They Sought Their Shangri-La

Radio Record, 13 May 1938, Page 10

They Sought Their

Shangri-La

Specially Written For The "Record"

By

George

Farwell

WHERE TAHITIAN NATIVES MET THE MUTINEERS

ITCAIRN, the world’s loneliest island, forgotten in the 18th and 19th centuries, hes become the news highlight of the 20th century. The strange tale of Ceptain Bligh’s mutineers, who sought their Shangri-la in the solitude of the Pacific, found Paradise there and lost it and years later found it again, has thrilled the world in book, on the sereen and on the radio. And, to-day, the islanders-through the installation of radio -are coming again into touch with the world on which they turned their backs so long ago.

HE STORY of H.M.S. Bounty’s dramatic and illfated voyage to the South Seas has become world famous. Few incidents in British history have raised greater controversy. Was Captain Bligh a vil-

lain or a hero? Was Fletcher Christian idealist or treacherous mutineer? Although I appeared in the American film yersion, "nd in the B.A.P. radio presentation now being beard over New Zealand Commercial stations». the study I] have made of the history of the Bounty does not permit me to lay down any forthright opinion one way or the other. Truth Buried With Ship puE ship which has given rise to this controversy now lies at the bottom of the sea close by Pitcairn Island's rocky coast, which has been her grave for nearly 150’ years. Personally, I should say that ber commander, Captain Bligh, wus not the.tyrant he has frequently been made out to be. At auy-rate, be was no worse than any other sea captain of his day. The quarrel between him and Christian. too, was principally a amatter of clashing temperaments, Certainly J dou't. feel inclined to commit myself to a definite opinion, despite the fact that I knew Charles Nordhoff and Norman Il. the authors of the book, which M-G-Mo subsequently filmed. In this book they have wisely presented the facts and left the reader to draw his own couclusious. Pu American film, however, took a number of liberties ‘with history. ... Hollywood never scruples to do this in the cause of romance and love interest. Frank Lloyd, who directed .he picture, told me himself that he hed protested azainst this distortion. of the true story, but be was overruled.’ As a result of the eriticism whieh followed the release of the filui, he resigned from the M-G-M_ studios. In their radio version, B.A.P., on the other hand ‘have KOS.Gul of their ssay to avoid the mistakes in the film, aud, after much detailed’ research, they produced a feature whieh

adheres rigidly to fact. Incidentally, I learn that quite apart from its success on the Dvuminion ZB stations. "The Mutiny of the Bounty" is now playing on 39 commercial stations, which must be a record for any Austra-lian-created transcription.

PPPTCAIRN ISLAND). a tiny point of Jand breaking the surface of the great Pacific, is to-day a living memorial to those bygone mutineers, The inhabitants are all. direct desceudants of the Bounty's crew. Totally isolated from the outer world, self-dependent by force of circumstatces, without any new strain in their blood, they have develcped their own individual mode of life. . The Piteairners, speaking a language of their own -a queer mixture of Tahitian and Biblical Englishhave founded a picturesque colony whieh has no paratlel anywhere in the world. The Link Re-welded JALETCHER CHRISTIAN aud his fellow mutineers disappeared from the face of the workd in 1790, . And from that date their descendants have lived in complete isolation until to-day. In the register of Births, Marriages, Deaths and Remarkable Family Events. the following entry-is to be Seen: "Jan, 23, 1790, H.M.S. Beunty burned at Piteairn Island." ’ It commemorated the destruction of the last link with civilisation. Aud now, after a lapse of 150 years, this link ix to be -rewelded. A shortwave radio station is being installed. Probably the next historical eutry in the Register of Lirths, Marriages: Deatbs and Remarkable Family vents will read: oe "Biteairn is once more in contact with ihe world. A radio station is now in eperation."

THE islanders became radio-conscious last year, when an American schooner, Yankee, anchored off their little domain and. sent.their.radio operator ashore... He discovered that Pitcairn had a tiny receiver, donated in 1920 by a British Company, on condition that, Andrew Young, descendant of a mutineer, would learn the morse code. Young did so, and, in 1928, an amateur operator from New Zealand installed an ancient transmitting set, which drew its power froma petrol engine designed to keep the batteries charged. Unfortunately, the New Zealander forgot to bring a petrol pump with him, and the transmitter rarely went on the air. What a Scoop! Occasionally Andrew Young could "borrow" a few gallons of juice from one of the very rare ships that call, and for a few hours "Pitcairn Island" was able to splutter out a few dots and dashes. As a rule, the petrol was wholly used up in transmitting a message of thanks to those who donated it. OW an American business group has donated a modern shortwave transmitter, operated entirely from storage batteries, and the NBC of America haye arranged to pick up Pitcairn Island programmes and relay them throughout the United States, Negotiations are now under way which will enable the NBC to broadcast the "Mutiny of the Bounty" direct from Pitcairn Island. What a scoop! Identical records such as those now being heard from all New Zealand stations .wil! he sent by B.A.P. to Pitcairn Island, and further radio history will be made. For The Glory of England N a splendid resume of the history of the Buunty, Jumes Street, a well-known American writer, says: "It was one hundred and fifty yeurs ago that pig-headed old George the Third commissioned Capt. Jonathan Bligh to sail the stout little warship Bounty to the South Seas, gather breadfruit trees and take them to the West Indics and plaut them, so that the slaves would have cheap food, and could work harder in human bondage for the power and glory of England." (Did we mention that the gentleman was an American ?) "A crew Was got, mostly from the slums, and the Bounty sailed from Spithead in 1787, and in October of 1788 hove

TO at ianitli, Almost around The world from England. ... The voyage had been tortuous. There had been calms and storms and other things that try men’s hearts. Bligh was a driver. He had orders to get breadfruit for His Majesty’s slaves, and nothing was going to defeat him... not even the sea. But he reckoned not with the courage of men. "MNTIE crew had taken almost _ inhuman punishment, and when the Bounty sailed from Tahiti after a _ twenty-three weeks’ stay, she had a hold full of breadfruit trees for slaves, and a forecastle full of grim Jglishmen who would not be slaves, "HKletcher Christian. — his spirit rebelling because Bligh was beating and driving his erew, could stand it no longer, and planned to desert the ship alone. But a seaman saw him attempt to get a boat away, and told him that several of his comrades would mutiny. "The next day Christian end twenty-four seamen

niutinied and cast Bligh and twenty-one loyal seamen adrift in an open boat, with ample provisions. Bligh, one of the greatest sailors the world has ever known, sailed the little craft three thousand miles te safety. He had vowed to bring the mutineers before am admiralty court, but while he was battling the sea, Christian sailec the Bounty back to Tahiti, "Realising that England would hunt him down, Christian attempted to persuade the mutineers to go with hiny to an undetermined destination. Only nine would venture back aboard the Bounty, but these took with them nine Tahitian wives. Six other Tahitians-three with wives-went with them. : "Christian. if he ever knew, never told his companions

where they were going. They sailed 1400 miles north-west and came .eventually toa tiny ‘Pitcairn island, which had been discovered in 1767, ‘Che world soon forgot about them, and no wonder, for their new home was 4600 miles from San’ Francisco, 53800 miles from Australia, and 38800 east of New Zealand. Plotted Murder | "T)ISSENSION cropped up soon after the Puradise was founded, and the women got the blame, In 1793 Jobn William’s wife, Fasto, died, and the Englishman took. unto. himself, without permission, the wife of one of the natives. ‘The native men, all six of them, plotted murder, but.the wives of the white men got word of the plan and warned their-hus-bands by sing-a-song: ‘Why do the black meu -sharpen, -their axes? To kill the white: men.’ . "There was war.in Paradise, and five of the: original mutineers, including Christian, (Continued on page 46),-

Sought Shangri-La (Continued from page i1.)

were butchered. Another, Alexander Smith, was seriously wounded, but, together with three others, managed to escape. They, in turn, aided by the womenfolk, slew the six Tahitians. That left only four men and eleven women, After more killing, Smith had Paradise to himself, except for a lot of women and half-caste children. "HE managed to get along in spite of this handicap, and everything was going pretty well on Pitcairn

Island when Mathew Folger, an American skipper, hove to off Pitcairn Island, and came ashore for water. "The American told Smith such glowing tales of the United States that he decided that Piteairn should also have a democratic government, and he there and then appointed himself Goyernor, and renamed himself John Adams, after the then President of the United States. The good skipper sailed away and so the tale of the ‘Mutiny of the Bounty’ reached the outside world. And now, thanks to radio, a new life opens up for them. Happy listening, you islanders!