Bountyful Legacy on Pitcairn Island 2/18/26 Day 46

It is said that each remake gets more accurate 1935, 1962 and 1984.  I watched each of them on our ship in preparation for our fateful visit.   As a piece of entertainment, the '35 version is probably my favorite. For sheer spectacle, the '62 version.  From a dramatic and historical perspective, I think the '84 version is the best.

The Mutiny on the Bounty occurred in the Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of HMS Bounty from the captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set him and eighteen loyalists adrift in the ship's open launch.

Visiting cruise ships often arrange for a local lecture and Pitcairn Curio & Craft Market to be held on board--and as this was the first visit by the Volendam, an exchange of plaques and foodstuffs!  our visit blew me away from the eclectic sweet inhabitants who spent months preparing for our visit by bringing the purest honey on earth, picturesque philatelies, and postcards that will be delivered after we return when the New Zealand supply ship arrives in May to collect the mail.

I loved getting to hear the stories of the islanders, beginning of course, with the recently reelected mayor, Shawn Christian, He is a patrilineal great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Fletcher Christian. He graciously agreed to my request for his autograph as head of state for the 44 citizens of the smallest democracy in the world! Only later did I learn that he previously served a prison sentence after being convicted of child rape. Oy, the legacy of a band of mutineers!

The policewoman (the entire police department!) which includes a visiting NZ constable, does not carry a gun or a taser as she knows everyone and there is no where for anyone to hide on the island.  The jail is used for storage as it is not needed for prisoners.  She practices community policing.  I wonder how her 25 years of service were affected by the sordid rape trial and what it's like to police an isle whose legacy was mutiny on the Bounty and mass killings on Pitcairn in the 18th century and child rapes in the 21st?  No we know why there are no children on the island and the school was closed as the children were sent to NZ for their education--and protection!  

Gabe noticed that the $5000 of food and essentials donated by HALL and transferred to the longboat named Moss contained many cases of bottles which is indeed strange for a community that is 100% Seventh Day Adventist which avows drinking.  This is a case of historical or should I say hysterical fiction which prompts many disturbing questions as we leave the rocky shores.