A woman who lives on the world’s most remote inhabited island with her husband and kids is sharing their unique life as one family among 138 inhabitants descending from just seven families, with only one shop, one school, and a pub.
Kelly Green, 32, lives on Tristan da Cunha, one of a cluster of remote volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,500 miles off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. After moving to the island from Eastbourne in the south of England in 2013, she married carpenter and island native, Shane Green, and the couple made the island their permanent home.
Kelly and Shane have two children together: Savannah, 8, and Seren, 18 months.
“It’s a great place to raise a family. I love England but I can’t ever imagine living there again,” Kelly told SWNS. “There are only 138 people here, so we all know each other. There is only one police officer on the island, and I’ve never had to call him.”
Kelly first visited Tristan da Cunha in 2010 when her father, a diplomat, was posted there. The island is not easy to access; the only option for visitors is to take a boat from Cape Town and spend anywhere from seven to 15 days at sea, depending on the weather.
Kelly’s future husband was the person who helped carry her bags from her raft to the shore, and Kelly was smitten.
There are myriad reasons the couple enjoys island living. Life is peaceful and focused on community, with “everyone living off the land and chipping in.” Kelly runs the island’s tourism office, keeps chickens, and cooks dinner for her family in the evenings using island staples such as mutton, lobster, fish, potatoes, and fresh fruit and veggies.
“I really miss going out to eat; there are no restaurants or takeaways and only one very minimal shop,” said Kelly, who has learned to make sushi at home to spice up family dinnertimes.
The community is supported by traditional roles. Men fish and hunt in the mountains while women perform domestic duties, taking turns to provide food for their fathers, husbands, and sons. One of Kelly’s occasional jobs is to help prepare fish at the island’s fish factory.
Tristan da Cunha’s main source of income comes from the export of lobster, stamps, and coins. “Sometimes we will stay until midnight wrapping products to be sent all around the world,” Kelly said.
The island has its own school with an exceptional teacher-student ratio. Kelly and Shane’s daughter, Savannah, is one of only five students in her grade; one grade has only one student, and the school in its entirety has 19.
Past the equivalent of a tenth-grade education, students must head to Cape Town to continue their schooling. “We are an aging population so want to keep our youngsters, but it can be very boring for them,” Kelly explained.
Despite the island’s tiny population, its 138 inhabitants know how to have fun. Whenever someone has a birthday, their family will host a house party. The island also has its own unique annual holidays such as Ratting Day, a day dedicated to letting dogs loose to catch and kill any rats that may have arrived on visiting boats.
Dec. 31 on Tristan da Cunha, known as Old Year’s Night, is an opportunity for the men to dress in scary masks and chase fellow islanders on their tractors for the thrill. “It’s petrifying,” Kelly said. “They will bang on your window and try to spray you with a garden hose.”
The island also has a pub, The Albatross, although Kelly insists that just five patrons make for “a busy night.”
There are some issues when you live this simply. Homes on the island are made of wood, and islanders use gas cylinders to heat them. Tragically, Kelly’s best friend lost her home to a house fire in 2022.
“[E]verything burnt down, it was horrific. But luckily they got out with their dogs, and we will all muddle together to help rebuild the home,” said Kelly, who explained that islanders use a metal gong to alert the community during emergencies.
Kelly and her family have also had to get used to limited resources and planning ahead. One thing Kelly “cannot live without” is her favorite brand of English mayonnaise, Hellman’s, but her condiment craving comes at a price; cargo ships come to the island only nine times a year, and a small crate from the U.K. can cost around 600 pounds in shipping fees (approx. US $740).
Owing to their isolation, one global crisis that never reached Tristan da Cunha was COVID-19, but it did impact tourism. Looking ahead to 2023, islanders hope to see cruise ships and curious visitors return to their shores.
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