This page is to assist in the understanding of certain phrases, sayings and names peculiar to the language spoken by those fortunate enough to have been to Christmas Island.

1.      Virge Inn. No, this was not a condition, it was a location on the Island where people would go to spend a peaceful weekend getting absolutely legless and do a spot of fishing.

2.      Stickies.  Another name for the buns that were available at the kitchen. These were normally consumed about an hour before the  evening meal with a cuppa.

3.      Gooneybirds. Affectionate name for the famous Black Headed and Pacific Terns. An absolute nuisance when fishing. They’d dive bomb you and nick your catch faster than you could unhook it.

4.      Sticky plant things:  Known to the biology buff as a “Burr” and a Grapple as “Yogis. (Yogi Burrs) They were little round “Velcro” like monstrosities about 3mm across and by the time you’d finished for the day your Puttees and Hosetops were thick with them. Mind you, Chatty and Yorkie were lucky. Chatty’s dog “Bobby” thought these things were a special treat and would spend hours nibbling them off our clobber.

5.      C.I.B.S. Christmas Island Broadcasting Station. This station was run by volunteers and was our version of “Virgin Radio” but our “Chris Evans” was a lot better and funnier.

6.   KPOI.  This was a radio station broadcasting from Honolulu. All the latest pop etc.

      This was the radio that we were listening to when JFK took some lead.

7.      Gecko.  A small lizard that lived in the huts. A lot of people adopted a Gecko which was  commonly kept in their clothing lockers thus keeping down the Roaches and other nasties.

8.      Ulu.  Anywhere on the Island that was well away from civilisation. Usually involved a hazardous drive to get there, but it was always worth it in the end.

9.      Wierdies.  Apart from your standard “Blue Job” this was the best bait available for fishing. Usually referred to as Hermit Crabs. They were unusual in that they didn’t live close to the sea. They were always found in large colonies under bushes about 50 metres from the water.

10.  Toddy. Raw Aviation Fuel. Only joking. It had the same effect. It was an illicit brew made by the Gilbertese. Produced from sugar and the sap obtained from a particular shoot found at the top of a coconut palm. It smelt horrible, but a mug full of that and you could perform aerobatics. Wonderful stuff.

11.  Dhobying. The washing of ones smalls. Clothing that is. I believe the word originated in India. I will stand corrected if necessary.

12.  Painting pictures on and varnishing my nuts. Contrary to popular belief this was not a Grapples reaction to the lack of female company. It was the fine art of painting an Island scene onto a coconut still in husk, addressing it to your family in UK, varnishing it, sticking on the correct postage and sending it home. I’d love to get a photo of one of these. There must still be some out there even after this long.  

13. The Four Brothers. These were 4 coconut palms at South East Point that survived one of the early British A.Bomb tests. The rumour goes that they never even lost their nuts.