History
History
Captain William Bligh, in charge of the British Navy ships Providence and Assistant, visited Torres Strait in 1972 and mapped the main reefs and channels. While sailing between Badu and Mabuyag [Mabuiag], Bligh’s crew fired a volley of warning shots after they observed a number of canoes approaching their ships from Badu. Bligh gave the name Mulgrave Island to Badu.
In the early 1860s, beche-de-mer (sea cucumber) and pearling boats began working the reefs of Torres Strait. In the early 1870s Badu Islanders began collecting pearl shells which they traded with European pearl shell operators. The European operators worked the sea beds between the islands of Badu and Moa in the 1870s but did not attempt to settle on Badu itself.
In May 1872, the British Government passed the Pacific Islands Protection Act 1872 which allowed the Queensland Government to annex all islands within 60 miles of the Queensland coast, including Badu and the western island group of the Torres Strait. By 1884, two pearling stations were operating on Badu. One of the stations was owned by John Bell who also ran stations on Mabuiag.
Torres Strait Islanders refer to the arrival of the London Missionary Society (LMS) missionaries at Erub in July 1871 as the ‘Coming of the Light.’ The LMS made unsuccessful efforts to place missionary teachers on Badu in the 1870s. In 1884, the people of Badu made contact with the LMS mission at Mabuiag and informed them they were now ready to receive missionaries. In the late 1890s, the LMS missionary Rev Walker developed a philanthropic business scheme which he named Papaun Industries Limited (PIL). Walker’s scheme was designed to promote ‘independent native enterprise’ by encouraging Torres Strait Islanders to co-operatively rent or purchase their own pearl luggers. The ‘company boats’ were used to harvest pearl shells and beach-de-mer which was sold and distributed by PIL. Company boats provided Torres Strait Islanders with income and a sense of community pride and also improved transport and communication between the islands.
In 1904, Rev Walker established the main headquarters for PIL at Badu. The PIL buildings were constructed in a sheltered anchorage facing the sea channel between Badu and Moa. Over time this area became the main administrative and residential centre of Badu. Badu Islanders purchased their first company boat in 1906 and coconut plantations were also established on the Island by PIL. The organisation employed locals as well as South Sea Islander workers as part of their Badu operations. The Queensland Government supported the scheme and worked in partnership with PIL.
The Queensland Government over time began to exert more influence on the lives of Torres Strait Islander people. John Douglas, the government resident magistrate at Thursday Island initially shielded Torres Strait Islanders from the controlling provisions of the Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897. After Douglas passed away in 1904, the administration that followed began to assert control over Torres Strait Islander labour and savings accounts and imposted restrictions on Islander movement to and from the mainland.
In November 1912, 22,000 acres at Badu were gazetted as an Aboriginal reserve by the Queensland Government. Many other Torres Strait Islands were gazetted as Aboriginal reserves at the same time. By 1918, a Protector of Aboriginals had been appointed to Thursday Island and during the 1920s and 1930s racial legislation was strictly applied to Torres Strait Islanders, enabling the government to remove Islanders to reserves and missions across Queensland. 17 documented removals from Badu occurred between 1939 and 1950. PIL was taken over by the Queensland Government in July 1930. It was re-named the Aboriginal Industries Board and was managed by the Aboriginal Protector on Thursday Island.
By the 1930s, a number of Badu families had purchased and were operating their own pearl luggers. The pearl lugger Waikaid operated by the Nona family for many years won the government competition for the most productive lugger in the Torres Strait. The Captain of the Waikaid, Tanu Nona, also served as a community councillor and chruch warden at Badu. During the 1930s, Tanu Nona organised the construction of a new church at Badu using local wages and labour. The church was dedicated by the Bishop of Carpentaria on 12 January 1936.
In 1936, around 70% of the Torres Strait Islander workforce went on strike in the first organised challenge against government authority made by Torres Strait Islanders. The nine month strike was an expression of Islanders’ anger and resentment at the increasing government control of their livelihood. The strike was a protest against government interference in wages, trade and commerce and called for the lifting of evening curfews, the removal of the permit system for inter-island travel and the recognition of Islanders’ right to recruit their own boat crews. Around 30 men were gaoled by government authorities at Badu because of their refusal to work.
The strike produced a number of significant reforms and innovations. Unpopular local Protector J D McLean was removed and replaced by Cornelius O’Leary. O’Leary established a system of regular consultations with elected Islander Council representatives. The new Island Councils were given a degree of autonomy including control over local Island police and courts. On 23 August 1937, O’Leary convened the first Inter Islander Councillors Conference at Masig. Representatives from 14 Torres Strait communities attended the conference. Tanu Nona, Fred Bowie and Jacob Baira represented Badu at the conference. After lengthy discussions, unpopular by laws were cancelled including evening curfews and a new code of local representation was agreed upon.
In 1939, the Queensland Government passed the Torres Strait Islanders Act 1939 which incorporated many of the recommendations discussed at the conference. A key section of the new Act officially recognised Torres Strait Islanders as separate peoples to Aboriginal Australians.
During the World War II, the 341 Radar station operated from Badu monitoring the movements of Japanese planes. The Australian Government recruited Torres Strait Islander men to serve in the armed forces and enlisted men from Badu and other Island communities which formed the Torres Strait Light Infantry. The Torres Strait Light Infantry were respected as soldiers, however only received one third of the pay given to non-Indigenous Australian servicemen. On 31 December 1943, members of the Torres Strait Light Infantry went on strike calling for ‘equal pay and equal rights with the white soldier.’ The Australian Government agreed to increase their pay to two thirds the level received by non-Indigenous servicemen. Full back pay was offered in compensation to Torres Strait servicemen by the Australian Government in the 1980s.
After World War II, the Queensland Government transferred the headquarters of the Aboriginal Industries Board from Badu to Thursday Island. The pearling industry declined across Torres Strait and Islanders were permitted to work and settle on Thursday Island and the Australian mainland. Crayfish harvesting has now become an important export industry on Badu.
After gaining its independence from Australia in 1975, Papua New Guinea asserted its right to the islands and waters of the Torres Strait. In December 1978, a treaty was signed by the Australian and Papua New Guinea Governments that described the boundaries between the two countries and how the sea area may be used by both parties.
On 30 March 1985, the Badu community elected three councillors to constitute an autonomous Badu Island Council established under the Community Services (Torres Strait) Act 1984. The Act conferred local government type powers and responsibilities upon Torres Strait Islander councils for the first time. On 21 October 1985 in a then ground-breaking recognition of Torres Strait Islander land rights, the council area, previously an Aboriginal reserve held by the Queensland Government, was transferred to the trusteeship of the Council under a Deed of Grant in Trust.
The Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) was established on 1 July 1994 under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Act 1989 as an Australian Government Authority for the purpose of recognising and maintaining Torres Strait Islander custom, and to formulate, implement and monitor the effectiveness of programs of Indigenous people living in the Torres Strait area.
In November 2001, a regional sea claim for the Torres Strait was filed by the Torres Strait Islanders of the Regional Sea Claim Group which comprised of representatives from thirteen of the community islands in the Torres Strait. This claim was made on behalf of all Torres Strait Islanders and covers 44,000 square kilometres within the Torres Strait between Cape York Peninsula and Papua New Guinea.
A successful Native Title determination was ruled in favour of the Badulgal people by the Federal Court of Australia on 24 May 2005 for Badu and surrounding Islands. In 2007, the Local Government Reform Commissoin recommended that the fifteen Torres Strait Island councils be abolished and the Torres Strait Island Regional Council be established in their place. The first Torres Strait Island Regional Council (TSIRC) was elected on 15 March 2008 in elections under the Local Government Act 1993.
Badu Island Foundation Ltd (BIF) was incorporated in February 2008 as a company to run business enterprises on Badu Island following the amalgamation of the Badu Island Council to Torres Strait Island Regional Council (TSIRC) in March 2008.
Before the former Badu Island Council was amalgamated, the then Councillors and the first directors of BIF fought to the have the Badu Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT) remain under the control of Badu Islanders on Badu Island. After successfully challenging the State for the DOGIT to be held by BIF as a non-Government organisation, it was later agreed between BIF and Mura Badulgal (TSI) Corporation RNTBC for the native title body to hold the DOGIT. A Memorandum of Agreement between BIF and Mura Badulgal documents the responsibilities of each organisation, in the main, Mura Badulgal attending to the land, cultural, heritage and social issues on Badu whilst BIF focusses on the enterprises.
Language
Language
The traditional language at Badu Island is a Mabuiag Dialect, a dialect of Kala Lagau Ya.
Torres Strait Ceole and English are spoken.
Location
Geographic location, area and other physical features of the community
Badu is a large granite island with hilly timbered terrain and approximately 102.8 square kilometres and is located at latitude 10° 07’ south, longitude 142° 09’ east, which is approximately 50 kilometres north of Thursday Island. It has the second highest population of the Torres Strait Islands.
Transportation
Access to the Community
Access to the community is by private/charter boat or air transport. Badu has sealed, all weather airstrip including an established terminal.
BY AIR
West Wing Aviation provide a regular transport service to Badu. It is a 35 minute direct flight from Horn Island thru Qantas.
ObservAir are based on Badu Island. Their phone is 0400 977 733 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
BY SEA
The community is serviced weekly by landing barge by Sea Swift P/L for goods and supplies from Thursday Island, Horn Island and Cairns.
TOLL Freight visits Badu once a week to deliver goods to Badu. Their contact number is 1800 640 079.
Private dinghies are utilised to travel to and from Badu Island.
Communication
Communication
Telephones are available with Telstra as the main service provider. Mobile coverage extends to the town area.
No public payphones in the community.
Radio services are provided by the Remote Indigenous Broadcasting Service (RIBS).
Badu is included in the Vast digital television area.
Australia Post is available through a Community Postal Agency for Badu Island.
The Torres News is a weekly newspaper published every week.