islander

The traditional people of Torres Strait are of Melanesian origin and speak two distinct languages. They are distinct from Aboriginal Australians living on the mainland. Over the past 25 years, archaeologists working in the Torres Strait have found evidence of human settlement dating back 2,500 years. Torres Strait is named after a Spanish captain, Torres, who sailed through the strait in 1606 on his way to the Philippines. For many Australians, the Torres Strait Islands are best known as the birth place of Eddie Koiki Mabo. Born on the island of Mer, Mabo became famous for his work campaigning for Indigenous land rights and for his role in a landmark decision of the High Court of Australia that overturned the legal doctrine of terra nullius ("land belonging to nobody"), which had characterised Australian law with regard to land and title. As a result of that case, the islands were the first place in Australia where Native Title was recognised under Australian law. Mabo died of cancer in 1992, at the age of 55, five months before the High Court overturned "terra nullius", which eventually led to the creation of various forms of land rights laws for Indigenous Australians. Source: The people and history of the Torres Strait Islands Published24 August 2015 www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34037235

Taken at Seattle-Tacoma airport.

EDUCATION. Modern aids in the shape of 16-m.m. film projectors have been in operation at Cherbourg and Palm Island schools for some years and, realising the value of visual education, particularly in the case of aboriginal children, who readily absorb learning by sight, it is intended to equip all schools with machines of this type. Already arrangements are in hand to provide a machine for Woorabinda school. The films, which are obtained through the Department of Education Library, are apart from general school subjects, geographical, industrial, horticultural, pastoral, agricultural and depict bird and animal life. Apart from their educational value, they are the means of giving the native children an insight of the activities proceeding in the outside world. Manual Training and Domestic Science.— Under the manual training scheme, boys of the senior grades receive tuition in cabinet-making, carpentry, plumbing, tinsmithing, saddlery, while the older girls are taught cooking, sewing, and general domestic science. In 1949 at Mornington Island there were 104 Aboriginal children enrolled in education: 55 girls and 49 boys. Source: Native Affairs—Information contained in Report of Director of Native Affairs for the Twelve Months ended 30th June, 1950. aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files/docs/digitised_collect...