A young family's Cook Islands legacy

This is a very personal story of a young family from London, England who moved to the Cook Islands to work as missionaries at a pivotal point in its history.  It’s told in a new book by way of some of the hundreds of letters, photos and documents they sent home to their parents.

Their son, Simeon Sturney talks about what that legacy reveals about Islands' life in the late 1950s and early 60s and why he’s sharing it. He also relates an emotional story about how he was born on the island of Aitutaki and nearly died hours later with breathing difficulties. There’s a happy footnote to the tale too about how, many years later, he met by chance at a rugby league world cup match the nephew of the doctor who helped save his life. 

Simeon also reflects on how the islands have changed and his thoughts about the future as the Cooks celebrate 60 years of self-government.  And referring to the title of the book, he asks a 21st century readership: “What’s your legacy?”

The book – “Legacy – A Missionary’s Life – Letters from the Cook Islands” is available through Amazon and some Christian bookshops in the UK. Work is in progress to make it more widely available. It’s lavishly illustrated with the help of  independent freelance designer, Faye Porter who worked with Simeon to create the book published by Sarah Grace Publishing (ISBN 978-1-917455-21-3)

ABOUT ME
I'm a retired BBC radio and TV journalist and presenter who's been having a long distance love affair with the Cook Islands for nearly 40 years and I've featured in media worldwide as an expert on this remote islands nation. CONTACT ME if you'd like to sponsor this podcast or just want to ask questions about the Cook Islands. Email kiaoranawebsiteauthor(at)cookislands.org.uk (Replace “at” with @)

MY BOOK ABOUT THE ISLANDS
Whether you're planning a visit or just armchair travelling, you'll discover stories of buried treasure, ghostly fire, real-life Robinson Crusoes and the mafia, and a wealth of useful information. 'Around the Corner from Nowhere: The Cook Islands Rediscovered' is available as an ebook (https://getbook.at/Cook_Islands-ebook) or paperback (https://getbook.at/cookislandsbook) through Amazon. An updated 2025 version has just been published. All profits are donated to dementia charities

EXPLORE ALL 15 OF THE COOK ISLANDS
My website is the most detailed guide on the net at Cook Islands complete guide. It's also THE ONLY TOTALLY INDEPENDENT GUIDE ON THE INTERNET with information about each and every one of the 15 islands