End of Hantavirus celebration party
Report and photos from Administrator Philip Kendall.
Last night - Saturday 20th June 2026 - Louise and I hosted a community party celebrating the end of the hantavirus crisis on Tristan.
The evening began with a sobering speech by me, which was quite emotional to give. (See text below). I hadn’t realised how much emotion had built up over the last couple of months until my voice cracked in the opening paragraph. The community has really pulled together through this difficult period and Saturday night was a chance to let off steam and enjoy ourselves.
Philip Kendall giving his speech of appreciation to everyone's role in containing the hantavirus outbreak.
Photo: Louise Kendall
Philip Kendall's Speech
"Today is a moment to celebrate. We have come through a difficult time, and we can finally begin to look ahead with confidence and hope.
But before we do, it is right that we pause.
Hantavirus was a serious and dangerous disease. It took three lives from the Hondius, and it came very close to claiming one of our own. We remember those we lost, and we hold their families and friends in our thoughts today.
What we have come through was not easy. But we did come through it — and that is thanks to an extraordinary collective effort.
Our medical team showed exceptional skill, resilience and commitment in the face of a completely new challenge. They were supported by the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, and more recently by medics who are here tonight from the UK and the Falklands. Together, they brought expertise, calm judgement and determination when it mattered most.
But this was not just about professional response — it was about community.
Once again, Tristan showed its strength.
From the RIB crews, waiting to catch parachutes or to take people off HMS Medway as it refused to stay still… to those who headed out in the fading light to recover equipment from the patches… to the hosts who opened their homes at short notice… to all those who isolated to protect us all, and to every single person across the island who played their part.
Everyone contributed. Everyone made a difference.
That is what carried us through.
So today, we celebrate not just the end of Hantavirus on Tristan, but the spirit of this community — its resilience, its generosity, and its quiet determination.
Thank you all!"
The Dancing
The visiting medics delighted us all with a Ceilidh giving some of the younger islanders their first taste of Scottish dancing. We returned the favour with the Pillow Dance and the Chair Dance,* and then all kinds of dancing into the early hours.
"Strip the Willow" ceilidh dance. Half the fun is getting is wrong...
...The other half is getting it right! Video & photo: Odile Cesari
The perennially popular Pillow Dance
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| The Chair Dance.* Cynthia waiting to be brought a new partner. Will she or won't she accept him? | A quick dance around before the next change of partner in the Chair Dance. |
Vera brings Anne to be Jack's next potential partner in the Chair Dance. Everyone's wondering what he'll do.
The dancing continued into the wee small hours.
Although we will never be able to forget the events of the last couple of months, last night drew a line enabling us to get back to our daily Tristan lives.
* About the Chair Dance
In Tristan's traditional Chair Dance, a chair is placed in the middle of the hall and the first couple dances round. One partner is sat in the chair while the other partner finds them someone new to dance with. If the seated dancer likes the new partner, they will get and dance round, and then the new partner takes their place on the chair. However, if the seated dancer doesn't like the offered new partner, they will pick up the chair to face the other way. The new partner may have another try, but they may have to give up and let another person be brought on. The fun is in guessing what will happen.