Japanese-Australians in the Post-war Thursday Island Community
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1321816600001136Keywords:
Japanese-Australians, Thursday Island, ethnic minoritiesAbstract
From the late 19th century, a scattering of small Japanese communities gradually established themselves around the northern coast of Australia. These communities existed as ethnic minorities within already established communities of Europeans and indigenous Australians in towns such as Broome, Darwin and in the sugargrowing areas of northern Queensland. The largest of these communities were found on Thursday Island, in the Torres Strait, and Broome, in Western Australia. At the outbreak of World War II, Thursday Island was the largest Japanese community in the country.
References
Sissons, D.C.S., “The Japanese in the Australian Pearling Industry”, Queensland Heritage, 1974–79, vol. 3, no. 10, p. 9
Major works on the Japanese involvement in the pearling industry in Australia include David Sissons “The Japanese in the Australian Pearling Industry”, Queensland Heritage, vol. 3, no. 10, 1979 pp 9–27, Mary Albertus Bain Full Fathom Five, Perth, Artlook Books 1982 and Regina Ganter The Pearl-Shellers of Torres Strait, Melbourne University Press, 1994.
Evans, G., Thursday Island 1878–1914: A plural Society, Honours Thesis, University of Queensland, 1972, Tables inserted between pages 26 and 27.
Steve, Mullins, Torres Strait, a History of Colonial Occupation and Culture Contact, 1864–1897, Central Queensland University Press, 1995, p. 157.
Shuji, Kyuuhara, Remains of Japanese Settlers on the Torres Strait Islands, unpublished research paper, 1977, p. 1. According to Kyuuhara, in the early stage pearling stations in Torres Strait were located at about ten sites, including Somerset on Cape York Peninsula, Albany Island, Roko Island, Possession Island, Friday Island, Goode Island, Waiweer Island, Prince of Wales Island and Mabuiag Island.
Ibid.
Palfreeman, A.C., The Administration of the White Australia Policy, Melbourne, 1967, Appendix, Table V.
Ganter, p. 99.
Kyuuhara, , pp 4–14. The oldest graves in Torres Strait are on Waiweer and Prince of Wales.
See Sissons, p. 16, Bain, p. 105 and Ganter, pp 107–109.
Loban, Ted and Filewood, Con, pers. comm. 31 August 1987.
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Nagata, p. 51.
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Capri, Sopia, pers. comm., 6 July 1992. Also see Nagata, pp 90–91.
TISHS, pp 33 & 43.
Amira Mendis, pers. comm., 6 April 1999.
Nagata, pp 226–229.
The ages of the returnees in 1947 ranged from forty to seventy- three years old. Their length of residency on the island ranged from twenty to forty years, including six years of internment.
Sadako Ike, pers. comm. 20 July 1999.
Australian Archives, ACT CRS A 373, 1/505/48. The reason why Nakata's Japanese wife and son were able to come to Australia has not been substantiated.
Australian AA 6122/40 Item 273, p. 11.
Burial list of Thursday Island Japanese Cemetery compiled in 1975 by Shuuji Kyuuhara.
Eccleston, P., pers. comm., 25 May 1997.
Murakami, Joe, pers. comm., 18 July 1988.
AA CRS A 373, 1/505/48
Nagata, Y., “A Foot In The Door: The Evolution of Australian Policy with regard to Japanese Immigration post-WWII” paper delivered at the JSAA Conference, Brisbane, 1991.
Ibid., p. 126.
Sadako Ike, pers. comm., 1 April 1999
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Ike, Sadako, op.cit.
Kehoe-Forutan, S., Effectiveness of Thursday Island as an Urban Centre in Meeting the Needs of its Community, PhD thesis, University of Queensland, 1990, p. 79.
Haig, , p. 76
Singe, p. 230.
Shnukal, Anna, Broken: An Introduction to the Creole Language of Torres Strait, Australian National University, 1988, p. 169.
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Shnukal, p. 169.
Shnukal, p. 152.
Kehoe-Forutan, p. 9.
