There's Nothing Romantic About Pitcairn

It was the spirit of adventure that took teacher, Tony Washington and his family to Pitcairn Island. One of the most isolated communities in the world, Pitcairn is just over five-and-a-half thousand kilometres from Christchurch. From an outsider's perspective, it looks idyllic but was it the adventure Tony and his family expected? Find out more in this episode produced and presented by Sonia Yee.

From the early 2000s, Pitcairn Island caught international headlines relating to incidents of historic sexual abuse and assault on women and young children on the island.

These shocking stories emerged at least a decade after Tony Washington, a former teacher, lived there with his family.

Listen: "I learnt some things about my family, self-sufficiency and accepting what you had" - Tony Washington

"We had interviews with the Kent police who came out from England to interview a number of people including my wife, my children, and myself," Washington says.

As his family were outsiders, Washington believed the locals made sure they didn't know or suspect anything.

One of the most remote communities in the world, Pitcairn has a population of around 50, but in Washington's time, there were about 65 people living on the island.

He recalls one community dinner where a crowd of men aged between 16-25 years-of-age, surrounded his daughter.

Washington managed to fend the young men off. But there were other times when he felt things weren't quite right, but the family carried on none-the-wiser.

When the family relocated to Pitcairn between 1990 and 1992, the overarching decision was informed by a career opportunity - Tony Washington would be appointed as Pitcairn's School Principal and Government Advisor.

Another appeal was the simplicity of island life and an experience that would allow them to have some quality family time. They had been sent a home video made by one of the former education officers.

"They were zooming around on a rubber duck and having a great ball of fun, there were cricket and soccer matches," he says.

But although the video provided some insight into life on Pitcairn, Washington says it didn't give them the full picture."

The family would encounter new obstacles. There are no roads on the island, so they would get used to travelling by foot, and usually on uneven and muddy ground. They would also be living in isolation with little, or next to no contact, with anyone outside Pitcairn.

Washington says many an unrealistic view of life on Pitcairn and on a couple of occasions, visitors working on the island for a 6-month stint found themselves at the Washington home, a place where they could air their concerns…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details