Tom Christian | |
|---|---|
 Christian, one of the leaders of thePitcairn Island community, descended fromRoyal Navy deserters and Polynesian women | |
| Born | (1935-11-01)1 November 1935 |
| Died | 7 July 2013(2013-07-07) (aged 77) |
| Occupation | Radio operator |
| Known for | The"voice of Pitcairn" |
Tom ChristianMBE (1 November 1935 – 7 July 2013) was a citizen ofPitcairn Island, and was its long-servingradio operator.[1][2]During his lifetime, Christian was profiled in a number of publications, includingNational Geographic andPeople magazines.[3]
Christian served as theGovernor's appointee on the Pitcairn council for forty years.[4] In 1983, Christian was appointed a member of theOrder of the British Empire.
When Christian was 17, he left the island forNew Zealand and stayed for three years, where he was trained to operate the radio station ZBP, first set up by theNew Zealand military duringWorld War II.[1]In 1989, according toPeople magazine, Christian was the highest paid native islander, earning $10,000 a year.[3]
The Telegraph reported that Christian had spent other relatively brief periods off-island, that he had always been attracted to life off-island, and never expected to stay on the island so long.[2]Christian, like most Pitcairn Islanders, was a follower ofSeventh-day Adventism, and worked for six months at a Seventh-day Adventist radio station inCalifornia. He also made several cruises as a radio operator on afreighter vessel. In later years, Christian visited the outside world where he deliveredlectures on Pitcairn and its history.[1]
Christian was described as one of the two most sought afteramateur radio operators in the world.[1] Christian, with call sign VP6TC/VR6TC, served as "the voice of Pitcairn" from the mid-1950s to his retirement in 2004. His radio hut was atop Spyglass Hill, which, at 870 feet (270 m) elevation, is the highest point on the island.[3]
According to hisNew York Times obituary, Christian and his wifeBetty Christian took a firm stance during thePitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004 against the idea thatPolynesian people had different standards about the sexual initiation of minors.[1]
Christian died aged 77 in 2013, from the after-effects of astroke.[1] He and Betty had four daughters. According to theAmerican Radio Relay League, he had been diagnosed as suffering fromAlzheimer's disease in 2009, and his health and awareness of his surroundings had steadily deteriorated since then.[4]
Christian, one of the few Pitcairners of his generation to be educated abroad, became an internationally known amateur radio operator, and as chief radio officer of the island maintained the islanders' link with the rest of the world for many decades. Among other things, he imported the first electric fridges, battery lights and motorcycles to Pitcairn; served on the island's governing council; and developed a sideline as an entrepreneur, selling such things as postcards, mail-order filmstrips, and carvings.
Christian rides to work on a battered Honda motorbike, jouncing over the rough-cut road that runs like a red dirt ribbon up the steep flank of a spyglass hill. At the windblown summit, 870 feet above sea level, Christian, 51, parks his bike outside the single-story building that houses the Taro Ground radio transmitter. As chief radio officer, he is responsible for maintaining the only official link between the 46 men, women and children of Pitcairn Island and the rest of humanity.
Tom Christian, VP6RC/VR6TC, a long-time radio amateur who became known as "the Voice of Pitcairn," died July 7 on the tiny South Pacific Island that was his lifelong home.