Looking for unique & interesting gifts? Search for them here.

STORIES OF PALMERSTON

Having grown up among an extended family where stories about William Marsters and of Palmerston were a common theme, it was a little disconcerting to find, when I wanted to pass some of these stories on to my own children, that the published stories were no longer available. It became my mission to locate these stories and to find some way to make them available not only for my own family, but for others who also wanted to learn more about their past.

The STORIES OF PALMERSTON is a compilation of stories about Palmerston as they have been told - from three quite distinct perspectives.

ON THE WIND OF A DREAM by COMMANDER VICTOR CLARK

In 1954, Commander Victor Clark was part way through a voyage around the world on his yacht, the Solace, when he was shipwrecked on the reefs surrounding Palmerston atoll. The islanders not only rescued the yacht off the reef and onto their island, but with crude equipment, they were able to repair it to such a condition that he was able to sail it back to New Zealand - to make further repairs. Boat builders in New Zealand were amazed at the workmanship of the people of Palmerston and very little was required to ensure that Commander Clark was able to continue with his circumnavigation of the globe. Commander Clark returned to Palmerston to drop off his Palmerston crew to whom he had taught navigation skills.

Having spent nine months on the island while the islanders repaired his yacht, he had become quite close to them and the farewells were difficult. His visit to the island remained in the memories of those on the island long after he left. His book ON THE WIND OF A DREAM included several chapters of personal documentation of his life and experiences with the Palmerston Islanders as they worked together on the repair of his yacht.

SISTERS IN THE SUN by A S HELM & W H PERCIVAL

Helm and Percival published their book in 1973. Although  SISTERS IN THE SUN is a historical research of two of the smallest inhabited islands in the Cook Islands - Suwarrow and Palmerston, STORIES OF PALMERSTON focuses on only half of the original book. Suwarrow is a sanctuary for flora and fauna of the Cook Islands, and its only inhabitant is usually a caretaker but it has an interesting history nevertheless.

The history of Palmerston is introduced through local tradition which states that it was originally discovered by a Polynesian explorer named Ti.  When Captain Cook arrived in the Cook Islands during his voyages in the Pacific in 1777, the only island he stepped foot on in the Cook Islands, was Palmerston (14 April). In 1791 they were visited by the British Navy who were at that time looking for mutinous survivors of the Bounty incident.

The books continues with the arrival in the Pacific of William Marsters and his eventual landing on Palmerston in 1863 to plant copra for Tahitian trader, John Brander. History records how he remained on the island with his family, originally leasing the island. The lease agreement was confirmed by the Crown Lease of 1941 but in 1954 the Cook Islands Amendment Act formally vested the atoll in his descendants.

Helm and Percival continue with their recording of the history of Palmerston after the death of William Marsters. They document the life of the islanders and also raise some of the problems that arose once their "Father" was not around to control the three families.

LAND TENURE IN A TEST TUBE: THE CASE OF PALMERSTON ATOLL by RON CROCOMBE & WILLIAM F. E. MARSTERS

This article is an academic paper written by Ron Crocombe in consultation with a member of the Marsters family, Reverend Bill Marsters. This section of STORIES OF PALMERSTON looks at the development of the land tenure system by William Marsters to create a fair distribution of land and its potential resources among the three families on the island.

While Marsters was alive his autocratic rule of the island and his family invited no argument. Following his death, it was found that grey areas relating to leadership roles and distribution of land rights and resources had to be redefined by the remaining family members. This was not an easy task. Ron Crocombe describes the island's situation as it was in the early 1980s.

Today, the Government of the Cook Islands has taken charge of the administration of the island, however, many of the rules and regulations which were established by William Marsters during his lifetime to guide the culture and customs of the island and his families, remain firmly entrenched.

PERMISSIONS

* The family of Commander Clark gave their permission to use the sections about Commander Clark's visit to Palmerston Island in December 2005. This was just before he passed away in his home in Somerset in England.

* The rights to publish the section from SISTERS IN THE SUN were purchased from the London publishers, Robert Hale Limited

* Permission was given by Ron Crocombe to use his article for this compilation. Reverend Bill Marsters died just before the book was published. My visit to Palmerston in September 2004 was in the company of my cousin, Bill's eldest son Eddie, who arranged for his father's burial on the island.