Community Commons – Island Entertainment and Social Get-togethers Post World War II
This special edition of “Sparks from the Past” – is written in appreciation of Jim Whistler, founder of The Signal.
Sally Montgomery has been invited to contribute this episode of “Sparks from the Past”. Sal is currently a PhD student at Cambridge University preparing her doctoral thesis, which focuses on the historical anthropology of Lord Howe Island.
During her twelve months residential research here (2022-23), Sally looked through every Signal in the LHI Historical Society collection – all 1157 of them! Her high regard for Jim, and extensive use of the Signal for research purposes, clearly illustrate the contribution both have made to our precious Island archives. It is hoped that Signal readers will graciously accept an article that is longer than usual…the founder of our local newspaper deserves nothing less!
Community Commons Jim Whistler and The Signal
By Sally Montgomery
When Chris asked me to write this contribution about Jim Whistler and The Signal to his column Community Commons, I was excited by the opportunity to share more about Jim’s remarkable contribution to Island life, in particular, through The Signal publication.
I am currently in England busily writing my thesis for my PhD in Social Anthropology about Lord Howe Island after completing my research fieldwork on the Island from 2023-2023. Not only does this Community Commons assignment give me a welcome excuse to procrastinate from thesis writing – it also gives me the opportunity to cast my eyes back over the many years of The Signal and the rich history contained therein as I share some thoughts on the role of the publication in Island life.
Left: Jim Whistler with son, Philip, printing the Signal on a Gestetner duplicating machine.
Centre: Jim handing copies of the Signal to Zetta Young for delivery to Island residents.
Right: Zetta delivering a Signal to Uncle John Thompson, the Island’s oldest resident in that era.
As part of my research, which is interested in the social past and present of Lord Howe, I read all of the 1,157 Signals available at the Museum while completing my fieldwork on the Island. In doing so, I realised the immensely important role that The Signal, and through it, the long-running editor Jim Whistler, played in community life and the history of Lord Howe. In this article I describe just some of these amazing contributions.
Before The Signal that we know and love today, the Island’s first newsletter publication came in the form of The Lord Howe Island News: A Monthly Journal. The first edition of The Lord Howe Island News was published on the 1st of August, 1932, and was printed and published by C.W. Whiting, a resident of Lord Howe. This paper was six pages in length. On the first page it featured adverts of Whiting’s stocks for sale including canned butter, Rosella Tomato Soup, baked beans as well as shaving cream, egg preservative, bacon, and ham. The new section meanwhile featured reports on cases of tonsilitis, a case of forced entry into Government House, the holiday of Mr. and Mrs. G.M. Kirby and the engagement of Mr Herbert Wilson and Miss Lily King. The following pages are filled with some humorous anonymous contributions about local gossip, a ‘Cookery Section’ by “Amateur” with recipes for ‘Crème de Lord Howe Poisson’ and ‘Orange Delight Pudding’, notes on gardening by “Aunt Edith” and notes on the bowls by Phil Payten – the then president of the L.H.I. Bowling Club. These early editions of The Lord Howe Island News provide a great insight into Island life from the 1930s and there are several editions from 1932 and 1933 available in the Lord Howe Island Museum’s digitized archives to look at.
The story of the origins of The Signal, as we know it today, starts with Jim Whistler and his arrival to the Island. The obituary to Jim in 2008, written by Barney Nichols, documents some of the details of his life.1 Jim was born on the 14th of September 1927, and had two younger siblings Jeremy and Priscilla. As a result of the Great Depression at the time, the family move often before Jim attended Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School at Tamworth. There he excelled at sports including rugby, cricket, and athletics as well as leadership, becoming a prefect and house captain in 1945. As Barney noted, it was here he displayed the leadership skills he would later bring to the Island. After school, Jim started a journalism cadetship which mainly focused on reporting sports results, both written and on the radio. These journalistic skills he would later bring to the Island through The Signal.
In an interview recorded in 2006, Jim described coming to the Island by flying boat in the late 1940s from Northern New South Wales.2 Jim’s first visit that he described here was in 1947 with his brother and parents who had come to work at Pinetrees where his father was employed as a chef. Jim started work on the Pinetrees boat The Albatross. In the 2006 interview with Jim, he described ‘meeting an Island girl’ – the young Lois Shick, whom he went on to marry in 1949.3 As with many marriages to Islanders, Jim’s marriage to Lois also came with a commitment to the Island and being a part of the community – a role that he took up with enthusiasm and inspiration. For a period, Jim served as the Island’s elected representative on the Board at a time when there was only one elected Islander member. He described holding that position for a number of years and the joy he gained from the position – ‘through that you were connected to every organisation on the Island.
Photo courtesy of the LHI Historical Society
I consider I was very, very lucky indeed to have been around at that time because I love the Island’.4 This love for the Island is shown in his work through The Signal.
Jim started The Signal in 1954. He said, ‘I saw a need for it’ after becoming interested in things on the Island and attending meetings.5 The Signal became Jim’s great passion and he worked tirelessly to produce it. He described printing the first editions of the newspaper on the school’s spirit duplicator (a form of printing press invented in 1923). Displaying his sense of humour he joked about his printing method in his 2006 interview – ‘I used the spirit duplicator to do the paper – it was very lucky because I was very critical in those days about things on the Island and when you are critical you get into trouble, especially when you put things in print.
But I was saved by the fact that the spirit duplicator faded as time went on and so there was no evidence that I had said this or that’.6 Though some editions of The Signal are lost, many have been archived in not only the Lord Howe Island Museum’s collection, but also the Mitchell Library in Sydney and the National Library in Canberra. Through these collections the historic Signals remain valuable records of Island history. I turn now to discuss some of the insights of Island life that The Signal provides a look into, and the role that the publication has played, itself, in the history of Lord Howe.
In pre-social media days, The Signal provided a means of communication and connection as well as interest for the Island community. Suggestive of its role as a small, local publication for the tiny, tight-knit community of Lord Howe, The Signal was (and remains) personal – that is, it focused on the lives of people on the Island. Many pages of early Signal editions are filled with ‘local gossip’ in the ‘News in Brief’ section. News often included excerpts such as ‘Mr Norman Fenton was a passenger to Sydney on last Saturdays plane’ and ‘Mrs Babe Payten is holidaying in Sydney’.7 The interest in these visits, as evidenced by their inclusion in the paper, are suggestive of the significance of travel to and from the mainland during this time. The Signal also played the important role of announcing and recording Island births, marriages, and deaths. In particular, The Signal provided a platform where obituaries to Island residents could be shared – within these, rich details of the lives and contributions of many past figures of the Island are recorded. Beyond the sharing of personal news, The Signal also acted as a place to advertise and discuss community events such as dances, film screenings, picnics, and special occasions. Through the continued documentation of the comings and goings, events and happenings, The Signal played an important role in the creation of community life on the Island and the social cohesion that comes from events and the sharing of news.
The Signal also contributed to communication about basic, but important, schedules of life on the Island as well as the development of its economic future. The Signal was a source of information about when ships and cargo would arrive and advertised any delays or changes to regular schedules.
Further, it is important to note the role that The Signal played in the development of tourism on the Island – and therefore its economic future. Throughout the history of The Signal it has been a publication where businesses on the Island have advertised. Historic Signals which include adverts about bicycle hire, lodge accommodation, gift shops and activity hire provide great insight into the early days of tourism on the Island and the development of the industry as does Jim’s commentary about seasonal changes and visitor rates.
Significantly, Jim also established The Signal as a platform for the important discussion and debate of issues on the Island. ‘The Back Page (with the Editor)’ section that Jim ran provided space where he cast his opinion on topics such as shipping, airstrip construction, tourism, the Lord Howe Island Act, and all other matters of Island politics during his time as editor. Within these pages, Jim gave insightful, considered, and sometimes critical opinions on issues – advocating for visions for the future of the Island. For example, in March 1960, Jim wrote ‘the shipping service to Lord Howe Island, or lack of it, has been a problem associated with the Island for some years’.8 This editorial on shipping needs of the Island ran through several volumes as the issue, and answers to it, were discussed. Like many Island residents, Jim also demonstrated a particular environmental awareness which he promoted in his editorials.
For example, in 1987, he wrote of the need to protect Elizabeth and Middleton Reef – ‘I have joined with others in making a submission supporting the proposal to establish a protected area… Protection of the Elizabeth and Middleton Reef areas is vital and urgent and worthy of the immediate attention of legislators’. 9 In this way, The Signal publication played an important role in cultivating political engagement about long running issues on the Island. Through such discussions, The Signal has contributed to numerous environmental and social causes.
By providing a space where Island people, as well as visitors, could publish opinions and thoughts, The Signal further enabled political activism by giving voice to the broader community as well. The ‘Letters to the Editor’ section, over the many years of publication, has highlighted a range of voices discussing ideas about how the Island should be run and how issues should be dealt with. Again, I use an example of how The Signal has highlighted environmental causes on the Island. In one Letter to the Editor, Island resident, Eddie Rhoades wrote, ‘I wish to point out that “sufficient protection” is not provided by any existing regulation for the most beautiful of our fish… I have seen spear gunners kill them at Ned’s Beach, after I had fed them for months and made them quite tame. Could not the Ned’s Beach area be at least closed to spear fishermen, as is the case with the Lagoon’.10 Jim established and ran The Signal as a platform which enabled the discussion of environmental, political, and social activism on different topics over the years he was the editor. Through this, the publication has played an important role in the open debate and discussion of the management of the Island.
Jim was the editor of The Signal until 2006, when he passed the reins over to Barney Nichols after over fifty years of service to the newspaper.
In 1990, Jim had received the Order of Australia Medal for his service to the community – his contribution through the many years of publication is still ongoing. The Signals are an incredible source of history for the Island. In the later years of his publication, Jim fostered this knowledge of the Island’s history – featuring excerpts from old editions and in the 2000s an ‘Island quiz section’ in which he included questions such as:
‘Question 1: For many years wild goats were a source of meat for Islanders. What else were they hunted for?’
Answer: Page 97 of Max Nicholls ‘A History of Lord Howe Island’ describes life on the Island in the 1860s and says “One of the chief problems was the matter of clothing and all sorts of materials were used. Shoes and boots, when worn, were often moccasins made of goats skin. The hair was inside, and, if kept wet, they did not slip on the rocks’
‘Question 5: When did Madame Elijah visit Lord Howe Island?’
Answer: “Madame Elijah” was the tiny aircraft in which Francis Chichester had flown from England to New Zealand in 1929. Later, on a historic flight from New Zealand to Australia via Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island, the float plane reached Lord Howe safely but was turned upside down by strong winds while moored in the Lagoon. Islanders helped Chichester repair the plane and after more than two months on the Island the intrepid airman took off for an uneventful flight to the mainland of Australia’.11
Not only do the articles over the many years highlight key episodes in the Island’s past – for example, the building of the airstrip and the end of the flying boat service to name two – on closer analysis, every piece that has appeared in The Signal since its beginning provides a window into life on Lord Howe and the changes over the years. The historic Signals are a beacon of the Island’s collective history – a shared past that, I found in my anthropological research, is so key to the way people find and feel a sense of belonging on Lord Howe. The Signal, started by Jim in 1954, and continued by Barney and now Stevie, continues to be a part of the character of Lord Howe and contributes overwhelmingly to the sense of community and the important documentation of Island history today.
Footnotes
1. The Lord Howe Island Signal, Volume 6, Number 55, 2nd May 2008.
2. CM25 Interview, 2006, Lord Howe Island Museum Archives.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. LHI Signal, Vol. 2, No. 9, 19th August, 1959.
8. Lord Howe Island Signal, Volume 2, Number 22, 9th March, 1960.
9. Lord Howe Island Signal, Volume 3b, No. 85, 5th August, 1987.
10. The Lord Howe Island Signal, Vol. 2, No. 130, 16 September 1964.
11. Lord Howe Island Signal, Volume 4b, Number 209, 21 April 2000
“The Back Page”
By Chris Murray
In earlier editions of The Signal, Jim’s many nuanced comments about Island life appeared inside the paper itself peppered with other news of Island events. Eventually, however, his editorial comment migrated to the last page of each edition and was titled “The Back Page”. The topics covered constituted an encyclopaedic compendium of Island people and events!
Observing Jim’s involvement with the Island community, one would have to conclude he was a local “Renaissance man” – one who could (and did) turn his hand to nearly anything from fishing in the Wide-Awake, to guiding tour groups, organising and participating in sporting events, MC-ing Island concerts, speaking at community meetings, contributing labour to communal working bees, attending Board meetings – not to mention the time-consuming process of publishing the Signal itself which, for many years, appeared fortnightly instead of monthly. (And all this whilst he was running a business and raising a family!)
Lord Howe did, indeed, experience a form of “renaissance” in the 1950s, 60s and 70s after the harsh, isolating years of World War II and Jim was there supporting the community in its every endeavour.
While Jim always carried a deep sense of appreciation for the past and tradition, he was a realist rather than an idealist and was always willing to grasp a new opportunity, like the construction of an airstrip in 1974 to replace the aging flying boat service.
The Signal not only advertised and reported on sporting and social events (movies, dances and concerts, weddings, birthdays, fishing competitions, Discovery Day celebrations and so on), it was a forum where “Letters to the Editor” aired a range of views about local issues. Regarding these “Letters”, Jim was always scrupulously fair and often published letters that were contrary to his own views. The Signal also reported on the minutiae of Island life, like the comings and goings of Island residents to/from the mainland, and the visits of friends and relatives sojourning on the Island.
Through the Signal’s wide reporting of these “goings on”, and its openness to public opinion in the form of residents’ letters, it was probably Lord Howe’s most significant “community common” during the last five decades of the 20th century – it actively promoted participation in every aspect of Island life. And while we may not have individually agreed with all Jim’s editorials, we were always free to publish our own views in a letter to The Signal!
However, my most vivid personal recollections of Jim come from Island concerts which he helped to organise three or four times every year, often as fund-raisers for local organisations. He always seemed to be the MC at these concerts and each song or skit would typically be introduced by one of his jokes – and this inevitably had some local content.
I recall a particular skit in which Jim was receiving advice from a tiny puppet – supposedly his ‘muse’ or source of creative inspiration at the Signal news desk. The puppet was dancing around on his desk and suggesting news headings for an upcoming edition: eg. “Local businessman (Mr X) was admitted to hospital after falling off his wallet…” We would all laugh at the inclusion of someone we knew in Jim’s jokes, but then we might find ourselves at the very centre of his next joke! Despite this, Jim had a remarkable ability to make us laugh at ourselves. We were always richly entertained in a manner that never caused us to take umbrage. And the concerts themselves contained a masterful array of local and visiting talent.
Lord Howe in Jim’s era (1947 – 2008) had a stronger communal life than it does today but, whatever the circumstances, Jim was committed ‘boots-and-all’ to his community. Without doubt, his longest-lasting legacy is The Signal – currently in its 70th year of publication thanks to two subsequent editors, and in which this article has been very fittingly published. What a lifetime of achievement…well done Jim!