"Fanning Island, now called Tabuaeran, is one of the Line Islands group, part of the Republic of Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas), situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 996 nautical miles due south of Hawaii, with a steady climate, normally in the region of 28 degrees Centigrade, with an easterly trade wind, so the weather is constant.

The island, shaped roughly like a footprint, minus the toes, its Gilbertese name being Tabueran, is approximately 11 miles long and 5 miles at the widest point. Most of the land is between 2 and 4 ft. above sea level, with the highest being about 8 ft. The lagoon is 10 miles long and 4 miles wide, in other words it is a perfect coral atoll. The fishing was a fisherman's dream! Its main claims to fame were the cable station, copra plantation and the disused airstrip laid down in case of emergency for the aviatrix Amelia Earhart for her attempted crossing of the Pacific. She did not have occasion to use it.

While employed with the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia) (OTC (A)), Sydney Office, I was seconded to Cable and Wireless London (C&W) in 1960 to serve on the submarine cable station on Fanning Island. Although the cable station was owned by C&W Ltd., staff were drawn equally from London and Sydney, with the tour of duty being normally two and a half years. Staff were supplied with a house and furniture and supplies were shipped from Australia whenever a ship came to the Island, off loaded into lighters belonging to the cable station and driven up to the station. There was a freezer for the frozen goods, and a shop for the grocery items, and an essential liquor store for the cable station staff. The local population were not given access to liquor, only the toddy which they took from the coconut palms.

In 1960, we left Sydney on board Union Steam Ship's vessel 'Waitamo', an ex Park Class Liberty ship, for the month long journey to Fanning Island via Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. An unexpected pleasant interlude of a week was spent in Apia, Samoa, when the ship ran aground on the reef at the entrance to Apia Harbour! Our late arrival was welcomed by the station staff, who were waiting anxiously for some much needed supplies. All essential supplies of food etc. were taken in by the six monthly supply ship.

Station staff comprised a Manager, Branch Engineer (Cable), Deputy Engineer, Watch keepers (four), of which I was one, Mechanical Engineer, Doctor and Technician (Communications). When we arrived on the Island, all but two of the staff were married and accompanied by their wives and children. The education of school age children was undertaken by parents, mostly mothers, through the Blackfriars College, Sydney, with lessons being forwarded every six months via the supply ships. The cable station's general labour came from the Gilbert and Ellis Islands through the indentured labour system. A small Government Village was situated close by and housed the Police contingent of one corporal and two constables. There was also a Post Master/Customs Officer.

Five miles away across the lagoon entrance at English Harbour was the copra plantation and village owned by Burns Philp, with an Australian Manager and New Zealand Assistant Manager. There being no permanent indigenous population to draw from, the Copra plantation also recruited its workforce through Tarawa under the indentured system. The Assistant Manager was responsible for a small general store for the convenience of the general copra workers. It was also available to the cable station staff on certain specified days, when the ladies would go over in the company lunch and spend some money on materials and other knickknacks.

There was a certain amount of social interaction between the villages, especially at Christmas and Easter. Each of the churches, Catholic and LMS (London Missionary Society) - Methodist, competed in friendly rivalry in singing carols and other religious music. The singing was absolutely beautiful, the harmony and timing was really outstanding. During those times the local village ladies made their handicrafts available to the families of the Cable Station. Presentations were also made when cable staff returned to UK or Australia. To leave the Island, the staff joined a ship which had called to collect the copra, and normally went to the UK via the Panama Canal, or (as we did) join a ship (which had to be diverted as it was not on the normal route) to deliver supplies for the Station, and then to Vancouver in Canada. From there staff made their way home, either by air or, as we did, by sea, after touring Canada and the US.

One of our early impressions was of the warm and friendly welcome we received from the local people and nothing happened to cause any change of heart. We were always greeted with a friendly smile by everyone we met. Life was fairly basic for the Gilbertese in those days, with a diet of mainly fish and coconuts, supplemented by an allowance of rice, flour and sugar provided by the cable station. From time to time small quantities of red meat and butter were made available for special occasions, but not entirely encouraged - as they would not be accessible on their return to some of the more remote outer islands. Singing and dancing was a regular feature in the Maneaba ('meeting house') and we often went along to watch and, on occasions, were invited to participate. We made a number of friends and have many happy memories of these courteous Islanders."

Lou and Elgin Brown
Sydney, 2009

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