By Eleanor Gee and Linny Folau, in Nuku'alofa

Where are the six Tongan boys who were castaways on Ata Island in 1965? The world is asking, after their story was published in The Guardian [2] (UK) four days ago and has been read more than 7 million times.

The six boys in their now very famous photo, survived for more than a year on the uninhabited Ata island [3], 160 km to the south of Tongatapu, and were eventually rescued by an Australian fishing boat. The Guardian article referred to the six boys by their first names: Luke, Stephen, Sione, David, Kolo and Mano.

Today the family of Kolo Fekitoa, the boy holding the 'ukulele in the photo, told Matangi Tonga Online that Kolo had passed away about three-years ago, at the age of 71 years.

In 1965 Kolo Fekitoa (reportedly 17 years old), and his five friends, Sione Fataua (17), "David" Tevita Siola'a (15), "Stephen" Fatai Latu (17), Mano Totau (16), and Luke Veikoso (16) ran away from school. Kolo was a student at the Anglican Church High School, St Andrews, in the capital, Nuku'alofa.

The boys stole a boat with provisions and planned to sail overseas. However, they didn’t get far after a storm wrecked their boat near Ata Island. They managed with great difficulty to swim ashore and spent the next 15 months on the island before they were rescued by Peter Warner on his fishing boat.

Four of the boys are now living overseas, including Mano Totau who lives in Australia, and Luke Veikoso, a boxer, who went to the United States. Sione Fataua reportedly became a faifekau for the Church of Tonga in Portland Oregon, later moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and now resides in Oakland, California. Tevita Siola'a lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

The other two (Kolo and Fatai) have already passed away.

In Tonga today, the family of Kolo spoke fondly about his life.

His widow, 'Ana, who lives at Pahu, remembered him as a family man, who made a living as a fisherman, among other jobs that he could do. They have two children. 

She also showed Matangi Tonga a framed photo of the six boys, identifying her husband as the handsome young man in the middle holding the ukulele, which he made on the island.

At the same time, Kolo's sister Nesi Kami said he was a hardworking man.

She was around 10 years old when he and his friends took off, while they were living at their home in Pahu, a suburb of Nuku'alofa. 

Nesi also confirmed that Kolo studied at the Anglican Church school. He is buried at Takaunove Cemetry in Fasi.

Documentaries

In 2015 a Spanish adventurer, Alvaro Cerezo, contacted Kolo in Tonga and took him back to Ata Island, where they filmed a new documentary re-enacting how he and his friends survived. According to the explorer's website, Docastaway [4], the film will be launched this summer.

An earlier documentary was made in 1966 for Channel 7, Australia. It has been rediscovered and shared on Twitter by Rutger Bregman today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1267&v=DYebOCCoTYM&feature=e... [5]

Bregman is the author of a new book 'Humankind: A Hopeful History' [6] that contrasts the real castaways' adventure with the fictional castaway boys in the best selling book Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, and how the strong friendship and loyalty of the Tongans prevailed.

Links:

9 May, 2020, The Guardian: The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months [2]

14 May, 2020, The Guardian: The 'real Lord of the Flies': a survivor's story of shipwreck and salvation [7]

Twitter thread: Photo of survivors [8]

Twitter rcbregma [9]