RAOC Gazette - page 231
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1980 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1980 |
| Late date | 1980 |
| Transcription |
NORFOLK ISLAND FROM COLONEL H. R. ALDEN RETD. (RESIDENT IN NEW ZEALAND) WHERE on earth is that? It is one of the last tax havens in the Pacific area six hundred and sixty miles from New Zealand, nine hundred and eighty miles from Sydney and twelve thousand five hundred miles from London. A beautiful little Island just five miles long and three miles wide with only ninety miles of road which can be covered easily in one day. Norfolk Island was uninhabited when first discovered by Captain James Cook in 1774 during his second world voyage. The Island is full of historical interest mainly connected with the Bounty mutineers and their descendents from Pitcairn Island four thousand two hundred miles away where Fletcher Christian, Matthew Quintal, John Adams and six other mutineers plus six Tahitian men and twelve Tahitian women landed in 1790 to establish a colony to escape from the long arm of British law. The early history of the first colony tells of murder and bloodshed resulting in all the Tahitian men and seven of the mutineers meeting violent ends. Over the years Pitcairn Island was no longer able to support the growing population and in 1856 the colony moved to Norfolk Island. Prior to this move the penal settlement on Norfolk Island was abolished. The Pitcaimers were fortunate in taking over a going concern mainly centred around Kingston the capital. The ruins of the original barracks and other Government buildings still in excellent condition are todays tourist attraction; as is the old cemetery where many of the headstones bear the names Christian, Adams, Quintal and other descendants of the original Bounty mutineers. Norfolk Island is where Major Charles Brockway and his wife Vera settled on retirement from the Corps. After spend- ing a great deal of time and effort restoring a beautiful old colonial type bungalow on his property he was given only one year in which to enjoy the fruits of his labour. The accom- panying photograph shows his grave in the peaceful surroundings of the old cemetery. Today the bungalow and grounds are a picture, the address is fascinating, Trade Winds, Norfolk Island, South Pacific. Mrs Vera Brockway has re-married and is now Mrs Charles Hunt. Her husband, a retired officer from the Austra- lian Civil Service Pensions Department, is affectionately known on the Island as Charles II. Readers may also be interested to know that Major Bob Kenneth and his wife lone were on a coach tour in New Zealand in February. But exchange of news was limited to half an hour owing to their very tight itinerary. The Kenneths also own land in Norfolk Island but do not intend to settle there. Major Kenneth is with the Australian Civil Service in Canberra and was able to put me in touch with Mrs 'Sheena Galbraith, wife of the late Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Galbraith MC, whose address The Editor has should anyone wish to have i t It is indeed a very small world. The Norfolk Island census of 1976 shojved one thousand five hundred and ninety two persons living there of which six hundred were at that time permanent residents. There are now some nine hundred. There is a clear distinction between the ' Islanders' and the European settlers who are known as ' Main- landers.' The former are easily recognised by their dark com- plexions. a certain air of arrogance and their very beautiful women. They speak a language of their own, a mixture of West Country English and Tahitian, quite unintelligible to the outside world. The Islanders are friendly and courteous but owing to the tremendous increase in tourism in recent years, an average of nineteen thousand annually, it is difficult to make social contact unless one is a permanent resident. Most businesses are owned by Australians, New Zealanders and a few Englishmen. The Islanders are very much in the minority as far as the tourist trade is concerned. They have little aptitude for trade and prefer the simple life. There is no taxation on the Island apart from a levy of S10 annually in lieu of two days work on community pro- jects. Certain imported goods are taxed to a small extent but the usual range of luxury" items are ridiculously cheap com- pared with New Zealand and indeed Australian prices. The Island has no port; the monthly supply ship discharges on to a fleet of small lighters from one of two jetties South West and East of the Island depending on the weather. Main transporta- tion to the Island is by Air New Zealand out of Auckland and Quantas from Australia. Our Colonel-in-Chief, The Queen, was the first monarch to visit the Island in 1974 in the Royal Yacht Brittania accom- panied by HRH Prince Philip, Princess Anne, Captain Mark Phillips, the late Lord Louis Mountbatten and other members of the Royal household. To commemorate this occasion the Queen unveiled a plaque on Queen Elizabeth Lookout, over- looking Kingston with Government House and Quality Row immediately below. Quality Row contains the houses of top Government officials, the Store, now All Saints Anglican Church, the Officers Bath and last but not least the Bond Store located in the original Guard Room where duty free wines and spirits are sold today. For students of tradition the Australian flag, flown at Government House, is never lowered. The Australian Ad- ministrative Services in Canberra rule that when the Australian flag is flown at night it must be illuminated. The rule of the road on the Island reminded the writer of the Game Parks in Africa where road signs show that animals have right of way. On the Island there are innumerable cows which have the right of way. The whole Island is Common land with cattle roaming at will even down the one main street, reminiscent of Benares and Calcutta. Where cows are sacred in India on Norfolk Island they are sometimes shot on the hoof, the tagged ear taken to the Police Station for identifica- tion and the owner sent a cheque for the value of the beast The Island is a refuge for a variety of people—evocative of some of the stories of Somerset Maugham. There are four millionaires and many others using the Island as a tax haven; they have very little interest in local affairs. Others are run- ning away from either drink, drugs or women. Inevitably there are the remittance men. The Island is a gourmet's Paradise with a great variety of exotic foods. Dining places are numerous, varied and different in atmosphere, the cuisine and presentation always superb; the prices cheap. For example, smorgasbord lunch at the South Pacific, one of the two main hotels, is SA2. The mind boggles at what a similar meal would cost at say Simpsons in the Strand or the Old Bull '& Bush in Bath. Norfolk Island has become Mecca for many New Zealanders. In these days of inflation and escalating prices it is still cheaper, Customs notwithstanding to holiday there rather than the South Island pn their own doorstep. One can only hope that Norfolk Island will remain one of the unspoiled places in the South Pacific. — 182 — |
| Book number | R0404 |