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Tom Christian MBE was a citizen of Pitcairn Island, who was its long-serving radio operator.〔 〕〔 〕 During his lifetime Christian was profiled in a number of publications, including ''National Geographic magazine, ''People magazine''.〔 〕 Christian served as the Governor's appointee on the Pitcairn council for forty years.〔 In 1983 Christian had been appointed a member of the Order of the British Empire, an order of chivalry. Christian left the island for New Zealand, when he was 17, for three years, where he was trained to operate radio station ZBP, first set up by the New Zealand military during World War II.〔 In 1989, according to ''People magazine'', Christian was the highest paid Islander, earning $10,000.〔 ''The Telegraph'' reported that Christian had spent other relatively brief periods off-island, that he had always been attracted to life off-island, and never expected to stay on the island so long.〔 Christian, like most Pitcairn Islanders, was a follower of Seventh-day Adventism, and worked for six months at a Seventh-day Adventist radio station in California. He also made several cruises as a radio operator on a freighter vessel. In later years Christian visited the outside world where he delivered lectures on Pitcairn and its history.〔 In his ''New York Times'' obituary Christian was described as one of the HAM Radio world's two most sought after operators.〔 Christian, as the island's radio operator, with call sign VP6TC/VR6TC, served as "the voice of Pitcairn" from the mid-1950s to his retirement in 2004. His radio hut was atop spyglass hill, which, at elevation, is the highest point on the island.〔 He was awarded an MBE in 1983. According to his ''New York Times'' obituary Christian and his wife Betty Christian took a firm stand during the Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004 against the idea that Polynesian people had different standards about the sexual initiation of minors.〔 Christian died of the after-effects of a stroke.〔 He and Betty had four daughters, Darilene, Sherilene, Jacqueline, Raelene, and six grandchildren. According to the HAM radio association he had been diagnosed as suffering from Alzheimer's disease in 2009, and his health and awareness of his surroundings had steadily deteriorated since then.〔 〕 His daughters Jacqueline and Raelene are also HAM radio operators. ==References== 〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tom Christian」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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