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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 17, 1963)
g SUNDAY, MARCH 17. 1963 MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFOHD, OREGON ' Unhappy People of Tristan Da Cunha Start Journey Home (Editor's note: Thil week nd, the first of the bewil dered, unhappy people of TriiUn De Cunha begin the long journey back lo the only home they ever h'rt known until, lest than 18 months ago, disaster thrust them into a frightening new world. United Press Inter national Reporter Robert Musel, who tells the Da Cunha story in this dis patch, sums it up in a sen tence: "Our civilisation has failed them.") By ROBERT MUSEL United Press International Calshot, England - (UPII -The chill winds of winter whipped across Southampton water and through the stuc co walls of the house as though they weren't there. Willie Repetto, choked with a chest cold, huddled so close to the fire he was in danger of being barbecued. "It's this climate," he croak ed. "I have never seen such anow. 1 have never been so cold. Four of us have already , died of pneumonia." How shall I describe Willie Repetto? In the records of the lo cal labor office at Calshot outside of Southampton he is simply listed as an unem ployed laborer, 60 years old, a bachelor with no special skills. An unemployed laborer? No special skills? Values of Civilisation But these are the specious values only of our own civil ization. There is a place where Willie Repetto is a leader, headman of an entire com munity, and none more dar ing at launching flimsy long boats into raging seas. No special skills? This Is the giant of a man, loubled over now In the ag ony of a coughing spell, who courageously led his people from the isolated South At lantic island of Tristan Da Cunha when its long-extinct volcano suddenly erupted on Oct. 10, 1961. And this is the man who tomorrow begins leading them back again, disillusioned but not without hope. Melancholy Saga The melancholy saga that began that October afternoon when the little church of Tris tan shuddered under an earth tremor at Evensong is playing its last net here in former Royal Air Force married quar ters at Calshot, 7,000 miles away. The whole world watched the drama of the rescue of the Tristans from their is land that let the 20lh century pass by and cheered the efforts of the British tb set tle them somewhere they would feci at home. , It hasn't worked out. Our civilization has failed them. Now every man, woman and child of the Tristan popula tion of 260 is so homesick they can think of nothing but going back. They appreciate that Brit ain has done everything pos sible. Don't Need Money "Money, money, money that's what people live by here," Willie said. "Wo don't need money on Trislan. We grow the food we cat. Here you must work at something you don't know or like lor money to buy even the sim plest things. "We've tried your llin and we would rather have our own." That Is why, tomorrow, Wil lie will be lending 50 other Tristan adults (20 of them also unemployed) and two children to the Tilbury docks In London where they will board the Royal Mall Ship Amazon on the first stage of the long Journey buck. They are heading for Rio De Janeiro in Brazil where they will transfer to the S.S. Boissevain. They should reach home April 10. Won't Want to Leave "When we put foot buck on Tristan," Willie said fer vently, "none of us will ever want to leave it again.' The Colonial office Is send ing Peter Day back as admin istrator of the Island with the advance party, and an ag ricultural supervisor will help the Islanders retrieve the po tato patches that provide a staple of a frugal diet of fish, sea birds and their eggs, and some vegetables. They call Tristan al most halfway between Africa and South America the loneliest island in the world. "It's a lonely island," Wil lie agreed, "but we are not a lonely people." Exploratory Party An exploratory party of six islanders traveled back to Tristan in. August, 1962, to survey the volcanic damage. They reported that the is land could be restored and now Willie's group will put the 65 thatched stone huts each with running water and modern sanitation, ironically installed just before the earth quake disaster into shape. Then in October two years after their forced de parture the main party will follow In the motor ship Bornholm, chartered by the Colonial office. The Tristan Islanders have tried our way of life the television, the automobile, the airplanes, railroads and buses, labor disputes (in which a few were involved when they got Jobs at an oil refinery.) Life Hard, Dangerous But they prefer the home they know even with the threat the volcano may be come active again, even though they cling lo a small tongue of thin arable land only two miles long and half a mile wide on a plateau stuck out from a 7,000 foot peak. And even though life is hard and sometimes dan gerous. When I saw Willie I had Just bought an inhaler for mv own mild cold and the headman of Tristan looked at it longingly. I handed it to him and after a few sniffs he smiled for the first time. Just then Joshua Green, one of his klnfolk as are all the people of Tristan - came in. "How you is?" Willie ask ed. Speak Antique English They speak, these Trislans cut off so long from the world, the antique English of the forebears who founded the community in 1817 when some members of a British garrison put in there to fore stall any attempt lo rescue Napoleon from St. Helena de cided to remain. I "I's fine," replied Joshua, n tall, bespectacled man who said he was 35 though I had guessed him at no more than 20. "Worry good," said Willie. The lend to pronounce v's like w's. ' Another Islander was out side the house basking in a brief period of sunshine. Sends Them Mad 'The television nearly sends us mad," said Basil La vorello, 30. "Cars, buses and trains roar like thunder through our brains. There is no time to think here. "On Tristan we don't even have a theater. But we have a community hall for playing billiards and for Saturday night dancing. We lock our doors here but In Tristan we have never had a jail be cause we never had a crim inal." The famous island made its first appearance in history when it was discovered by a Portuguese admiral who gave it his name In 1506. Jon athan Lambert, an American who stlyed himself "King of irismn, unsuccessfully at tempted to colonize the 37-square-mile Island in 1811, hul he was drowned. . Britain Takes Possession Five years later Britain took possession and installed Its garrison. After a year the garrison was pulled out but Corporul William Glass de cided to stay behind. He had an African wife and two chil dren. He persuaded some oth ers to slay with him and there are only seven family names Glass, Green, Hagnn, Rog ers, Swain, Lavorello and Repetto, the last two ship wrecked Italian sailors who chose lo stay In the 1800s. Al one time five women TO BE RESETTLED Careful study of the be resettled. "We've tried your life and we cattle and further surveys have proved that would rather have our own," a spokesman Tristan Da Cunha, which was evacuated in for the islanders said. (UPI) 1961 when the island's volcano erupted, can LOG ENDS Quick Delivery MEDFORD FUEL CO. S & H Green Stamps PHONE 772-2111 BUILDERS! CONTRACTORS! HOME OWNERS! Specify the finest-Choose "MAJOR LINE" KITCHEN CABINETS! If you are planning to build a new home, visit our model showroom. See all the latest ideas in kitchen styling. You'll love the beautifully finish ed hardwood cabinets by "Major Line" . . . their attractive designing . , , flexible arrangements that can be made to suit every size and style of kitchen. 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Harris, a Colonial office administrator, said, There is grave danger that In-breeding will produce a race of lunatics. The old days are gone. There is no new blood coming from sailing ships or naval personnel or scientific expeditions." And Dr. D. P. Choyce, an ophthalmic surgeon, wrote the British Medical Journal that there were at least. 25 car riers of a form of "early and unbeatable blindness' already in the Tristan population. The Colonial office decided on a secret ballot to deter mine whether any really wanted to stay but were be ing forced to say they would go back by pressure from the others. All males over 21 vot ed and the result was 148 for going back, five for staying. Have Changed Mands Those five all changed their minds and are coming back," Willie said. 'It's the weather," said Vic tor Rogers, 50, one of those who had voted to slay. "We have never seen weather like this. We cannot stand it. Many of us have been ill. Our win ter In Tristan Is like your summer. "We have taken into ac count all the risks and we must go back. "We will deal with the problems of in-breeding when and if they arise," he said. "Most of us live to a good old age and I myself have never seen any of this blind ness that man was talking abiful. "Believe me, it's like para dise every day out there." Treasure Tones PAINT! 10 OFF IVERSONS Medford Paint & Wallpaper Corner 6th & Holly Program on Ulcers Scheduled Today Questions concerning ulcers will be answered In a discus-. ion on "Adventures In Medi cine" at 1 o'clock this after- J noon over Station KBES-TV, j when the topic will be "til-; cer." I Appearing on the medical ; panel will be Dr. John N. 1 Reid, general surgeon, J)r. ! John R. Reynolds, specialist j In Internal medicine. Ashl and, and Dr. Earl L. Lawson, ra diologist, Medford. Parts of the discussion will , he further pointed up by the! sketching of Herbert Hunter,, medical Illustrator, as he as sists during the half-hour pro-i gram. 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