Hufnagel-Betham Family Collection
A huge welcome awaited the Stünzners when they sailed into Apia on board the aging ferry from Pago Pago “ Lady Roberts ,” shown above tied up to the wharf in Apia . Scores of friends and relatives met them on arrival . Within days word had spread , “ The Stünzners are back .” High chiefs Mata ’ afa and Tamasese called on them with gifts . The two Samoan dignitaries were related to Mary Ellen through her grandmother Malaisala Fiame , ( married de Silva ).
The return of the Stünzners was , understandably , big news in Samoa — because of its rarity value . As the 1920 ’ s unfolded , an increasing number of former German residents applied to return to the islands but in most cases their requests were declined by the NZ Administration . Archives NZ files suggest that only the Stünzner and Dusterdieck families were allowed to return to live in Samoa . In both cases the wives had been of part-Samoan descent .
| To Walk Under Palm Trees - The Germans in Samoa : Snapshots from Albums | Tony Brunt
96