Hunters of the South Seas -Whale Hunting
Lembata Island, Flores
On the second shoot with the Indus Film crew we headed to eastern Indonesia's Lamalera Island in Flores. Will Millard was coming back to Indonesia. This time to live with the whale hunting community. Again, Will bonded with the locals. One of the villagers was Aloysius Tapo Ona, harpooner, father of three children and a widower of fourteen years.
One fine Saturday morning while we were covering the weekly traditional market we heard the loud call 'baleo! baleo! baleo!' They see whales, and amazingly this market is almost ten kilometers from the Lamalera village. That kind of news travels fast. It's a day Will Millard will never forget.
Great team, no question about it. Jamie Balment, the series producer, would also direct this program. Nathan Harrison served as a quick and efficient cameraman and Fred Windsor Clive was the assistant producer. We shared some recce time together, a lovely and patient man.
I became close to the village kids during the shoot. On the last day, when we went to say our goodbyes, one of the kid came for a hug and whispered clearly 'I hope I see you again.' So sweet. We left our hearts in that village.
