Courier Mail Qweekend Article

In 2001 a photographic exhibition was held in New Caledonia "Across the Coral Sea: Loyalty Islanders in Queensland" This exhibition aimed to re-establish the link between those South Sea Islanders who left New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands and their families who stayed behind.

I was recently asked to share a story about "What this year means to me" I chose to talk about the struggles, strength, resilience and success of the generations of Australian South Sea Islander Women. These are some of the women I chose to honour..there are so many more out there..so through this story I hope to honour you all!! The Women of the Blackbirding Trade!! Thank you!!

As I read these pages I wonder whose ancestors these people could be....

To avoid the regulations, many kidnapped islanders were smuggled ashore in quiet Queensland creeks and rivers...

Australian South Sea Islander Honour Roll and Elders Roll of Honour

The Australian South Sea Islander Honour Roll and Elders Roll of Honour... please complete this form to register your family and your elders.

The Case of the Hopeful and that Petition - see this and other fantastic stories in our next Magazine..

The history of the cruise of the Hopeful, drawn from the evidence submitted, is one long record of deceit, cruel treachery, deliberate kidnapping, and cold-blooded murder…. When the Captain and his accomplices were caught, it was inevitable that they should become the centre of one of the most closely followed trials in Queensland’s legal history. Investigations followed and….the men appeared before a Criminal Court jury in Brisbane charged with kidnapping. Public opinion began to swing in favour of the kidnappers. Pushed by interested parties, it gathered momentum, and in remission of the remainder of the sentences of all the Hopeful prisoners. A Petition began. The Petition was 750 feet long and mounted on linen with rollers at either end. It carried 28,070 signatures from all over Queensland. Last year we visited the Queensland Historical Society to view this historical document and share our knowledge of what we know about it’s history and significance. To read this compelling story see our next edition of our Magazine…coming out soon!!

Past Present Future Blackbird images 2013

2013 is a significant year for us, descendants of the pacific islanders bought here as labourers over 150 years ago!!

Some Townsville History HERMIT PARK: Robert Towns was the original owner of the land, which contained his boiling down works and cotton/ sugar plantation. Leo Ferdinand Sachs, one-time manager of the Australian Joint Stock Bank, purchased the “Boiling Down Paddock” from the estate of the late Robert Towns in 1877. He placed a notice in the Townsville Herald on 6th July 1878 which gave his address as “Hermit Park (late Boiling Down Paddock), apply at the Lodge.” He was still using “Hermit Park” as an address in 1883. The name Hermit Park is said to be derived from a bachelor establishment there, of which Sachs was the head. In 1884 a syndicate formed the Townsville Land and Investment Company to purchase the property for subdivision