In 1966 six Teenagers Survived 15 Months on a Desert Island
All credit to U/wild-snow5705 who posted this on another sub.
In 1965, six Tongan teenagers embarked on an adventure that would capture imaginations (again) decades later. Bored with their lives at St. Andrews Anglican boarding school in Nuku'alofa, the boys Sione Fataua, Tevita Fatai Latu, Sione Fataua, Tevita Siola'a, Kolo Fekitoa, and Sione Filipe Totau decided to escape. They "borrowed" a 24-foot boat and set sail, hoping to reach Fiji or even New Zealand. Their journey quickly took a turn for the worse. On the first night, a violent storm destroyed their violent storm destroyed their rudder and sails. For eight harrowing days, they drifted without food or water, trying desperately to catch fish and collect rainwater in coconut shells. Just as hope seemed lost, they spotted land - the uninhabited island of 'Ata, a volcanic rock jutting out of the South Pacific.
'Ata is a deserted island located at the southernmost tip of the Tonga archipelago, about 160 kilometers southwest of Tongatapu. Perhaps most remarkably, the boys managed to avoid the descent into savagery depicted in William Golding's "Lord of the Flies." Instead, they created a system for resolving conflicts. If arguments arose, those involved would separate to opposite ends of the island to cool off. They would then return, discuss the issue calmly, and pray together.
Sione Fataua, one of the eldest at 17, said when asked what the main reason for their survival was: "I think the culture where we come from. We are close. Really close family. We share everything. We poor, but we love each other."
After 15 months on 'Ata, salvation came in an unexpected form. Australian captain Peter Warner, sailing his fishing boat near the island, noticed burned patches on the cliffsides. As he approached to investigate, he was met with an astonishing sight - six naked, long-haired boys swimming towards his boat.
"My name is Stephen," one called out. "There are six of us here and we reckon we've been here 15 months."
Warner was initially skeptical, but after verifying their story with authorities in Tonga, he realized he had stumbled upon a miracle. The boys had been presumed dead, with funerals already held for them back home.
The tale of the lost boys caused a global sensation, but though their survival initially made headlines, it faded from public memory until author Rutger Bregman revived it in May 2020.