Tristan Islanders
Review of the Tristan Year
In line with one of their age-old traditions, the Tristan Islanders helped out a Dutch sailor who limped into their harbor with his damaged yacht in mid-December. According to Alex Mitham, the British Administrator of Tristan da Cunha, the homemade yacht named Way to Brisbane was sailing from the Netherlands to Australia when it ran […]
Tristan Islanders Remember their Forebears
When a Tristan Islander passes away, everyone in the community pauses to show respect for the deceased, whether or not they were members of the immediate family. Dawn Repetto posted a cemeteries page on the Tristan website last Thursday to provide, with her story and pictures, some insights into the ways the Islanders handle deaths […]
Tristan Lobsters Accepted by the EU
About 75 percent of the economy of the Tristan Islanders is based on fishing for Tristan lobsters, Jasus tristani, the market for which has just been expanded significantly. Ovenstone Agencies, the South African company that is licensed to control the catching and processing of the lobsters in the waters around the Tristan Islands, made a […]
Rat Hunting Holiday on Tristan
Rats are a major problem for nesting sea birds on Tristan da Cunha but the Tristanians have developed a unique way of coping with the introduced mammalian plague. The islanders have a holiday every year during which they compete to eliminate the most rats—and have a great party in the process. In her account of […]
Presentation on Tristan Coming to Toronto Area Library
A library assistant at the Mississauga Library, Craig Rowland, will be presenting a program in late April about his 23 day stay last autumn on Tristan da Cunha. Mr. Rowland has selected a couple hundred photos out of the thousands he took to accompany his presentation. Rowland has traveled to many places that are far […]
Tristan Islanders Support Typhoon Relief
One of the fascinating aspects of the peaceful society on Tristan da Cunha is the pride the Islanders take in their heritage of rescuing people from shipwrecks. A couple years ago, when a huge cargo vessel, the MS Oliva, struck a reef on the nearby Nightingale Island, boats quickly rescued the crew before the ship […]
Long Johns for Tristan Weather
There is little doubt that Conrad Glass, the sole policeman on Tristan da Cunha, has a good sense of humor, at least to judge by the photo accompanying a press release last week. The release describes a somewhat whimsical public relations stunt by a firm that sells long underwear over the Web. The PR effort […]
Tristan Relationship with Man Strengthens
The upcoming Administrator of Tristan da Cunha, Mr. Alex Mitham, paid a two day visit to the Isle of Man last week to get some tips on the administration of a British island dependency. His visit follows an island-to-island exchange, which started in February with the four month stay of a Tristan couple that was […]
Tristan Couple on Isle of Man
The government of the Isle of Man is hosting a couple from Tristan da Cunha, sort of an island to island exchange, so the Tristanians can see how things are done in another British dependency. Martin Green and his wife Iris Green arrived on Monday last week in Douglas, the capital and major town of […]
Old Year’s Night on Tristan
The Tristan Islanders celebrated what they call “Old Year’s Night,” the last night of December, with the usual revelry this year—and with a couple of effective speeches thrown in. Descriptions and photos of the event were posted on the Tristan website last week. The Chief Islander, Ian Lavarello, spoke about the events of 2012 in […]
