Orlando Hooper

Mr Orlando Hooper is Tamba- Tamba's oldest resident.
He was born in Hooper's Point Village in 1901.
The records of the time support this claim.
Mr Hooper attended the elementary school but started work on his father's fishing boat at the age of 9.
Mr Hooper is proud to be able to trace his ancestry back to the Mutineers' settlement. Seaman Samuel Hooper (originally from Lowestoft, Suffolk) was amongst the supporters of Thomas Cock. He had been a fisherman before joining His Majesty's navy, and returned to his old trade, founding the village of Hooper's Point in about 1782.
During the 1930's Mr Hooper spent a few years overseas having joined a visiting British merchant ship. During this time he lived briefly in London, Rotterdam and Cork.
'Small is beautiful' says Mr Hooper, 'I seen that life weren't for me- too many people together gives rise to bad things, and I seen the bad side of organised religion, big industry and what other folks might term civilization. Look at the rise of Fascism- that'd never happen on a small island like this...and the depression. On Tamba- Tamba we might be poor to your eyes, but at least we was all poor together.'
Mr Hooper returned to the island in 1938 and worked at fishing until he was almost 80.
He was a keen marbles and stones* player up until his century, and also participated in dancing get togethers.
'Some say I'm part of history, but to me I'm just another fellow' he says with the modesty of a true Tamba- Tamba man.

* We will look at these unique games in a later post.