ON LONELY ISLAND.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 16, 16 December 1937, Page 13

ON LONELY ISLAND.

AVEAVING AND DAFFODILS

Life on the lonely and small island of Mayne, forty miles from \ ancouvei, was described by Mrs H. Pratt in an interview, in Sydney recently. Mrs Pratt has come to Australit to visit her old home on Avon Downs, in the Northern Territory. Mayne Island has been her home for the past twelve years Mrs Pratt said that the population of the island consisted of about 2DO people. Two-thirds of these were Japanese. . They were a self-supporting little community. They reared their own cattle and dairy herds. When meat was required, they would arrange amongst themselves whose beasts should be slaughtered for the week’s meat supplies. Tne islanders made their own bread, jam, and butter, and bottled their own fish meat, vegetables, and fruit. Mrs Pratt stated that through, a very capable woman, Mrs Herbert Foster, the islanders had been taught handicrafts. The womenfolk grew their own wool from Shropshire and Oxford breeds of sheep, spun it, and wove 'it themselves, and were now making comforters and eiderdowns.

A Government spinning and weaving instructor had come over from the mainland to help them with their domestic industry. Mrs Foster had done some beautiful and instricate pattern work. She had made an appliance on her sewing machine for spinning and winding wool, ad had made her own loom with wood picked up on the seashore. The reed had to be imported from the mainland. AVith her wood, she had made fine suitings, mats, rugs, and curtains. and other woven materials. Mrs Foster also dyed her. owii wool. “AVe have our own little church on Mayne Island,” Mrs Pratt proceeded, “and on Sunday our clergyman Rev J. Porter, travels by boat from is hind to island holding services.” Mrs Pratt remarked " that the islanders wete cultivating daffodils, and last year they exported 15,000 dozen to the mainland. They were sold at about 2$ cents per dozen. The Japanese grew tomatoes, for which they had secured a market at Vancouver.