There IS a Falkland Islands SPIRIT!

Dear Fellow Earthlings, On the 14th day of April the weather became colder than it had been for the past couple of days. This was no big deal for the Falkland Islanders, but for the Argentine troops, it made their stay in the Falklands all the more difficult.

The native Falkland Islanders continued to be hopeful that the occupation would end sometime soon, with the invaders returning to the South American continent. The Falkland Island people have an amazing capacity to endure the worst and come out all the better for it.

For example, when I was in the Falklands, one of the "old timers" who had witnessed the war first hand (and whose name I refrain from using without kerm permission) told me how kee had been duped by a con man and had lost a great deal of money in the process. When I offered my sympathy to kerm kee explained to me that kee had learned a lesson and, despite having taken a heavy financial blow, was now fully recovered -- and (amazingly!!) still maintained a high level of trust towards most of kerm fellow humans.

I found a great number of such examples of the Falkland Islander propensity to endure while I visited the Falklands back in 2013 :

Gary who fell in love with the Falklands -- and with a woman from the Falklands -- when he arrived there to battle the Argentines back in 1982 (See Installment 57.);

Kenneth Stewart who prided himself on giving me historical backgrounds of the various landmarks in and around Stanley (Installment 69);

Rob and Lorraine McGill who live on idyllic Carcass Island and whose hospitality is so generous and genuine (72);

Nobby Clarke with his witticisms regarding the war (75);

the 38-year-old man (name withtheld at his request) who still suffers from the trauma of being confined in his own community centre by the Argentines when he was but a boy of seven (76);

and Stacey Davis who beams with pride at her Islander heritage (81).

All of these people (except "Gary", who was a member of the Task Force steaming towards the Falklands from Great Britain) were surely going through a lot of angst as they waited, hope against hope, for the Task Force from Great Britain to come to their rescue.

Steve Walker Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

EarthSaver

Steve Walker

There IS a Falkland Islands SPIRIT!