ISLAND HERMITS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22532, 24 September 1936, Page 12

ISLAND HERMITS

LIFE OF SOLITUDE , EVERY DAY A HOLIDAY AN ABUNDANCE OF FOOD Away from the blare of wireless, noisy motor-cars and threats of war, two men, former residents of Auckland, are living contented on a lonely island some G42 miles to the north-east of the Dominion. Their only address is Sunday Island, one of the Kermadec Group. Mr. Alfred Bacon had tasted island solitude before. He spent some years here longing to return and he is now accompanied by Mr. B. Robertson. Few troubles concern these modern Robinsons Crusoe, according to the crew of the Australian ketch Yvonne, which recently visited the island. The calendar is considered a barbaric relic of the past. The days are recorded, more or less mechanically, and largely for the purpose of separating the Christmas holidays from the vacation which comprises the remainder of the yfcar. The 40-hour week is contemptuously ignored. Rising with the Dawn One of the crew of the Yvonne was a guest of the two hermits and lived with them in their homely mansion. The roof of the "hut, several pieces of corrugated iron, the short trousers worn by Mr. Robinson and his companion's novel one-piece garment made 'from a bathing suit and a shirt, are the few remaining signs of civilisation which greet the evo of a casual visitor. Like all true worshippers of nature the two hermits enjoy the hours of daylight to the full. They go to bed with the setting of the sun and rise with the dawn, except on Sundays. Mr. Robinson, either through his better eyesight or inferior cooking, this is ono of the few controversies which concern the two, is the appointed lookout. His duty early in the morning, during the cooking of breakfast, is. to go to the top of a hill near by and scan' the horizon for a sail. The only other debatable point, before the arrival of the Yvonne, Was the question of whose sole garment should be discarded and used as a signal of welcome should a boat be approaching. The presentation of a flag and the erection of a mast on the hill has solved the question. Gloat's Meat a Mainstay Apart from a herd of about 4000 wild goats the only other animal on Sunday Island is Taipo, a dog. With the assisttance of Taipo, who, faithful to the origin of his Maori name, is very ferocious, and a gun, also considered to bo of Maori origin, a goat is frequently killed. The islanders' menu card sometimes commences with roast goat and continues with a series of French terms with the invariable prefix of "goat." Roast goat, boiled goat, fried goat, and baked goat would probably be the correct analysis of the meal. Variation, however, is the keynote of the diet. Luscious fruit is always in abundance. Fish, mostly groper and kingfish of exceptional size, is caught from the coast. Vegetables of all kinds grow wild. Meal is made from ground corn sweetened with the juice from the taro root, while coffee is provided by a bean which also thrives in the rich soil. Natural Medicine Chest A refining feminine influence is one of the few acquisitions which the islanders have, to date, been without. If either is ailing he is immediately dosed with large quantities of sulphur obtained from near the natural thermal bath which bubbles merrily on the beach. [The cures wrought by this sulphur *on the goats, the dog and the men are astounding. The tjo men scorned the offer of any _ preserved or tinned foods. The island fare was much to be preferred. Even the crew of the Yvonne agreed with this part of the islanders' philosophy.