From to Norfolk – and the Other Way Round

From Pitcairn to Norfolk – and the Other Way Round By Steve Pendleton

With the news of the closure of the independent postal service on , Steve Pendleton highlights the final Norfolk Island issue and looks back at the island’s historical and philatelic relationship with the – including a rare collection of 19th century correspondence that offers a unique insight into daily life for islanders.

Norfolk Island collectors got a nasty shock recently. Their, heretofore, independent postal service, including the philatelic bureau, is to be taken over by Australia Post. Norfolk thus joins the other ‘territories’ – Cocos (Keeling), Christmas and Australian Antarctic Territories (AAT). Their stamps will now include the name ‘Australia’, and they can be used throughout the country. The independent service chose a fitting way to end their existence. On 7 June 2016, they issued a souvenir sheet commemorating the 160th anniversary of the landing of the Pitcairners on Norfolk. The sheet depicts a page from a ledger written on by one John Buffett set against Fig 1 The final Norfolk Island issue, released on 7June, was this souvenir sheet a suitable island background (Fig 1). marking the 160th anniversary of the landing of the Pitcairners on Norfolk Why Buffett? He was a Pitcairn Islander – actually, an itinerant sailor who settled on the island, married an island girl and went with the islanders on their migration to Norfolk. Once again, a unique Fig 2 A cover – though sometimes tenuous – bearing the two connection between Norfolk and values issued Pitcairn, thousands of miles apart, in 1956 for the is reaffirmed. centenary of the Pitcairn migration Intertwined islands cancelled with the The history of Pitcairn Island is special centenary known around the world. It is the cancel (Reduced) tale of high adventure retold in the Trilogy. The adventure of mutiny, seamanship and the search for a utopia has been retold in hundreds of books and five films. Unfortunately, most people don’t know what happened after the mutineers reached the island. It’s retold at least partially in Pitcairn’s Island; the last book of the trilogy. everyone to Tahiti. The people found that to be not to their liking (mainly due to diseases), It is a tale of lust and murder. However, and they shortly returned. In 1856 the overpopulation problem was once again serious, eventually the survivors (the sons and so the entire population was transported to Norfolk Island – 193 left their island, but 194 daughters of the mutineers and Tahitian landed on Norfolk. A baby had been born aboard ship. consorts) built their own society and they Why Norfolk? It was a larger island, with fertile land, and it had no current population. began to create their own identity. It did, at one point, have some very reluctant ones. Norfolk had been the site of one of However, Pitcairn has one problem – its the harshest prisons ever known. Only the most recalcitrant were sent there. However, by size. The island only occupies two square the early 1850s, the prison’s reputation was such that the place was abandoned. For the miles, much of it cliffs and hills. Today, Pitcairners this was a real plus, as houses already existed. the population is tiny, and is decreasing. A few Pitcairners grew homesick for their tiny land. After about 18 months members of That was not, historically speaking, the the Young family returned. A few years later, another group of 27 re-emigrated. The rest problem. Very much the opposite. In 1831 stayed on Norfolk, where they remain to this day. Many of the old mutineer names which the population had increased to the point have died out on Pitcairn still exist in the new homeland. As of the latest census (2013) the that it was deemed necessary to remove total population of Norfolk was 1796, of which 38 per cent were of direct Pitcairn descent.

104 G.S.M. September 2016 From Pitcairn to Norfolk – and the Other Way Round

Of course, descendants of the Fig 3 A cover produced in Bounty mutineers number in 1956 to mark the centenary of the thousands, with families the landing living in New Zealand, on Norfolk. The cover was Australia, the US and many cancelled at Norfolk with the other spots. special centenary postmark, A special philatelic and at the Pitcairn Islands with a standard datestamp relationship (Reduced) The sense of kinship felt by both communities has never really died. That’s even though the two islands are separated by thousands of miles of open Fig 4 A combination water. This is nowhere more cover from 1981 showing obvious than in the many postal the 125th anniversary emissions released by both of the migration stamp postal agencies relating to the issues by Norfolk Islands diaspora. and Pitcairn (Reduced) Norfolk was the first to recognise the migration. In 1956 it issued two stamps of the same design – the island coat of arms and a settler (Norfolk 19/20). There was a special cancel reading ‘Norfolk Island Centenary 1856–1956’. It was dated 6 June 1956, 100 years to the day since that first landing by the islanders on Norfolk (Fig 2). Someone on Pitcairn (probably Postmaster Roy Clark) prepared double covers also cancelled on Pitcairn. Unfortunately, Pitcairn did not have a special cancel (Fig 3). In 1981 the two postal administrations got together on a joint stamp issue for the 125th anniversary of the move (Pitcairn 216/18, Norfolk 258/60 and a miniature sheet MS 261). The three Pitcairn stamps show the islanders leaving, their last view of their home island and the transport vessel Morayshire. The Norfolk stamps show the Morayshire approaching Norfolk, the settlers landing and a view of the old penal colony. Special covers were prepared with both sets. The Pitcairn set was cancelled on 3 May 1981, while the Norfolk 2006 set was released on 5 June 1981 (Fig 4). The 150th anniversary was recognised in a similar way. The Pitcairn philatelic bureau issued a strip of four Fig 5 A combination f.d.c. produced stamps (716/19), while Norfolk had five. for the 150th anniversary released by (951/5). The date of issue was the same Norfolk and Pitcairn in 2006 (Reduced) (7 June 2006), probably because they were released in New Zealand. The Pitcairn stamps show the inhabitants on the rocks the graves of the migrants, having a feast and dancing at a ball (Fig 5). In 2010 Norfolk at Bounty Bay waiting to board ship, two issued another set (779/82) noting the Morayshire and the migration. views of the Morayshire and the arrival on Norfolk. However, the five Norfolk stamps The return home show islanders dressed in outfits of the As noted, some of the Pitcainers returned home. This reversal was noted by Pitcairn with 1850s, celebrating activities such as visiting two issues. The first was in 1961 (Pitcairn 29/31).This set features the ship Mary Ann, which Base image credit: thinboyfatter's. Norfolk Island, Norfolk thinboyfatter's. credit: image Base G.S.M. September 2016 105 From Pitcairn to Norfolk – and the Other Way Round

was the transport, maps of the two islands and a view of Pitcairn with a portrait of Simon Fig 6 A cover Young (Fig 6). In 2010 another set (779/82) bearing the set also noted the return. of three stamps There are many other stamps from both issued by Pitcairn islands noting the heritage of the Bounty in 1961 to mark mutineers. One such is Norfolk 92, which the return from shows a prayer written by mutineer John Norfolk Island Adams (Fig 7). Another is the Norfolk series, (Reduced) beginning in 2000, recognising ‘Bounty Day’. Many stamps from both islands, as well as others, note the mutineer story. The George Nobbs correspondence While we know there has been some correspondence between the two islands in recent years, what about in the 19th century? One would think there would be such, even considering the distance involved. However, there are very few examples known. There are rumours of a letter or two hidden in the old fi les of Norfolk families, but so far they haven’t surfaced. There are, however, a few known examples. These originated in a truly unique fi nd known as the George Nobbs correspondence. Nobbs was an itinerant Fig 7 A Norfolk Englishman with a rather shady past. He Island f.d.c. is believed to be the illegitimate son of produced for an Irish Earl and erstwhile mercenary, the 1967 issue who settled on Pitcairn in 1828 and depicting the became an island leader, and a revered prayer written pastor and teacher. He emigrated to by Bounty Norfolk, bought a farm and lived out mutineer his life there. He is seen on several stamps, notably Pitcairn 544, 551 and (Reduced) Norfolk 352/5, issued on the centenary of his death in 1884 (Fig 8). Some years ago, new owners found a tin container in the attic of the old Nobbs farm. In it was a conglomeration of letters, envelopes, bills, etc, from the 1850s through Fig 8 Examples of the to the 1880s. Some were from Pitcairn, others Pitcairn and Norfolk Island from England and Norfolk Island. The issues of 1984 marking correspondence was auctioned by Stanley the centenary of the death Gibbons (Australia) in September 2006. of George Nobbs There were a total of 68 lots, many of which contained several items. Just how rare was this? Before the auction, few letters from Pitcairn before the 1890s were known. Perhaps less than fi ve were in private hands. Even letters from sailors mentioning Pitcairn are rare and command prices in the thousands of pounds. Norfolk mail was extremely rare as well. There was one problem with the fi nd. Many of the items had been attacked by paper-eating insects, so holes abound and many of the edges have disappeared. Nevertheless, the auction provided a once in a lifetime chance to obtain some fascinating material. I also thought the prices realised were extremely reasonable, considering the material’s rarity. In all those lots, there were two pieces from Pitcairn to Norfolk (as far as I know, no letters from the 19th century from Norfolk to Pitcairn have survived. I have asked several islanders if they know of any such). One was lot 916. It is a folded letter sheet with the address on the front, no stamps and one edge is severely stained and gnawed on. The contents indicate it was written by ‘Mary Elizabeth’ (probably Young). She says ‘I would like to go back to Norfolk Island and see the people and stop there… Now I Fig 9 A 19th century envelope from Pitcairn Island addressed will tell you how we are getting on here… we to George Nobbs on Norfolk Island 106 G.S.M. September 2016 From Pitcairn to Norfolk – and the Other Way Round

are… quite well… 60 people altogether’. It was probably written about 1867. Lot 919 was not a letter; it is a yellow brown envelope, undated and with no stamps (Fig 9). It is addressed to ‘Revd G H Nobbs Norfolk Island from Pitcairn Island’. The sender is not known, nor is the date of its dispatch. This is probably the only known inter-island cover extant from the 1800s. There is another category extant from this group – ‘fan mail’. I purchased lot 915, which was a letter from Ireland to Nobbs (Fig 10). In it the writer made many comments about his interest in Pitcairn (and, indirectly, Norfolk), e.g. ‘does the island suit you better than Pitcairn, does Thursday October Christian still live?’. At least for this writer, it was evident that even in pre-Bounty Trilogy days, there was a lot of interest in the . There is at least one other correspondence of this nature. There were also a number of letters from people whose last names should be familiar to Mutiny enthusiasts – John Adams (not the original mutineer), various Quintals, etc. Fig 10 A 19th century piece of ‘fan mail’ sent from Ireland to George Nobbs in 1876 (Reduced) There’s even a letter from Captain J Mathers who was the master of the Morayshire. Other connections After 1864, there appear to have been no official contacts for many years and probably very few communications. However, in 1984 there was a commemorative ‘pilgrimage’ by a group of Norfolkers. This was to honour the 100th anniversary of the death of George Nobbs. In itself, this was no easy journey. The group of about 30 had to fly to Auckland, thence to Tahiti. They chartered an aircraft for the six-hour flight to Mangareva in the Gambier Islands (the closest airport to Pitcairn). Then they had to Fig 11 A cover produced to mark the pilgrimage made in 1984 by a group of Norfolkers to the board the freighter Taporo II for the three- Pitcairn Islands to honour the 100th anniversary of the death of George Nobbs. It was cancelled day journey to Pitcairn. The visitors spent at each stop along the journey (Reduced) six days on the island. In addition, some commemorative covers were prepared. These were cancelled at each stop along the way. This visit seems to have been a positive one enjoyed by all. Similar excursions took place in 1990 and 2014. I have not seen souvenir covers from these but they may well exist. The Norfolk Islanders have been very pleased when globetrotting Pitcairners come Fig 12 A to visit. One, the late Meg Adams, had a commercial standing offer to fly any visiting descendants cover sent from Auckland to Norfolk. I know of several from a worker island couples who took advantage of the on Norfolk offer before Meg passed away. to family A small mail has developed from the members on friendships thus made. I have several the Pitcairn commercial covers from people on Norfolk Islands to Pitcairn friends (Fig 12). At least one (Reduced) Pitcairner now lives on Norfolk permanently and others have worked there.

Further reading: An excellent, but non-philatelic book, tells the stories of both islands, really bringing it together. This is Peter Clarke’s Hell and Paradise, catalogue for the September 2005 sale. Occasionally the Pitcairn Log published in 1986 by Penguin Books, Auckland, New Zealand. Also (organ of the Pitcairn Islands Study Group) will also carry articles on extremely helpful and interesting is the Stanley Gibbons Australia the subject.

G.S.M. September 2016 107

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