The Atherton temple (Hou Wang Miau)
Interior of the Atherton temple (Hou Wang Miau)
Business sign from a See Poy & Son’s building, Innisfail
Bath from the Japanese bath-house on Thursday Island
Japanese gravestones, Thursday Island
Italian ornamental tile flooring at the Noorla Hotel, Ingham
Italian ornamental tile flooring at the Noorla Hotel, Ingham

Sugar, Shops and Pearls in the 'Alien' North

Queensland was founded as a separate colony in 1859. From the beginning there was a shortage of labour and this issue dominated early politics. The settlement of North Queensland was heavily influenced by the British view that white men could not endure permanent residence or manual labour in the tropics. The labour question was partly settled through the importation of labour from the Pacific Islands, Europe, and Asia. The story of the people who made up this labour-force in the early development of Queensland’s north is colourful and full of courage, hard work and sheer persistence.

The heritage of these peoples and their contributions to the sugar and pearling industries and commerce of North Queensland is evident in family names, place and business names, architectural styles, festivals, pastimes, and carefully preserved artefacts. Their dedication to hard work, their love of family, their teamwork, their adoption of their new country and sharing of their traditions, customs, food, arts and crafts continue to enrich the local culture of North Queensland.

These stories explore the conditions they endured, including an unfamiliar and ‘alien’ environment of climatic extremes, restrictive laws based upon race or colour and internment during World War II. Additionally, they often experienced alienation from their Anglo-Australian neighbours.

These stories also celebrate their achievements and provide evidence that even in severe adversity, the human spirit can triumph. These powerful and colourful stories are brought to life by personal accounts of those who remember.

The generous spirit of those Australians once called ‘aliens’ can be summed up in the words of Jennie Di Blasi:

I admire my parents and grandparents for their tolerance. Publicly, they never capitalised on the internee experience. Privately, there was not bitterness. The memories I heard repeated were of the laughter, not of the pain.

Jennie’s grandfather, and the many pioneers like him, have made significant contributions to the development of Australia. Queensland Stories recognises that contribution.

The material on which these stories are based was collected in April 1999 by a Queensland Museum fieldwork team: Judith Wassell, Curator, Cross-Cultural Studies (Project Leader); Marianna Auliciems, Assistant Curator and Bruce Cowell, Photographer.

The following de facto keepers of their familys’ heritages generously donated their time and material to the Queensland Museum:

• John Fong On – ‘Restricted Business’
• Ali Drummond – ‘Daring Diving’
• Phyllis Ah Loy – ‘Bridging Cultures’
• Jennie Di Blasi and Giovanni Fontanella – ‘Sweet ‘n Sour’