Published: Thursday, 30th April, 2009 9:00am

A family"s island retreat for a year

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In early December, the manager of RSPB Reserves in Fermanagh, Brad Robson, his partner, Anja Rosler, who works on conservation projects and their four-year-old daughter, Reika, left to take up a one-year 'adventure' on the world"s most remote inhabited island, Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic. Over the past few months they have been finding their feet as they enjoy summer in a totally different environment from Fermanagh. In this article, the first of two they have sent from Tristan, they explain a little about life there and find many positive aspects about living among such friendly and industrious people.

Brad is working with Tristan"s Conservation Department, monitoring and recording seabirds and involved in heading the South Atlantic Invasive Species Project while Anja is engaged in collecting seeds of rare plants for the Millennium Seed Bank at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. Anja also leads garden projects with children.

'April showers might be infamous, but on Tristan da Cunha they have a more significant impact than at home. April squalls here mark the end of the southern summer and are generally accompanied by the first licks of the notorious roaring forties as they advance north during the winter months. So far, fortune seems to have been on our side as the extraordinary summer stretched on and on only interrupted by occasional bouts of strong winds and, rarer still, by rain.

We are feeling increasingly settled on our island which, despite its actual remoteness, feels like the world itself. In our day-to-day life, it is easy to forget just where we are and so it is worth stopping for a moment once in a while and letting the mind"s eye zoom out to see the vast ocean all around. This is made all the more clear by the procession of cruise ships, which have arrived during our summer period. The most frequent route is from Ushuaia in southern Argentina via Antarctica and South Georgia, then an eight-day sail or more to Tristan, which is the last stop before they reach Cape Town after another six days or so and the end of their voyage.

Hence, it is hard to imagine the frustration of the passengers on occasions when sea conditions prevent them from disembarking their ship. The harbour at Tristan is very small, shallow and exposed, a combination that makes it impossible for any ship to enter it. Instead, they anchor a few hundred metres off the island and then small boats and rafts are sent out to off-load passengers and goods. So, when a cruise ship does arrive, hopefully the sun will shine and everyone can come ashore to experience the unique atmosphere of this special place. For us, these days offer a chance to meet people from all over the world and we have even met a friend from home! The local women sell hand made crafts, guided trips are organised to various parts of the island such as the potato patches and the summit of the volcano that erupted in 1961. We use the opportunity to talk to the visitors about the conservation work taking place here. Occasionally the famous/ infamous Tristan Golf Course is open with its cattle, chickens and cow pat hazards.

Many visitors past and present have been overwhelmed by the welcome they received on Tristan and the friendliness and generosity of its people, and we are no exception. Ever since we arrived, people have been bringing eggs, home baked cakes, fresh fish, vegetables from their gardens, potatoes, and of course Tristan Rock Lobster, the world renowned delicacy, to our house. At the moment, each family is butchering cattle and sheep to stock up on meat for the long winter ahead and, needless to say, our freezer too is filled with beef and mutton.

Anja has also established a school vegetable garden, ably assisted by the children and with support from the wider community. The problems encountered are akin to those at home, mainly wind, slugs and various bugs! The garden is proving very popular with the older children, who even turn up for work during their holidays. The link between the South Atlantic Invasive Species Project, of which Brad is the project officer, and food growing might not be obvious at first glance, but there is one: the more food that can be grown locally on Tristan, the less needs to be imported and hence the risk of accidentally introducing yet another invasive species decreases. Helping the children to grow their own vegetables and herbs must therefore be a worthwhile investment in the future!

Our four-year old daughter, Reika enjoys going to the local school where she attends the playgroup with another five children. She is rapidly picking up the local dialect and seems to have grown considerably since our arrival, probably on account of all that fresh sea air and good food. On Queen"s Day, in early April, she proudly won the potato and spoon race - eggs are far too valuable at the minute to risk breaking a few - though video evidence suggested some dubious techniques at work!

As days shorten and we move into the southern winter, work will shift largely towards indoor activities. Brad will assist with setting up work programmes and planning monitoring work for the future field seasons, whilst Anja will assist with developing teaching resources particularly on invasive species.

Next week; Brad, Anja and Reika go in search of the wonderful bird life, some of which is unique to that part of the world.