when there is an alarm hooter blaring in your ear! The only „no go‟ area on the Aquila was the rear helicopter pad during the hours of darkness. A rolling deck and no handrail could mean an unplanned swim five metres below! My job was to help tip tonnes of poison pellets into purpose made bulk bags. Kale‟s teenage son Tanner then juggled the controls of the hydraulic crane, swinging the bags into the spreading buckets attached to the hovering Jet Ranger helicopters. Highly skilled operators meant that it was only a matter of seconds from the time the empty bucket hit the rolling deck until the helicopter was tilting away with another load of „meals on wheels/wings‟ for the unwanted rats of Henderson! Wide open decks at sea level are needed for working crab pots, but for this project Kale‟s crew had welded nine containers to the deck. Sleeping accommodation, toilet and shower, office and storage. Take the wings and legs off the Jet Rangers, and they slotted neatly into two containers for the long voyage to and from Seattle. Carefully sealed and damp-proof containers held the rat bait. It is no good spending millions of donated dollars to travel half way around the world, if along the way the meals go mouldy and the rats don‟t like the taste of the bait! We were moored several hundred metres off East Beach, and even from a distance, we could see a huge amount of plastic rubbish littering the white coral sands. With the poison baits successfully delivered, thought was given to using the available time, men and machinery to clean up some of the rubbish. Being one of those people who have always paid lip service to the problems of plastic rubbish, it was quite a revelation for me to listen to the expertise of the Project Crew as they discussed the problems of disposing of waste plastic; picking it up seemed to be the only easy bit! It would be pointless to just shift the rubbish from Henderson to Pitcairn, and without a lot of red tape, no other country would take it! Never the less it was decided that the effort would be made to pick up as many fishing floats as we could manage so that they could be recycled and used again back on Pitcairn. The amount of plastic rubbish on East Beach could „almost‟ be seen as a positive! Hopefully, in the near future, tourists will travel across the seas to visit this incredibly beautiful World Heritage site. This large coral island, 600,000 years old, home to so many birds and plants found nowhere else in the world, will amaze them. Hopefully they will give some thought to the many kind people who donated millions of dollars to help preserve this unique place. Then they will be brought back to earth with a thump when they see the effects that humans are having by dumping rubbish into our seas! I for one didn‟t realise that it was such a problem. I will never forget the sight of the plastic on East Beach! But a week or so before we walked the beach collecting fishing floats; the main poison drop had taken place on Henderson Island. Hopefully the next hatchlings of the Henderson petrel will successfully grow to soar across the waves. As we walked along the beach, the stench of death wafted in the wind! There seemed to be a lot of dead rats!

East Beach

Chickens by Shirley Young

If you live in an area that is infested with chickens, then you have some idea what we are experiencing here on island. Infestation you say? Well, rats can be an infestation, but cute fluffy chickens? Yes, they are. Most obvious is when the rooster start to crow at 5 am or sooner. When one is hanging around anywhere in earshot, then shooting the varmints does definitely cross your brain. In general, all chickens love a bit of fresh greens, whether in the form of your beloved flowers, or delicious bits of lettuce. The chickens do not even say thank you, but snack upon your hard labour grown delights, as if they had put in the time and energy to grow the stuff themselves! We are mostly growing, being pestered by black/dark

coloured chickens. Why? Because the white ones are easier to shoot. A few people here take their guns out and do a bit of eradication. Not enough though. Gardens, and sleeping in past 5am, are still threatened. They may have small bird brains, but they are aces at running and hiding expertly quick. Go out shooting/ stalking and hunting, don‟t see a chicken, you hand the gun back to the police to be secured, only to have the chickens show themselves once they realize you no longer are a threat.

Why do we have Chickens in the wild, because they escape from their homeowners compounds, grass greener on the other side of the fence, or possibly deliberately released because the owner cannot bear the thought of killing a now seemingly non productive member of the extended family.

Go to shoot a mamma who is rearing not one or two cute little balls of fluff, but oh no, they choose to raise 12 of the pesky things, and when you get to close to them mum sends out the coded squawk which means in chicken language, right little ones hide immediately and don‟t show yourself until I give the all-clear signal. Mum then goes running off in the bushes squawking madly. Oh, the chicken tales we can tell...

The “chickens” of Pulau School!

A wintery gale was thrashing Pitcairn Island, and with the wind

rattling at the windows, and big waves surging against the rocky cliffs, a plaintive voice crackled over the radio. The sailing vessel „Bobby‟ was in the vicinity and was keen to find shelter in the lee of the island.

Alone, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Emily Richmond was struggling to keep a steady compass bearing. With no motor, and a problem with broken rigging, she was 30 days out of Easter Island trying to make a landing on Pitcairn Island.

For three days the gale blew first from the south, then from the north and back to the south. At one stage she was blown past, only a few miles away from landfall. But the only contact that she could manage was via the static filled microphone of her radio! Unable to sail close to the wind due to the temporary repairs to her mast, she just had to watch the misty outline of Pitcairn slide out of her reach each time she approached.

Finally, frustration set in when the storm abated into a very light breeze. Having spent most of the fourth day trying to tack up wind towards the island, Emily decided that enough was enough and asked for a tow from the Pitcairn Longboat!

A few hours later, safely at anchor in Bounty Bay, she could tell her story and arrange for help with the repairs to her boat. A broken stay meant that the very top of the mast had torn loose, and rough seas had made for difficult repairs at the top of the wildly swinging pole. Then a broken engine mount caused the motor to shift and bend the propeller shaft! Oh the joys of sailing the deep blue seas!

Several days sheltering at Pitcairn allowed for more permanent repairs to stays and rigging, but although Randy was able to fix the motor problems, nothing could be done with the bent shaft. Emily explained that she wasn‟t really at risk because of the breakages, but the boat had been very difficult to sail single-handed in that condition. Apparently from a family of non sailors, she had been given a yacht, read a book about sailing around the world, and had decided „why not give it a go!‟ A very capable and gutsy young lady…we wish her well!

A Story from Pulau School One morning the three little crabs went to find each a new home for them to live in. The littlest crab built his house out of seaweed. The second biggest built his house out of sand, but the most biggest crab built his house out of firm strong and steady rock. After they were done building their houses the big crab told the little crabs to look out for the big bad shark. From near in the reef the big bad shark heard what the crabs were saying about him. He burst out of the sea weed and chased the crabs. The littlest crab ran into his house of seaweed. The shark glided up to his house and said, “Let me in or else I will huff and I will puff and blow your house down.” “No,” said the little crab. “Then, well, I‟ll huff and I will puff and bubble your house down.” So the little crab ran over to the house made of sand. The big bad shark swam after him. The little crab ran into the house of sand before the shark could get his jaws around him. “Let me in,” said the shark. “Or else I will huff and I will huff and blow your house down.” “We will never let you in,” said the crabs. “Very well, I will huff and I will puff and blow your house down.” The two little crabs ran over to the house of rock. “Let me in,” said the shark. “No,” said the three little crabs. “Well I‟ll huff and I‟ll puff and blow your house down.” But he couldn‟t. He bubbled in defeat and swam home. BC

During the last days of August, Doctor Peter and partner Maria were packing their bags and

saying their farewells around the island. Peter has been looking after Pitcairn „medical matters‟ over the last six months, and at times has been VERY busy. On a number of occasions, during the dead of night, his quad bike has been heard bumping along the dusty tracks, as we all lay in bed wondering whom it was that he had been called out to help! His care and attention to the community of Pitcairn has been very much appreciated by both the sick and the healthy! We wish both Peter and Maria all the very best, and wonder if they will be back for a third „tour of duty‟ at sometime in the future? Of course a farewell to one doctor always means a welcome to another, and Doctor Kevin and wife Sharon have arrived to spend the next 12 months. Having worked in Antarctica, then 22 years as a Navy Doctor, and more recently on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, we know that both Kevin and Sharon will very quickly find their feet on Pitcairn Island. As keen yachtsmen, will we see them teaching their skills to the sea scouts?

The story of the X-ray Machine

Some of our readers, who have been following life on Pitcairn Island for a long time, will recall that the Miscellany of May 2005 featured an article about the arrival of new equipment for the Health Clinic. It explained how the island Radiographer, Steve Christian, had been struggling to work with outdated x-ray equipment, and the article celebrated the arrival of a brand new x-ray machine for the Health Clinic.

Now that it is 2011, that machine is no longer new! Steve and Doctor Peter have been called on to take several x-ray photos over the last few months, and it seems that there was so much radiation leaking from the machine, that there was a real danger of them both starting to „glow‟ in the dark! The inner most workings of an x-ray machine are not easily understood, and so dust and cobwebs were blown off the instruction manual to find that the elderly machine was away past due for a health check up of it‟s own!

Once again, the isolation of the Pitcairn community presents unique problems. The x-ray manual called for maintenance

check-ups every year, but the cost of freight for the machine, or transport for a service technician is prohibitive! Our nearest neighbour, Mangareva, does not have an x-ray machine, so we cannot even share service costs with them. The costs associated with repair or replacement figure in the tens of thousands, and so with a very restricted budget to work with, the Pitcairn island administration had some very difficult decisions to make!

Everybody acknowledged the importance of obtaining safe and reliable x-ray equipment, but all the government budgets were already spent. Who was going to be able to find the $50,000 needed to purchase the most basic machine? This was a problem that not only occupied the minds of the British Administration; it was also exercising the brains and imaginations of the community of Pitcairn. Plastic ice cream containers appeared about the island, calling for donations towards the cost, market days, fish fries and bring-n-buys were also organised.

The sense of despair was somewhat relieved when it was announced that a band new machine was already on board the freight boat, on route to Pitcairn! It appeared that a fairy godmother must have popped out of the bushes to sign the cheque! But the fund raising efforts continue on Pitcairn Island, everybody knows that money doesn‟t grow on trees, and at some time, somewhere, somehow that money has to be paid back! In the meantime, the whole Pitcairn Island community would like to know the identity of the fairy godmother so they can give her a big hug‟!

New Doctor & New Xray Machine

A Story from Pulau School. I am a crayfish sneaking along the seabed looking for food glorious food. When I came across a cave in the rocks I saw a shadow move behind a rock. Suddenly the shadow disappeared just like that. I crept out of the rocks and sneaked along the little rocks. I thought that the shadow had disappeared. Then I heard a sound. I looked around but saw nothing. I looked at a dark spot by the rocks. Something came out. It was another crayfish like me. I went and said, “Hullo. Who are you?” “My name is Owdy.” “My name is Sprat. Where are you going Owdy?” “I am going to Pitcairn Island.” “That‟s where I am going too. Maybe we can work together.” “That‟s a good idea.” “Pitcairn is that way.” It took two days to get there. “Hey Owdy let‟s find some food.” Owdy and I smelled around for food. I said, “Owdy, over here. Look I smell dead fish.” When we came to the fish it was in something. There was a hole in the top of the cage and I saw the fish inside it. I crawled up the cage and down in to the hole. I told Owdy to come and eat with me. So Owdy climbed in. We ate and ate for a long time. Then I said to Owdy “I‟m full.” “Me too.” I went to the hole and looked up. I tried to get out but I could not get out. I said to Owdy, “You try.” But Owdy couldn‟t. So I went over in the corner and went to sleep. Owdy did the same. In the morning I heard a sound. It sounded like a boat. I got up and woke up Owdy. Owdy grumbled, “What?” “I can hear something. It sounded like a boat.” A big boat came on top of the cage. A rope was attached to the cage. We were getting lifted up. Two men on the boat took us on the boat. Owdy and I flapped up and down in the cage. We were taken to an island. The two men pulled up a bigger trap than this one. They put us in the big one. Lots more like us were in it. Owdy and I looked around. I suggested to Owdy, “Let‟s cut us out of here.” So Owdy and I started to cut at the net. We made a little hole. Then we stopped. Owdy moaned, “This is taking too long.” “But we have to keep going,” I replied. “OK,” said Owdy. So we cut and cut and cut. The hole was big enough to fit one crayfish through. Owdy went through then me. All the other crayfish came out. They said, “YES! We are out at last.” Owdy and I went looking for a home in the rocks. I said Bye to Owdy and Owdy said, “Bye.” And all that time we lived at Pitcairn Island.

KWP

While the Aquila stopped at Pitcairn to unload people and supplies, the opportunity was taken to

use one of the Jet Ranger helicopters to take some aerial photos of the island. The last helicopter to visit Pitcairn Island was many years ago, aboard a British Navy vessel. The faded photo taken on that occasion still hangs in the community hall. The helicopter landed on the sports ground in Aute Walley to gather cameras and photographers, and while it crouched in the grass, turbine whistling and blades flapping, the school children were allowed to pose for a photo. Bearing in mind that this was the first time that any of these children had seen a helicopter at close range, let alone having one land in their back yard! When the aerial photos are available, we hope to feature a number of them in a future Miscellany.

Hammering and Sawing at Pulau School.

The concrete surface of the tennis court in Aute Walley is starting to crack and tilt. The trees planted close-by to provide shelter from the ocean breezes have been pushing their roots under the slab looking for some moisture. But despite the uneven footing, Pitcairn Islanders find great delight in challenging each other to a game of tennis. Dodging the puddles of water, the cracks and the piles of goat poo does not detract from the fierce competition, and the fading boundary lines lead to many a disputed „point‟. The children at Pulau School spend much of their playtime practicing their tennis skills, and the plastic weatherboard wall of the toilet block has traditionally been used as the „hit up wall‟. As the children have grown older, the tennis strokes have become stronger, and it seemed that it was only going to be a matter of time before the toilet wall (or window) was going to suffer damage.

With all the Pitcairn workmen busy on other projects, it was decided that the children would design and build their hit up wall themselves! A planning meeting was held after school, where the children discussed how big they would like the wall to be, and then saw how they would need to reduce their ideal size so as to fit the space available. Attaching it to existing retaining wall posts, construction and bracing were all addressed as their plans were discussed with Mrs Hilary and Rodger. The nails, bolts and timber were donated by Rodger, and the construction was planned for the next Sea Scout day. Rodger and Sergeant Russ were there just to make sure the bolt holes were drilled into the correct posts, but almost all the measuring, sawing, and hammering was carried out by the children. Apart from one „short‟ plank, a few „wonky‟ saw cuts, and a few nails that „just‟ missed their target, the wall grew as planned. The children had great satisfaction in actually making their wish come true, and working together towards a common goal.

“THE PITCAIRN BEAT” The “Pitcairn Beat” is intended to give feedback and identify issues on the island from a Community Policing perspective. August has gone and the highlight of the month was the M/V Aquila coming and going from Henderson Island. A few of the Islanders got to travel and work on Henderson and the Aquila, for varying lengths of time. Our most senior Sea Scout also had this opportunity. The experience of working with others, riding in helicopters and living on a ship must have made a great impression on Ralph. He certainly has some stories to tell. This month the Sea Scouts competed around an obstacle course set up for them. The course was based on the NZ Police Physical Competency Test. This test is designed to check to see how many doughnuts and cups of coffee the “Coppers” have been consuming over the past year. Amongst the various hurdles (both under and over), runs, beams to balance on, there is also a wall, and a fence to climb over. There is a window to climb up and through, a trailer to tow and a tyre to move. The last discipline was to drag a body for 10 metres. This was no easy feat as I personally know John Doe had 4 coconuts in his “guts”. This is an event where each competitor goes through the course on their own. Everyone else is sitting back resting and/or waiting, so all eyes are on the individual. Everyone went through three times and on each occasion they bettered their previous time as they went. This was a great effort by each of them. That‟s all for this month as I have to go and start the vacuum cleaner and try and find the sink under all the dishes. Have a great September, Russ. Russell TORR, Sergeant, Pitcairn Island Police. Do you have an issue for your Community Police Officer? Please feel free to call in at McCoys or alternately email police@pitcairn.gov.pn

JULY 2011 Weather by Betty

Total Rainfall 79.7mm

Greatest Daily Rainfall 38.6 mm 12th

Days of Rain 9

Av Humidity 62%

Av Pressure 1018.4

Max Temp 22.50C 2nd 3rd

Min Temperature 140C 25h

Mean Temperature 15.40C

Sunshine Hours 196.2

Henderson Island Rail

Diary for August 2011 7th MV Wallenius 11th SV Bobby 13th MV Aquila 18th Mavis Warren‟s Birthday 21st Ann Coddling‟s Birthday 24th MV Aquila 24th MV Claymore 31st Video Link with Governor