The R.E.O.

Have you been in to The R.E.O. recently? If you have you’ll know that we no longer run a café but instead have a much greater selection of books and souvenirs on sale and one room dedicated to short term displays. The current display ‘WITHOUT HESITATION: Norfolk Islanders and World War I’, profiles one person from each of the original Pitcairn Islander families: Adams, Buffett, Christian, Evans, McCoy, Nobbs, Quintal and Young.

In the main room of the building you’ll find our books, many of which are not available else-where on the island. Recent new titles on sale include:

 ‘In Bligh’s Hand – Surviving the Mutiny on the Bounty’ by Jennifer Gall: This National Library of Australia publication reproduces selected facsimile pages from Bligh’s notebook and his list of the mutineers. Not only does it detail the longboat voyage of Bligh and the loyalists set adrift by Christian and the mutineers on the Bounty, it also provides a fascinating insight into the character of Bligh.

‘Crime Punishment and Redemption – A Convict’s Story’ by June Slee: The diary of convict John Ward is the basis of Slee’s work, where she explores not only a criminal mind, but a rare account of incarceration on a convict hulk and life on Norfolk Island under the reformist Commandant, Captain Alexander Maconochie.

‘Bligh – William Bligh in the South Seas’ by Anne Salmond: This is not just another ‘western-eyes’ telling of the story of William Bligh the mutiny and British history, but a genuine cross-cultural history account of exploration in the Pacific. Highly recommended.

DVD: ‘In the Wake of the Bounty’: How can you resist Errol Flynn as Fletcher Christian in Charles Chauvel’s 1933 classic. The documentary footage of Pitcairn Island is worth purchasing this DVD alone.

‘A Steady Hand – Governor Hunter and His First Fleet Sketchbook’ by Linda Groom: This collection of the sketches and paintings made by Captain John Hunter contains some of the earliest artistic impressions of the flora and fauna of Sydney, Norfolk Island and Lord Howe. A simply beautiful book.

‘The First Fleet’ by Rob Mundle: The back cover says ‘even if you feel that you’ve heard it all before, (Mundle) will fill you with admiration for Arthur Philip and what he achieved’. Mundle masterfully chronicles the events of the First Fleet.

‘James Cook, The Journals’ Penguins Classics: The historic journals of Captain James Cook’s nine years of voyaging and exploration – including of course, his discovery of Norfolk Island.

‘Australia’s Convict Past’ by Robert Coupe: Primarily written as a resource for school students, this is nonetheless a comprehensive and accessible book charting the development of the convict era in Australia, including Norfolk Island.

‘Australia’s Birthstain – the startling legacy of the convict era’ by Babette Smith: Smith has traced the stories of hundreds of convicts over the 80 years of convict transportation to Australia to reveal why it is that Australians are still misled by myths about their convict heritage and why an entire society colluded to cover up its past. Fascinating, provoking and a very good read!

‘Orphans of History – the Forgotten Children of the First Fleet’ by Robert Holden: Fifty children were transported as convicts with the First Fleet and they are the focus of Holden’s study.

DVD and Book: ‘For the Term of His Natural Life’ by Marcus Clarke: Clarke’s epic novel of the horrors of the Australian penal system is one of the great classics of Australian literature. Read the book or watch the 3 part mini-series of the book starring Anthony Perkins.

New to our souvenir range are tea towels with a World Heritage listed KAVHA logo; a perpetual diary with illustrations from Captain John Hunter’s sketchbook; Sterling silver jewellery by Margarita Sampson made from casts of 2^nd settlement buttons in the Museum collection; convict Teddy Bears; notepads – and more. It’s well worth coming into The R.E.O to see our new titles – and many more coming once our freight finally arrives! Open Monday to Friday 9.00am to 3.00pm.