Alexander Selkirk descendant visits Robinson Crusoe Island

In April, three centuries and a decade later, Ian Hendrie, descended from Alexander’s older brother, David, arrived on Robinson Crusoe Island to tick off the number one item on his bucket list.

But as excited as Lundin Links man Ian was to explore the island ‘Uncle Alexander’ spent four years and four months of his life surviving on, the people of Robinson Crusoe Island were more interested about him and his home.

Ian and wife Stéphanie spent three nights on the island, as part of a longer trip to Chile to visit their daughter, Elöise, who is in Santiago for six months as part of her university course.

While Ian had mentioned to a few people on the island his connection to Alexander Selkirk, he was too busy enjoying an action packed holiday to notice any plans being put in place by the villagers.

The pair visited the area where the German light cruiser, SMS Dresden, was scuttled in 1915, during World War I; saw remains of a historic fort; went up to Selkirk’s viewpoint, where they could out over the island; took a boat trip out to the cave where it is believed he stayed; and found the remains of a house, in the middle of the woods, it is thought he lived in.

Speaking about the viewpoint, Ian said: “You realise how remote it is, how small it is. When that boat disappeared, you wonder what he thought. How remote must you feel?”

Ian and Stéphanie were then invited to the library to see a collection of Robinson Crusoe books in various languages, before being invited to the local school.

What Ian did not realise, until he was stood in front of around 35 interested adults, was that he was going to give a talk about his links to Alexander Selkirk and Largo.

“It was really nice,” Ian said. “I explained how we fit in. I explained Largo and Lundin Links, and the similarities between the areas. I told them about the beach, the farms, the golf courses, and the villages. There were a couple of questions. It was emotional.”

Soon, the mayor arrived and Ian was presented with a diploma noting that he had been to the island and recognising him as a descendant of Selkirk – the second to visit the island.

It was not the only gift – Ian was given bottles of local beer, a book about his ancestor, and a model ship.

Ian said: “It was awesome. It was like family. They’re well aware of their history. They love Largo. It’s awesome that the book is still remembered. The fact that it was the 300th anniversary was special.

“We’ve done such a huge trip. Where next? That was number one on my bucket list – I’ve completed it.”

After receiving such a great reception on the island, Ian and Stéphanie are now looking to help the locals.

Robinson Crusoe Island was hit by a tsunami in 2010, killing 16 people and devastating San Juan Bautista, the main town on the island.

While the islanders have worked hard to rebuild the town, constructing a new school, police station and more, the couple want to help rebuild the school’s library.