Tonga castaways build fishing boat for their rescuer - ABC International Development

In 1965, six Tongan boys aged between 13 and 16 decided to run away from their school in Tonga and borrow a boat for a seafaring adventure.

After a week marooned at sea, they eventually found refuge on an uninhabited island - Ata Island. They survived for 15 months until an Australian fisherman, Peter Warner, spotted one of the boys and subsequently rescued them. Two years later Peter Warner brought these young men to Sydney to help build and crew his fishing boat, named Ata, after the island.

In this report, Peter Luck speaks with one of the young men. As we watch him eat a raw fish, we learn first-hand a little bit about their experience as castaways and Peter Warner tells the story of how he found and rescued the boys.

Understandably, this incredible story has, over the years, captured the attention of TV producers, filmmakers and authors. However, the commercialisation and monetisation of the story has attracted some criticism by some people who believe that the rights and potential financial benefits of the story should be retained by the Tongan ‘boys’ and their families. This has triggered a broader discussion about who owns, and who should tell, indigenous stories.