BACK FROM THE ISLANDS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 900, 2 November 1956, Page 9

BACK FROM THE ISLANDS

LIVING native-style with Polynesians, _~~ «the rescue of a castaway crew, and a return passage to New Zealand ‘in a 48-foot ketch have all come within the experience of Bruce Broadhead, formerly Rural Broadcasts Officer at 1YA, in the past few months. It was the first spell of a year’s leave of absence from the NZBS, but a conscientious broadcaster, of course, can never keep completely off duty, and on his way afound. the South Pacific islands he was able to record several programmes ‘which listeners will’ be hearing soon. After flying from Auckland to Fiji, Bruce spent a fortnight in and around Suva where, using a battery-operated portable tape-recorder lent by the NZBS, he spent much of the time in the villages recording native songs and dances. Then he heard that H.M.N.Z.S. Lachlan was going to Samoa to do survey work, and, with the help of the Island Territories Department, he was allowed to travel with her. "A few hours out of Suva," said Bruce, "the Lachlan received a call to rescue the crew of the inter-island trading vesseh Vasu (150 tons), which lay sinking on our course a day’s steaming away. Through the messages received I was able to observe and record how the Search and Rescue Organisation came into action. The castaways were sighted by a Sunderland flying-boat of the Royal New Zealand Air Force station at Lauthala Bay. Their position was relayed to the Lachlan. Meanwhile the Vasu had sunk, but the Captain (whom

I interviewed later) and the crew were picked up by the Lachlan from their three lifeboats." In the two months he spent in the Samoa group Bruce was able to Visit many of the islands. Some he visited with H.M.N.Z.S. Lachlan, others by Island schooner. At Savi’i he lived for three weeks with a Samoan family, observing the customs of the Islanders and recording their songs. "The Samoans are about the last of the true Polynesians left, as far as their customs and way of life goes," said Bruce. "Their hospitality is fantastic, and they go to great lengths to provide the -visitor with those European comforts they imagine he wantsfor me they carted in a bedstead from two miles away. Nevertheless, I lived on their own

type of food-taro, yams, breadfruit, fish, bananas, and so on." One programme which Bruce recorded in the Samoan group deals with the development of Western Samoa under the administration of the New Zealand Gov-

ernment. (It is a United Nations Trust Territory.) Another programme deals with copra-the islands’ main product for export. There is also a programme for children about the boys and girls of Samoa.

After visiting Niue Bruce wert te Aitutaki in the Cook Group, and stayed five weeks at Rarotonga. Wherever he went he recorded the traditional music and drum dances of the people, and observed their customs. He paid a visit to