Brief news article about a Solomon Islands man who lived as a hermit for forty years in a mountain jungle cave. He returned to his native village because his fire had gone out. The villagers urged him to remain with them, and he decided to do so. The man is about eighty years old. URL: http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,15486825%255E1702,00.html.
Two immigrant hermits
Australia: The curious story of Valerio Recitti, an Italian immigrant who became a hermit in Australia. The site includes a couple of photos of the restored cave that was his dwelling. URL:
http://www.griffith.nsw.gov.au/GriffithVisitorsCentreAttractionsHermitsCave.htm
Massachusetts: The Scottish-born John Smith emigrated to Erving, Massachusetts, in the late nineteenth-century and took up residence in a cave behind a so-called castle, where he promoted himself but also lived a self-sufficient life. Both sites include a photo of Smith. URL:
http://www.nentc.com/johnsmith.htm and
http://www.ervingmass.org/Public_Documents/ErvingMA_WebDocs/hermit.
Hermit documentary film
A 1997 half-hour documentary film entitled “Hermits: Freedom or Madness?” is available from Albert Street Productions in Australia: http://www.albertstreet.tv/catalogue/1020187164.html . The film has been shown on the Australian ABC-TV program “Compass,” which focuses on religion and spirituality. The film features interviews with 8 Australian hermits of various backgrounds. Thanks to a friend of Hermitary in Australia for bringing this to our attention!