LONELY FAROES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 88, 13 April 1940, Page 11

LONELY FAROES.

GROUP OF ISLANDS. FARMERS AND FISHERMEN. OLD MEMORIES RECALLED. Life 011 the Faroe Islands, that lonely Danish island outpost in the North Atlantic, which has now come under British protection, was described '.hi--morning by Mrs. O. Andreassen, ui Grafton Road. Although it is 20 years since she left there, Mrs. Andreassen has vivid memories of life 011 the Faroes, where the men are either farmers or fishermen, and the women, in addition to their household tasks, do a lot of the work, as one of the principal industries is the salting and drying of codfish, for which the trawler* from the island go as far afield as Iceland and Greenland.

Mrs. Andreassen said that the Faroe Group consisted of 2.") islands, and IT were inhabited. The capital was Thorshaven, on Stronie Island, the- largest island of the group, and there the people, had their own i.-land control, although there was a resident Governor from Denmark. There arc two clearly-cut seasons, a bright summer, when 0111* can read in the open until midnight, a winter of short daylight and long nights, and a time of the year when there are many storms. As the islands are washed by the Gulf Stream, the general temperatures are not as low as in Denmark and other Northern European countries. The population is about 2000, a homely, contented people, who live in a simple way, and in leisure moments sing island folk songs and dance their national dances.

Stormy Seas. The fishermen of the Faroes, and the hard life they have, were described by Mrs. Andreassen. Some of theru do not return from the stormy seas of the North Atlantic. She told of one fishing boat that went missing, a second boat which went in search, and that boat, too, never returned. Her husband was Captain J. Andreassen, who was a shipowner with a licet of seven boats. He held the Danish Cross, which was awarded for sea exploration work 011 the coast of Greenland. About 30 years ago he sailed from the Faroes 011 a trawler called Olivia, which was named after Mrs. Andreassen. He never returned. nor was anything learned of the fate of the crew of 19 men on board. Years afterwards some wreckage was washed up at Iceland. On a board was the name Olivia.

Nobody Poor. From the woman's angle. Mrs. Andreassen described life on the i.-lands — plenty of sewing and knitting, the keeping of homc<s iu a spotless way, and cooking the best meals in the world. "Nobody is poor there," said Mrs. Andreasseu. "Thev dress well, and their tastes are simple."'

Living with her mother is a daughter, Mrs. G. Miles, a school girl when she left the Faroes, who lias memories of the homely life she left overseas. Mrs. Miles went to an Auckland school when she arrived here, and says that at that time she could not speak Knglisli. Now she finds the Faroe language hard to remember, but simple phrases such as '"Komete shalcr" (comc out to play), comes readily to her mind. She was of a family of ten children, and there are now five of tlieni in New Zealand. Another daughter was Miss Billie Andreassen, who in 1927, came into prominence by winning a New Zealand competition for the best screen type, and went to Australia to compete in a screen competition there.