TEEUA 

“Greetings! My name is Teeua, my father’s name is Tekonau, my mother’s name is Taraem. I was born in 1955 on Tabiteuea Island in its village called Utiroa, in its sub-district called Taubukinkarawa. 

When I was only a baby, my parents took me along with my sister and two brothers by ship to an island called Kiritimati in 1955. I don’t know the name of the ship we took as my parents didn’t tell me but they told me where I was born and when and how we got to Christmas Island.

The reason we came to Kiritimati was for my father to work here. This was the decision made by the UK government then, prior to Kiribati was granted its independence. As I was growing up and becoming more aware of what was going on, at the age of two plus, I believe my father used to go and work alongside the British soldiers who were already stationed here. 

As time went on, I remembered being escorted with my family during the early hours to board a landing craft military (LCM) boat out to sea. I didn’t know the reason for the trip out at the time, but there were many other people with us. The LCM boat we boarded had fancy criss-cross wooden flooring with gaps and oily seawater underneath. It was still dark but after a long while out at sea, we returned to land at dawn. We arrived at the wharf at the end of the bay (NAAFI side) and everyone embarked and climbed up onto the wharf platform. I was distressed during the landing because my father let go of my hand to help my older siblings lifting them up onto the wharf and I fell through the flooring gaps into the oily seawater in the boat. However, thank God I was quickly lifted up, and met by Toonga’s wife, called Nei Tainang.

We were all scampering together towards the village, still early hours. When we got home, I was washed and changed, and I recalled my parents having an argument over my accident! During those times, I later learned that the boat trip we took out to sea, was the first time England tested its bomb. My father explained that we weren’t the only ones having to leave the island. There were some taken by aeroplane to Canton because they were too frightened of the first test. And there were others taken to Fanning Island, but everyone returned at the same time. 

After a long while, I was over 3 years old, I remembered my father came home from work one day and told my mum that we ought to go to bed early because there would be another bomb testing in the early hours. When we heard this, we were all worried because our mum was crying not wanting to hear, but my father told us that there was nothing we could do about it as the decision was already made from England and that was the sole reason why the soldiers were here, to test their bombs. He reassured us that there was nothing to be frightened of as the test was perfectly safe as per the time, we were taken to safety out at sea. Nothing happened, no casualties, like nothing ever happened. 

At midnight we were startled, as I was very sleepy but I was given no time to wake up properly, so feeling much like soldiers, we were ordered sternly to gather up our mat, a pillow and blanket and to hurry for it’s almost bomb blasting time! How miserably inconveniencing! I wasn’t very happy about my sleep being interrupted and besides, my father held my hand and hurriedly walking and forgetting my legs were only small, so I was going along at a running pace! He couldn’t carry me, as he had covers and stuff to carry too and my mum was also pregnant. When we got to the assembly point, others were already there, some were watching the film and some were just lounging whilst awaiting the bomb test.

We put our mats down and continued our sleep. But there was no way anyone could relax and rest for all the noisy other children running around and people collecting their delicious bread and having a midnight picnic! We had no choice but to join in and got our bread and had the picnic without a drink! 

After a short while, the headcount started and people were put into smaller groups. My father was also given a group of people from two Gilbert islands to look after and everyone was instructed to keep calm and stay put for its almost time! Everyone was quiet as the clerk to the Kiribati government, Mr 

Tiriboo, announced over the tannoy, telling everyone to pay attention and to listen and await for further instructions.

The speaker was on very loud and that petrified me even more as it’s a different setting to the first test and my father explained it’s the biggest English bomb ever to be tested! The clerk bellowed instructions through the loud speaker ordering the older people, “it’s time to put your dark glasses on and hold and cover your little ones’ eyes with your hands tightly and cover yourselves up with your supplied blankets.” “Ready for the brilliance lighting from the bomb ... “ and he started the countdown 5,4,3,2,1 and there it was! Brighter and so much hotter than the sun in daylight! After the brilliant light had occurred, the clerk announced instructions to everyone, “it’s now safe to remove your glasses and come out from undercover.” 

When I surfaced, I was sweating for it was so hot, much like being in front of a hot oven with its door being opened! There were noisy children crying in protest, refusing to be held during the eyes blackening session and consequently, Aren Atiriano’s eyes were affected for she managed to get out from under her covers during the blast! I almost regretted the same fate for I was also protesting hard and wished to escape but I was thankful to my Papa for holding on to me tightly! 

How inconveniencing and discomforting this exercise was for me! Falling into the oily seawater, being woken up from my sleep in the middle of the night, being rushed to the assembly place in the darkness of the night, the overbearing heat from the brilliance lighting resulting from the bomb blasting and so many more unfavourable related moments! If the tests had carried on much longer than they were, I felt, we would have all been in such sorry states! 

It is regrettable for everyone involved and got exposed to those bomb tests because I witnessed and believed that we have all been affected. I wore the special dark glasses, I had my hands over my eyes and my Papa also covered my eyes with his hands and we were all covered up with layers of the provided army black blankets and I could still see the light from the blast and furthermore, the discomfort of the heat related to the bomb that I felt was extreme. I believe it was more extreme in comparison to the X-ray as three of my Mum’s children died during these tests. 

My children and I have also been affected from during the tests up till nowadays and we have had various ailments that doctors have confirmed to have been tests’ related. My eldest daughter died from her cancer and the rest have ailments which our doctors have sadly confirmed, they have nothing they can help with. I’m not alone with my children, suffering from unexplained ailments but all the families that were here on the island during the tests are all suffering too in various forms. We have cases of leukaemia, and various other cancer related illnesses. 

After the brilliance light of the bomb passed, night darkness was upon us once more. However, the bomb mushroom loomed above and floating in the air. I witnessed a rocket entering the bomb cloud and there was an explosion that shook the ground and I felt shaken a few times. I believed if the bomb had landed and reached the land, it would have turned into a fireball and burned the land. This happened at the later test and dropped to the south and burnt the strip of land near to Poland Village. Evidence exists till now of the burnt-out strip near Poland. I was very surprised to learn of the different colours that the bomb produced! I’ve also witnessed an aeroplane entering the bomb cloud. My Papa told me the aeroplane was sucking and collecting dust particles for further testing and to be buried because it is poisonous. 

When we finally got back home after the test, I remembered the photo frames that were on the walls had been smashed and bottles of oils smashed as the result from the bomb test or the earthquake or tremor that just happened. I was just too happy to get back to bed and get warmed up again after being out in the cool night air! It was sad for the school children and copra cutters too not having enough sleep. The tests proved too disruptive and discomforting.

There were more than 20 bomb tests that I could remember. There were British tests followed by the Americans. It would have been better to send the islanders home to their home lands in the Gilberts Islands group but they just carried on with the tests regardless. 

There had been University students who came to conduct their studies and investigations and explained they were scientists and expressed their concerns about the implications of the damages to the population resulting from being exposed to the bomb tests and the related radiation effects. It is sad that the governments responsible for poisoning our land are denying responsibility and denying the tests have anything to do with the unexplained illnesses now untreatable by our local hospital. We have an Association dedicated in trying to look for compensation from the British and American governments. We heard of the thousands of lives lost to the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK & America and that made us very sad and we pray cure is found. We sympathised those affected by Covid-19 and send our deepest condolences. 

Our Association shall endeavour to seek help from our government too. If Britain and America could compensate, then medical help could be afforded for those affected here, for treatment abroad where advanced medical treatment may be available. Anyway, we shall endeavour to seek help. These are my on-going issues and a mission for me as a chairperson of our Association for the rest of us who were here during the British and American Nuclear Bomb Tests. 

These are not isolated stories as there are many more tales of experiences from those who went out to sea and not stayed on land for the tests, being petrified of the bomb tests … to be continued. 

Despite all the on-going ill-health issues and terrible experiences, I still wish to remain on Christmas Island for I’m getting old here and I love this island, with abundant wealth. It’s so easy to live off the land here with fish so easy to catch, etc.

My children also wish to stay here for this is their birth place. 

People just arrived also fell in love with this island and wish to stay and live here forever. Life on Kiritimati (Christmas) Island is far better compared to life on other islands in the Kiribati (Gilberts) Islands!” 

By Teeua Taukaro Teitiaki 

Translated By Terri Teraabo Pollard 

TERRI 

“Greetings everyone. I’m Terri Teraabo Pollard. I was born on Christmas Island, Kiribati, in Central Pacific on the 28th March 1958. 

My experience of the Nuclear Tests were very happy ones. I remembered the tests taking place during the nights time and being blindfolded and covered up under layers of the prickly black army blankets! 😊 Witnessing the giant mushroom rising up into the sky towering over us, then rolling and forming into a fireball and rolling away into the night sky, was all pretty exciting for me as a child. Running around and collecting sweet delicious fluffy bread during these tests' events were memorable episodes. 

I remembered going to the soldier’s cinema and getting a whole huge bar of Cadbury’s chocolate and stuffing my face with that, and I remembered going to church at the Church of England soldier’s church. I remembered walking the lengths of the fuel pipelines and spending my time fishing and swimming in the lagoon. I loved my childhood memories on Christmas Island. 

I left after my 11+ exam and went to boarding secondary school at King George V and Elaine Bernacchi on Tarawa, the capital island of Kiribati as the nation. I went back to Christmas Island at the end of 1973 for my school holiday, and my parents came away from Christmas Island then leaving my older sister, Teeua, who was married, and living in Poland village with her growing family.