Page 10 - CAMPAIGN Spring 2021

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CAMPAIGN Spring 2021
Reader’s Story by Teeua Taukaro Teitiaki and Terri Teraabo Pollard
A Tale of Two Sisters
Our BNTVA Ambassador, David Taunt, and Treasurer, Ron Watson, have been in regular contact with two marvellous sisters, Teeua and Terri, who grew up at the time of the British and American nuclear tests on Christmas Island. Terri lives in North West England, while Teeua remains in Kiritimati, and runs the Nuclear Bomb Tests’ Survivors Association.
Following an anonymous £1000 donation to the BNTVA in October from a donor with historic links to Christmas Island, the Trustees purchased five laptops for Teeua and her volunteers to use to benefit those affected by the nuclear tests. We are unable to despatch the laptops at this time, as, due to Covid-19 regulations, nothing is allowed into Christmas Island, and thankfully, the Island remains Covid-free.
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