LIFE ON CAMPBELLS DESCRIBED

Grey River Argus, 20 April 1948, Page 7

LIFE ON CAMPBELLS DESCRIBED

INVEACARGILL, April 19. ■“Allhoughf most people think of the lonely Campbell Islands as somewhere near the South Pole, the climate there is actually not much different from that of New Zealand,* said Mr L. C. W. Hobbis, who yesterday returned to the mainland after having snent 14 months as an ionosphere observer in the islands. Mr Hobbis returned to Half Moon Bay, Stewart Island, with members of the magnetic survey party in the Ranui, but crossed the strait in the Wairua which returned to Bluff yesterday. “The thing that struck us most about the islands’ climate was the high humidity”, said Mr Robbis. Although the sky was overcast most ot the time, the five residents wore the same amount of clothing as they did on the mainland.” The humidity, he said, also accounted for the lassitude which affected the men. Snow fell seldom and altogether the temperature range was slight. Questioned about the food available on the islands, Mr Hobbis said that most of the men’s food was out of tins, but some fresh meat was available as the islands were inhabited by wild sheep. There were also wild rats and cats in the hills. “There are feVfe recreational facilities, but it is amazing how time passes,” he said. “The 14 months I spent on the islands did not seem long at all. People on the islands can listen .to the radio and have a large number of books. Apart from this there is not much to do.- A subply ship calls once every six months,’