The Pitcairn Islands, a volcanic outcrop halfway between South America and New Zealand, is the UK’s only overseas territory in the Pacific Ocean and home to only 46 people.
One of the most remote places on Earth, all of its inhabitants live in the capital, Adamstown.
However, even here, people have not escaped the drama that has dominated British politics since 2016 — Brexit.
Pitcairn has its own well-equipped medical facility and a resident doctor, but for emergencies and longer-term conditions, the nearest hospitals are in French Polynesia, about 2,170km to the northwest, and New Zealand, about 5,300km to the southwest.
With no access to the islands by air, that can mean at least two days’ sailing, depending on weather conditions.
Pitcairn Mayor Charlene Warren fears that vulnerable islanders could fall foul of restrictions usually associated with the length of time British holidaymakers and those with second homes can stay in EU member states.
“Brexit has definitely affected us for going to Tahiti [the largest island in French Polynesia], because we’re no longer in the European Union,” Warren said. “We’re now only limited to three months in Tahiti, which with some medical issues that we have can roll over three months.”
For Pitcairn’s aging population, healthcare is a pressing concern, even with recent support from the government in London, particularly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Next month, there will be no minors left on the island when the last three schoolchildren, their mothers and their teacher leave Adamstown for New Zealand.
More than half of the remaining population will be aged over 60.
The Pitcairn Islands were colonized in 1790 by the mutinous crew of the Royal Navy ship HMS Bounty, led by the master’s mate, Fletcher Christian.
On Pitcairn — the only inhabited island of four scattered hundreds of kilometers across the ocean — there is only one grocery store, open three times a week for two hours at a time.
The islanders are proud of their Polynesian heritage, speak English and local language Pitkern.
“For me, I’m a Polynesian because I was born here,” said policewoman Brenda Lupton Christian, 69, adding that she is a descendant of Fletcher Christian. “This is my home, I wasn’t born in England.”
Pitcairn depends on trade with the EU, especially the sale of rich, fruity island honey, and wants access to EU markets.
However, selling honey, stamps — once so popular among philatelists that they supported two-thirds of the islands’ budget — and souvenirs to cruise ship passengers is no longer enough.
“We used to get some financial funds from the European Union. That has stopped as well with our aging community,” Warren said. “We’re only 46 people living in Pitcairn and our vote doesn’t even count.”
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