Peter Warner | Captain who saved the six castaways boys in 1966
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ค. 2020
- The real Lord of the Flies Rescue
From the story of the six Tongan boys stranded on a desert island in 1965. You can read it here. paradise.docastaway.com/six-to...
In 1966 an Australian fishing boat, the Just David, was looking for new crayfish grounds. They put down some traps without much success off the island of Ata in Tonga. To the crew surprise six naked boys screeming for attention swam straight to the boat and they told the story: This is what the Australian captain Peter Warner from Brisbane wrote in his memories:
"After recovering our empty cray pots, we decided to have a closer look and investigate the burned out patches on this stark “steep to” island. We approached first the eastern face and then rounded the northern corner to investigate the western lee side.
Everywhere thick clouds of screaming seabirds of all types swirled around the cliffs and over our small vessel. From the crows nest, our look out cried “I can hear a human voice yelling”. “Nonsense “ said I “it’s only screaming seabirds,” .
But we spotted a brown body hurtling down a cliff path and diving into the surf. He looked wild and screamed loud bloodcurdling noises. With no clothes at all, and hair grown into a huge black top-heavy “gollywog” bush, the healthy youngster swam towards us using the style of the Australian crawl.
I ordered the crew to load the rifles below and stand by to repel boarders because now a few more brown figures were seen swimming towards us. My first thoughts were, that this place must be some be some sort of prison island for desperate Tongan thugs and outcasts. Exile was a common practice in Polynesia, sometimes in a leaky canoe.
After his Olympic winning swim from the shore, a big pearly white smile from the kid alongside with the exploded hair do, calmed my nerves. We lowered the boarding ladder and the 18-year-old heaved himself aboard, stark naked, and announced in perfect aristocratic English “My name is Steven.
There are 6 of us and we estimate we have been here between one and two years”. Good story thought I but I don’t believe it. By this time the others had boarded and introduced themselves we continued to drift and I continued to think. Even if they were all young jailbirds, we did not wish to scare them. Their explanation continued.
They alleged that 5 of them came from the Haapai group of islands in Tonga, where fish is a staple daily diet, but had all been sent as boarders at St Andrews Anglican high School in Nuku’alofa the capital of Tonga. The food at the school was so horrible, that they had “borrowed’ a long boat one evening and sailed out to catch some fish.
This was the official story that they all stuck to for the time being. Details of this 8 day survival trip were explained to us during the first night they slept on ‘Just David”. But first we had to consider what to do with 6 dripping and very healthy boys in the after cockpit. We figured that if their story was indeed true, they had spent about 18 months on the island. Still suspicious, I wrote down the names of the 6 with spelling help from them. Then I raised Nuku’alofa Radio on short wave and after sorting out a working frequency, asked the shore operator to contact St Andrews college by phone and ask the staff if they had the 6 named boys as students 18 months ago.
The Tongan operator asked me to stand-by whilst he investigated. Meanwhile our cook had prepared our daily meal, which the boys shared with us and immediately vomited up, not being used to European style food for so long. A very emotional and tearful Nuku’alofa Radio operator came back on the air and announced That St Andrew’s College confirmed that 5 of the 6 named boys were students at the school but they all had been given up as dead long ago when, the open boat, missing from its anchorage, never returned.
One father had spent months looking for them on uninhabited islands but finally resigned himself to their disappearance. Funeral services for all 6 boys had been held, but miraculously we had found them alive and very healthy. We all relaxed, unloaded the firearms, and gave some clothes to our new friends. A temporary anchorage was found and we resolved that next day, we would sail to Nuku’alofa.
But first we were to be given a guided tour of the Island tomorrow and tonight listen to the story of the 8 day drift. the board, and many more to come. Explained Peter Warner in his memories... Peter is a good friend of Mano Totau and they both live in Brisbane, Australia. You can find out more of the real Lord of the Flies story here paradise.docastaway.com/six-to...
Thanks Cheyenne Morrison for letting us know years ago about this remarkable story!
RIP to this hero. He not only saved these boys, but he also rescued a separate group of 4 people lost at sea in 1974.
What? Peter Warner is died now
Bloody amazing, Makes Bear Grylls sound like an amature, R.I.P. Peter Warner.
RIP
Bare girls sucks 🍄🍄🍄
Bear Grylls is an amature
That part of the world look so beautiful and the people always looks so strong and healthy.
Yes! :)
This video is only more than 3 minutes, but brought tears to my eyes...
I'm right there with you.
Amazing story and forever grateful to you Peter Warner! God bless you and ofa atu from Kolo Fekitoa families!
Greeting to you :) By the way are you Ana?
I have stumbled upon the story of "The Lord of the Flies" then I got curious if something similar have happened in our history of mankind. I'm grateful to find this story, because it just proved that man is not savage contradict to what was portrayed in 'lord of the flies'. Thank you sir for sharing your experience with us, you are a good man, and bless the survivors as well you are all strong and intelligent.
:)
I remember this story my mum told to me as a kid, and the history of ata island,their survival is reflective of the tongan culture, of having 'ofa' or love for each other and everyone. Tongan culture is collective, tongans will take you under their wing and look after you. It's the tongan way 🥰❤🇹🇴
:)
Yes. Thats one of the reason why it was easy for them to survive on the island :)
Yes heard about them very nice people.
I was taken in by a Tongan family for a few nights when I was stranded in Hawaii hours after my best friend and uncle died right in front of me. Their family member had just died too at the same hospital. I was literally going to spend the night in the bushes, flat broke (I spent every dime I had just to get there from Oregon) They were all smiles and joyful. They made a feast both nights. I'll always remember them for being an anchor of positive love in what was probably the toughest time of my life.
@@whiskeymonk4085 that's what we call 'ofa'
That whole experience must have been just incredible for all parties involved.
RIP Peter Warner you were a true hero! 🙏
Great testimony to the story, amazing that he could tell it how it happened, thanks!
yes. We are lucky to get his testimony 🙂
RIP Peter Warner
Thanks for recording the true story. These boys are really strong physically and mentally!
:) :) :) Thanks to you :)
God bless this guy 🇹🇴
RIP
Thank you Pita!I grew up and heard great stories about you!We just missed you Warner Shipping lines
:) :) :)
I just love this story. Seen this a few times but it not stops me from being amazed on how they survived and supported each other.
he could still have reached more than a hundred years for a good savior like him
it's sad
Amazing story. Can't wait to see the Holywood movie version.
Yes it is amazing :)
@@Docastaway when is the documentary coming out ?
@@samjones8697 I watched this today
th-cam.com/video/Ph2azNQ_f5Q/w-d-xo.html
Amazing life experience!
:) Yes it was
This is such an amazing story of survival.
I'm so grateful to see your story ❤️
Amazing testimony. very emotional :)
:)
Bless this man
Thanks 🙂
Wow amazing 🙏
Yes it is :)
malo aupito Pita Uona. looking forward to the documentary to come out soon.
:) :) :) Malo Aupito
Very cool!
😉
Can’t believe that Island was/still is deemed uninhabitable. Our Poly people were built for this.
Yes. But Ata Island actually quite hostile to live in
Love it story
Thanks :)
very nice
Thanks mermaid :)
Oh wonder how they were filmed...? Amazing teamwork for the sake of survival.
They were brought back to the island a few days after they were rescue. Only to act and be filmed
@@Docastaway Oh Wow! You guys are awesome. Thanks for responding. Indeed a lot of lesson to learn from their story. 🙏
did the book or documentary advertised at the end of this video ever release? Cant seem to find anything about it.
sad to hear that he passed away yesterday in ballina nsw
Yes. it is terrible news :( :( :( His boat capsized
@@Docastaway yeah very tragic to hear. Ironic that he becomes famous for saving castaways that had a shipwreck and 60 years later dies because of a capsized boat.
They made us read lord of the flies at school if I'd heard this story I'd have wanted to do
something similar
Just stumbled across this. Has the documentary and book been released?
❤❤❤❤
Lucky bastards!
ルトガーブレグマンの著書「Humankind」から来ました！
すぐ映像で本人にアクセスできるのすごいなぁ！感動！
glad to see them look healthier than Tom Hanks
Now that Peter had died, the question is what happens to the film and who has the right to this story.
We are sure the castaways who are still alive can still manage it
Where I can buy the book?
i'm here on wikipedia's 'recent deaths' corner which i check daily.
Sad news :(
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾✊🏾🙏🏾
:)
Have any movie?
We have recently spent 10 days on Ata island with Kolo Fekitoa, one of the six teenage castaways. It was his last wish before he died th-cam.com/video/88noN4PoJqc/w-d-xo.html
Last wish before he died ?
Was he sick, is he dead now? How long after the visit to Ata did he die.?
Sad sad story...
Bless his soul and family.
RIP Kolo 🙏🙏🙏
rip imagine drowning at the age of 90 thats fucked up
Yes it is sad. And he passed away at sea
Maybe, for a sailor and fisherman, it's the way to go. 90 years old was a good run,.... like in The Big Blue film.. Rip, Peter.... 🙏
SISI TERANG membawaku ke sini
Wow hope they make a movie of these strong young Tongan boys and their saviour.
Is it gonna be on Netflix? Nekflik in Tongan 😜😂🤣🤙
We dont know :)
Lasca a rõla em Tonha
Did the boys ever say why they left in the first place, why things were so bad at St. Andrews?
S Alan they just wanted to go on a trip to Fiji and got lost
@@nabilkablaoui1417 no that’s dumb why would they steal a boat? They wanted to run away from that place, the question is why.
@@etoatoummhmm6391 thats what a documentary I saw said
They thought that their boarding school was too strict!
The natural inertia to leave your Island , because of the sure knowledge that another one is just over the horizons...
Where is the documentary about Lang that was coming in 2019?
It was on TV. We will launch it on this channel In November :)
First time I ask one like this: Anyone here from …. Rutger Bregmans "Humankind"?
yes ! Incredible book
Gw kesini cuma gara2 sisi terang... 😂😂😂
Imagine if Fatai didnt know how to speak english... Also curious about their fishing experiment.
:) It was funny but Peter said that later he found out that the techniques of the Tongan people were much more efficient than his systems :)
Ata Mafoaaeata Tongan History was first Tuitonga 'Ata arrived from Easter Island Ahu o Tongaliki Moai 5000 years ago Loau Migration from Vaihi means big land America names after Savaihi Havaihi before trading with blacked Melanisia and Micronesia from Western later 3000 years called Lapita🤔! Tongatapu Islands the Sacred Taonga Ietonga Matangitonga known in Ancient Polynesia across Pacific! Tiki Moai and Siaheulupe mounds Langi o Tuitonga Stone Mounds Pyramid is not Asian rice lol! Actually Matangi Tokelau or Vakameilalo was Ancient Tongan Navigators the boat from the South Toloa Tonga bird or Southern Cross Otumu'omu'a was North back then 😊🙏🙏🙏
:)
I wonder if me and the boys could survive like that
Long story short we are dead
Makes me want to watch Gilligan's island lol
Where are they now?
Unfortunately Peter Warner passed away last year