Photo by Michael Gill


Kari Boye Young

Conference Speaker
 

Title of talk:  "How the Pitcairners' Resourcefulness Has Enabled Them to Survive in Isolation"
Video of talk   Text of talk (PDF)

Norwegian-born Kari Boye Young read Mutiny on the Bounty as a 12-year-old schoolgirl in Oslo and developed a crush on Clark Gable, who played Fletcher Christian in the 1935 MGM film, Mutiny on the Bounty.  After high school and business college, she entered maritime college to qualify as a radio officer in the Norwegian Merchant Marine.  Afterwards for 12 years she sailed around the world, serving as a radio officer.  In between assignments at sea she worked as a language teacher back home in Norway.

Mrs. Young visited Pitcairn for the first time in 1973 and stayed on the island for seven months.  After a second visit in 1975 she finally returned for good to wed Brian Young, to whom she has been married for 33 years.  Their married son Tim resides in Australia while their daughter Anette lives in Norway.  In 1982 Mrs. Young wrote an autobiography which included an account of her life on Pitcairn.  The book, Den siste mytterist, in Norwegian, is now out of print.  During her early years on the island Mrs. Young was employed in road maintenance and as caretaker of the grounds at The Edge.  Then she obtained a job as radio station operator in the mid-1980s, and later she worked in the post office. 

The Young Family lived in New Zealand during the children's high school and university years.  During that period Mrs. Young was employed as a caregiver in a kindergarten chain.  After returning to Pitcairn five years ago she served as a kindergarten teacher until retiring in 2010.

Mrs. Young says that, even after 40 years of living on and off the island, she remains passionate about Pitcairn.  However, she is worried about what the future may hold.  Mrs. Young's great passion is history, and she claims to have collected every available article written about Pitcairn dating back to 1808.  She wrote a paper on Pacific women at Auckland University in addition to studying Greek and Roman history, Latin and German.  One of her remaining life goals is to obtain a university degree.

Please click here for additional biographic information which was included in the January 2011 issue of The UK Log, published by the Pitcairn Islands Study Group (UK).

 

Go to next individual speaker page

Go to photos and links

Go to speakers' page

Go to home page

Go to store

Go to Donor Hall of Fame

Go to media page

What's new on this website?

Go to site map

Contact us

Last updated October 10, 2012