Walker ‘one of one’ from island group with rich history

Based off numbers alone you’d think playing more than 200 NRL games and representing Australia and New South Wales would make Dylan Walker the most notable descendant of the Pitcairn Islands, which at last count had a population of 47.

In this case, however, he has no chance of ever matching the fame afforded to Fletcher Christian, the English sailor to whom he is a ninthgeneration relation and whose lead role in the mutiny on the HMS Bounty, and subsequent settlement in the Pitcairn Islands, is etched in history.

Christian, whose acts of rebellion in 1789 have been portrayed in mainstream films by actors such as Marlon Brando and Mel Gibson, is Walker’s 6x great-grandfather on the side of his mum Judy, who was born in the Pitcairn Islands before moving to New Zealand as a child.

As Walker proudly tells Nrl.com, that line of ancestry to the tiny group of islands located about halfway between New Zealand and Peru in the South Pacific, makes him “one of one” in the NRL.

“It’s something I’ve always been proud of,” Walker said ahead of NRL Multicultural Round kicking off this Thursday.

“I don’t really get to talk about it too much; people ask about it and I tell them what it (the Pitcairn Islands) is and they don’t understand.

“It’s something I only really talk about with my mum.”

While he’s never visited the islands, as a child Walker would celebrate Bounty Day — which commemorates the burning of the HMS Bounty by the mutineers in 1790 — and was taught the history by his mother.

In more recent times he’s connected with family from Pitcairn and has plans to visit one day, once his footy career is over and children Leo and Tatum are older.

“I’ve got a good opportunity now where I’ve been able to meet some cousins and people from my Pitcairn family line and it’s pretty cool to talk about where you come from,” Walker said.

“I’d love to go there one day and see how it goes. It’s definitely on my bucket list.

“Right now I’ve got a 3-year-old and 5-year-old, so that would be a little bit too hard and I’m not sure how that would go having them on a boat for a long trip.

“But it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and something I think I will do one day.”

Unsurprisingly given the population, sport isn’t big in the Pitcairn Islands.

But Walker said rugby league appears to be a keen topic among locals, with those still living on the island having always shown support for him in his career.

This Friday when the Warriors play the Canberra Raiders in Christchurch, Walker will also be representing his Mā ori lineage on his father’s side, which has become more of a focal point in his life since being part of the NRL All Stars and moving to New Zealand at the end of 2022.

The 29-year-old utility said he is relishing the opportunity see sons Leo and Tatum learn te reo at school.

“I’ve got lots of brothers and sisters and they all lived in New Zealand, but I’m the only one that never lived here and I’m finally getting to do so now,” Walker said.

“Playing in the All Stars and coming back here to play now has allowed me to reconnect with it further. It’s pretty special given I have two young kids at the moment who go to school and get to learn Mā ori.

“Before they eat now they’ll bless their food in Mā ori which is pretty cool. So most nights we’ll do that with them and it’s great to see.”