Tristan Da Cunha

Here is something my father wrote about the island that I was named after before I was born.  After almost 29 years, I finally read it and decided to put it on my blog because the only other copy is the old looking yellow faded paper my father wrote on his typewriter. In this online copy I kept the original words of my father's paper, but I added some images (mainly Google Maps) to highlight the island a bit more.

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Tristan Da Cunha

The Past and The Present

February 8^th, 1979

By Raymond William Everitt





The island of Tristan da Cunha situated 1500 miles west of Cape Town and some 1800 miles east of Argentina was relatively unknown until the volcanic eruption of 1961 when the entire population of 264 was evacuated first to South Africa and then to England.  Most of the islanders returned to their home in 1963.

There are three main islands in the Tristan group with the smaller islands of Inaccessible (4 ½ square miles) and Nightingale (3/4 square mile) some 20 miles away uninhabited.  Many islanders own shacks on the latter island which they visit at certain times of the year for guano, used as fertilizer, penguin eggs and cooking oil obtained from the rendered carcasses of petrels.  Tristan da Cunha with its volcanic cone of 6,760 feet is bounded mainly by cliffs of 1,000 to 2,000 feet rising almost sheer from the sea although there are plateau in certain parts with the cliffs behind.  The largest of these is in the north-west of the island where the settlement of Edinburgh is situated.  The island is almost circular with an area of 28 square miles.  The climate is temperate with will distributed rainfall and a tendency to high winds.  Gough Island, where the climate is much more rigorous, is some 230 miles to the south-south-west and has an area of 25 square miles.



The Tristan group was discovered in 1506 by a Portuguese fleet under Admiral Tristan de Cunha but the first recorded landing was not until 1643.  Two surveys of the islands’ potential were made in 1655 by the Dutch Governor of the Cape and in 1695 by the Dutch East Indian Company.  Both reported unfavorably.  Three American seamen settled on Tristan in 1810 but their number was reduced to one just two years later.



Britain laid formal claim to the island in 1816 when a small garrison landed during the time Napoleon was exiled on St. Helena.  The garrison was withdrawn the following year but three soldiers under Corporal William Glass of Kelso in Scotland elected to remain, together with their corporal’s wife and two children.  The status of the island remained uncertain until 1876 when an Order-in-Council declared Tristan da Cunha and its subsidiary islands to be under the British Crown.  The population by that time had increased to 85 with new settlers arriving from England, Holland, the United States of America and St. Helena.  Later years brought two Italians and some Irish: the former were shipwrecked and elected to stay.

The island was relatively prosperous between 1816 and 1880 with frequent visits by whales, East Indiamen and other vessels calling for fresh produce and water which was usually bartered for flour, sugar, tea, tobacco, clothing and other necessities.  No money was in circulation.  Highlights during this period were the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh in 1867, after whom the Settlement was named, and the arrival of the first missionary and teacher, the Rev. Taylor, sent by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.  He remained for six years but a gap followed and the next incumbent, the Rev. E.H. Dodgson, brother of Lewis Carrol, was not appointed until 1881.



Disaster struck in 1885 when 15 island men lost their lives on their way to or from a passing ship.  This marked the beginning of a decline, exacerbated by the replacement of sail by steam, and many families left for South Africa and the United States.  By 1904 the population was reduced to 71 and a missionary teacher who served from 1906 to 1909 was not replaced until 1922.

The islands of Tristan da Cunha, Inaccessible, Nightingale and Gough were made dependencies of St. Helena, about 1000 miles to the north-north-east, by Lettere Patent of 12 January 1930.



In 1942 a unit of the South African Defense Force built a meteorological and wireless station on Tristan which was manned for the duration of the war by ships of the Royal Navy.  The modern Tristan da Cunha can be dated from this time.   An agreement for the development of the crayfish industry was concluded in 1948 and an Ordinance for this appointment of an Administrator 2was enacted the same year.  The South Atlantic Islands Development Corporation established under agreement of modern plant first for the canning and later the freezing of crayfish tails which command a ready market mainly in the United States of America.  The Corporation pays annual royalty, based on profits, to the Tristan da Cunha administration.  The original factory was inundated by lava during the volcanic eruption of 1961 but later rebuilt on another site and enlarged.

The Island Council Ordinance of 1969 provides for the election of a Council comprising eight members of which one must be a woman, the making of by-laws and the levying of taxes.  Three additional members are appointed by the Administrator with the prior approval of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in London.  Council is advisory with the Administrator as President.

Various sub-committees of the Island Council are appointed to advise on Education and Social Welfare, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Public Works and Public Health.

Elections are held every three years and the candidate with the most votes becomes Chief Islander and Island Council Leader.  There are no party politics nor trades unions.  All persons of 16 years of age are eligible to vote while candidates must be 21 or over.

The island is free of all forms of taxation with the exception of a local “rate” of 65p per annum paid by all males over 18 years of age: pensioners are excluded.  Education in a modern and well equipped school is free as in medical attention in the recently built hospital.  Both school and hospital were built with development funds provided by Her Majesty’s Government.  Children attend school between the ages of 5 and 15 but the older pupils are encouraged to remain at school and take external examinations to qualify for overseas training leading eventually to the filling by islanders of certain senior posts currently held by expatriate officers.

Island revenue is derived from the royalty paid by the crayfishing company, postage stamps which are popular with philatelists and from other less important sources.  The territory is (in 1978) in a very favorable financial position with about two year’s normal expenditure in reserves.  Development aid totaling £53,000 in 1978/79 was granted to meet the cost of various projects including work on the small harbor, new roads, an improved sewage system and for agricultural development.



The standard of living has risen immeasurably during the past few years with most of the island houses well and comfortably furnished.  All houses have electricity and many electrical appliances are in general use.  Electricity is generated by the crayfish company.  Each family owns its house together with sheep, cattle and poultry.  There is ample land for families to grow potatoes and other vegetables.



Full employment is enjoyed, the men being engaged by Government or in the fishing industry while the latter provides some part-time employment for many women in processing and packing the crayfish for export.  The cost of living is assessed annually and wages are increased accordingly.

The island’s first social security measure was introduced in January 1977 when pensions were paid to men and women over 65 years of age, to windows and orphans.  Pension contributions are paid by employees with a similar contribution by employers.  Pensions are increased in proportion to the increase in the cost of living.

The island maintains a daily telecommunications service with Cape Town.  “Radio Tristan” broadcasts three evenings a week from 7 pm to 10 pm.  In the absence of a local newspaper the broadcasting service plays an important part in the lives of the islanders.  The BBC World Service news is re-broadcast.

Social life is centered on the Prince Philip Hall where a weekly feature film is shown, dances are held and various indoor games such as badminton, whist and bingo are played.  A small men’s and mixed bar forms a separate part of the hall.  Snooker is popular in the men’s bar.

Outdoor activities include swimming during the summer months, cricket, football, rounders and a nine-hole golf course.  There is fishing from the shore.

Government operates a well-stocked library with a small reading room where English newspapers and periodical may be seen.  The Youth Club which meets twice weekly in the school hall is popular and a number of young people are actively engaged in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin (Protestant) plays an important part in the lives of many islanders.  It was built in 1923 but, before that, services were conducted in a house.  A Bishop visits the island periodically for confirmation services.  There is a small Roman Catholic community.



A wide selection of foodstuffs, fresh, frozen and canned, is obtainable from the Island Store which is operated by Government.  Also available are clothing, cosmetics, building materials, drinks both alcoholic and soft together with other items in daily use.  There is one other small shop run by private enterprise.

In the absence of frost and snow on the settlement plateau a wide variety of vegetables may be grown particularly in areas sheltered from the wind.  Potatoes are the principal crop but cabbage, lettuce, pumpkin, tomatoes and all root crops grown well.  Frozen local produce is available in the Island Store.  The island is self-sufficient in milk, beef and mutton: some butter and cheese is made.  Wool from the sheep is knitted into socks, sweaters and other articles.  Much work is entailed before the finished article is produced, i.e. washing the wool, drying and picking, greasing, carding, spinning, twisting, reeling and a final washing.

Currency in use is Sterling.  In the absence of banking facilities arrangements may be made to cash travelers cheques at the Treasury.  There is a Savings Bank operated by Government.  Interest on deposits is currently 4 ½ %.

The Tristan group of islands has a natural heritage in its wildlife, especially from the ornithological aspect.  The Conservation Ordinance of 1976 provides for the protection of the environment and ecology.  A number of birds and mammals are fully protected including the Tristan Thrush, island cock, the wandering albatross, fur seals, the elephant seal and the southern right whale.  The Export and Import Control Ordinance 1976 reflects the provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, 1973.

In the absence of a scheduled shipping service or airport communications are sometimes difficult and reliance is placed on the spasmodic movements of fishing vessels engaged in the crayfishing industry.  There are times when four or five months may elapse between mails.  But despite its isolation the island has a happy and contented community number at 30 June 1978 precisely 316 inhabitants including 26 expatriates.