Vanuatu today is a Paradise in the Sun. It has twice won the title of 'The Happiest Place on Earth'. But in 1980 it was the scene of a bizarre conflict, when a tribal leader called Jimmy Stevens, supported by an army of bow and arrow warriors, took over one of the northern islands and tried to break away from the powers of Britain and France. The British sent in their troops; the French theirs. But Jimmy and his men held firm.
Award-winning journalist Richard Shears travelled to what was then known as the New Hebrides and became caught up in a most curious state of affairs, comic and tragic. It is doubtful that the Pacific will ever see anything like this kind of madness again.