Origin Star from an Island of 65 with the famous Ancestor

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EaglesDontTweet

Bencher
Premium Member
SMH Story about Dylan.......

Link: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...flag-for-pitcairn-island-20160527-gp62kv.html

State of Origin 2016: NSW Blues star Dylan Walker flying the flag for Pitcairn Island

That was one of the messages of congratulations Dylan Walker received from family on Pitcairn Island after being named in the NSW team for Wednesday night's State of Origin.

With a population of just 65 people, there are no organised team sports on the remote British Overseas Territory in the Pacific, but as a direct descendant of Fletcher Christian, the 21-year-old utility's exploits are closely followed by the residents of Pitcairn – almost all of whom are related to Walker through the infamous mutiny on the Bounty in 1789.
That was one of the messages of congratulations Dylan Walker received from family on Pitcairn Island after being named in the NSW team for Wednesday night's State of Origin.

Continues.......
 
like your new avatar moondoggie
Thanks nightster. It's my identical twin Mr Natural
index.jpg
 
Interesting story. Bligh was a pretty handy bloke, when kicked off the Bounty into a 7M open boat, he got the boys from the South Pacific all the way to Timor, 1000's of km.
Ironically, on the way, Bligh got trouble on the Island of Tafua. ;)


Two years later, one Mary Bryant escaped from australia in a row boat and travelled approx 5000 kilometers in an epic voyage often compared to Bligh's, though she had little or no sea faring experience being a convict escorted to aust on the 'Charlotte.'

FYI people

FYI!!!!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Bryant


Annnnd well done Dylan.
 
Interesting story. Bligh was a pretty handy bloke, when kicked off the Bounty into a 7M open boat, he got the boys from the South Pacific all the way to Timor, 1000's of km.
Ironically, on the way, Bligh got trouble on the Island of Tafua. ;)
Did he get dropped, spat on or in a punch up while drunk?
 
He looks just like his dad, Mr Walker.

I wonder.......:wondering:

Nah!

I always felt a bit sorry for Captain Bligh.

Arguably one of the most misunderstood and complex characters in maritime history.

William Bligh was born on the 9th of September 1754 in the small town of St. Tudy, Cornwall. His career in the Royal Navy began at the age of 9, and by the age of 23 he had joined Captain Cook on his third and final voyage in 1776. Bligh was appointed Master on the H. M. S. Resolution, and was responsible for the navigation of both ships on Cook's mission to continue exploring the Pacific. It was his skill as a cartographer that had first brought him to the attention of Cook, who had personally requested that the young Bligh be assigned to the mission. By all accounts, Bligh was a genuine prodigy with navigation and cartography.

Bligh implemented Captain Cook's regimen of exercising the crew regularly, while also requiring clean laundry, regular bathing and the consumption of sauerkraut and lime juice to fight scurvy,. It was not until 1795 that limejuice rations were provided for all sailors in the Royal Navy, and to this day, British sailors are known as 'Limeys'.

William Bligh, commander of the HMAV Bounty (His Majesty's Armed Vessel) at the age of 33, was charged with conducting the first part of Sir Joseph Banks' experiment to transplant a major food crop from one part of the world to another. Such a thing had never been done before on such a grand scale.

When the Bounty arrived in Tahiti in 1788, the breadfruit trees had to be seeded and grown into saplings large enough for transport, a process that would take at least six months. Contrary to popular opinion, Bligh was the sort of man who wanted his crew to be happy, so instead of sailing the South Pacific exploring and mapping, he decided to give his men six months of shore leave in paradise. In hindsight, it was the biggest mistake of his life.

Many, if not most, of the men had formed deep attachments with the islanders during their long layover, and were quite naturally reluctant to leave when the time came. The mutiny is well documented and even fictionalized extensively (here's a hint; none of the movies got it quite right, although the version starring Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson came close). The part of the story that few people know about is what happened after the Captain and his men were cast adrift. With nineteen men in a single longboat, very few supplies, his log books and navigational tools, Commander Lieutenant Bligh was able to navigate almost 6000 kilometres (3700 Miles) across the Pacific, to finally make landfall at the island of Timor. This staggering feat of precision navigation was accomplished with no loss of life, although David Nelson, the botanist, died of fever several weeks later.

Sir Joseph Banks defended William Bligh to the Admiralty, and believed in Bligh so much he insisted that the newly promoted Bligh lead the return expedition to Tahiti and finish what he had started. This time, the breadfruit trees were successfully transported to Jamaica using two ships, the Providence and the Assistant.

William Bligh went on to have a long and relatively distinguished career in the British Navy, despite the fact that the family of his former colleague, Fletcher Christian, did their level best to discredit him. In particular Edward Christian, Fletcher's brother, who went to great lengths to alter public opinion. Never before had a single moment in history been so well documented and scrutinized, only to be so sadly misrepresented in the following centuries.

William Bligh had six children with his wife Elizabeth. In 1794 Bligh was given the Society of Arts medal for his remarkable feat of navigation during the 42-day longboat voyage, and in 1801 he was made a fellow of the Royal Society for services to navigation and botany. He fought in a number of sea battles including The Battle of Copenhagen, where Lord Nelson personally thanked him for his bravery.

The unfortunate fact was that Bligh was all bluff and bluster in his youth, doleing out corporal punishment less often than his famous mentor, Captain Cook, and perhaps his subordinate officers saw this as weakness. Then, after the humiliation of the Bounty, Bligh's authority would be forever suspect, leading to a number of confrontations, which would leave him increasingly bitter and even vindictive. The question remains, was this in his nature, or was this attitude imposed upon him after years of scorn and abuse?

The story of the Bounty is a complex one, and well worth further pursuit. This link will take you to a site that has some excellent information on the Bounty and her crew. Including an extremely well researched and detailed history of the very complex issues of Mr. Bligh's Bad Health There is even a brief biography of the ship's botanist, David Nelson, whom Bank's had personally appointed to the mission.

http://www.plantexplorers.com/explorers/biographies/captain/captain-william-bligh.htm
 
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Pitcairn islanders all look the same to me.

"He looks just like his dad, Mr Walker."
 
Of course.....I was referring to the Phantom, Mr Walker and his uncanny likeness to his father, grandfather.....
 
Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
4 3 1 28 6
3 2 1 10 6
4 2 2 39 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
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