Robinson Brothers Greet Quinn on Niihau

 Every Sunday, “Back in the Day” looks at an article that ran on this date in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The items are verbatim, so don’t blame us today for yesteryear’s bad grammar.

________

LIHUE, Kauai, Sept. 29 >> Governor William F. Quinn rode in a jeep over dusty roads today in his first official visit to the tiny island of Niihau.

It was the first visit in 32 years by a Governor of Hawaii to the privately owned island, 20 miles southwest of Kauai.

Quinn and a party of six flew to the island from Lihue Airport in two Marine Corps helicopters. …

Quinn, flying with Lieutenant Colonel Albert S. Price, landed at 8:20 this morning on a dry, windswept plain near Lehua Landing on Niihau’s northern tip.

Flying with the Governor were George Miyasa-ka, his management assistant, and Clinton Childs, assistant to the manager of Lihue Plantation. Childs also is chairman of the Kauai Repub-

lican County Committee.

Roger Coryell, Quinn’s press secretary, rode in the second helicopter with three reporters. …

Quinn and his group toured the Island in a jeep-truck caravan during the day and lunched as guests of the Robinson family, owners of the island. … Waiting to greet Quinn, Price said, were Aylmer and Lester Robinson, brothers whose family owns the Island. The Robinsons, who live on Kauai, had made the trip to Niihau by boat earlier.

(Helicopter pilot Ollie) Barth said that the Robinsons looked like soldiers from World War I. … They wore faded tan breeches and old-fashioned military campaign hats.

Barth said he was impressed by the western attire of the 80 Islanders on hand to greet Quinn. Their clothing, he said, fitted in well with the … parched appearance of the landing area. …

Quinn received permission earlier this month to visit Niihau. The visit marks the conclusion of the Governor’s program to tour all of the inhabited Islands of the State.

Permission for newsmen to make the trip …was granted by the Robinson family. … 

According to Coryell, the owners of the Island made only two requests of the reporters: Don’t smoke and please be objective. The no-smoking request applied to the entire group. Smoking is not permitted on the Island.

The last visit to Niihau by a governor was in 1929 when Lawrence M. Judd … made a horseback tour of the Island.