Summary

This item is one of our 50 Treasures: Celebrating 50 years of James Cook University.

Dr. Lynore Geia answers the question 'Why is this significant?'

'Go for Broke' - Under the 'Act'

This small book might appear insignificant, yet its pages hold an important history of Palm Island and Queensland. Under the Act¹ is Willie Thaiday's story of living under government control, equally, it is the story of the Bwgcolman² people, the Strike of 1957, and resistance against government rule.

June 10th 1957, was the day Palm Islanders stood against decades of brutal treatment by government authorities. The threatened deportation of Albie Geia, a community leader, labelled by the superintendent as 'troublemaker', was the catalyst that united the Bwgcolman resistance. Thaiday and six other men (Albie Geia, Bill Congoo, Eric Lymburner, Sonny Sibley, George Watson and Gordon Tapau) with the majority of Bwgcolman stopped work – ceasing nearly all services and obstructing the government functions, with the exception of hospitals and churches.

The government response was swift. At 4am, 13th of June 1957, armed police from Townsville forcibly entered the homes of the seven men – all detained and handcuffed at gunpoint, whilst wives and children looked on. Thaiday and his family along with the others, were marched to the beach, and transported off the island by police boat, enduring a rough sea crossing under the cover of darkness, deported to the Australian mainland to face prosecution.

Thaiday's recount of breaking out in a big song in the boat, under the barrel of a machine gun attests to their strength.

'Soon as we pull out a bit I strike out a big song – island song about our home. The captain, fellow called Mr Whiting, hear us and say, "Who them boys? They can't be going to prison in handcuffs. They seem so happy." We sing like anything in the military patrol boat... The policemen are on top and machine gun is pointed down to us but while we are in front of machine gun we sing like anything... The walky talky is going all the time talking to people on shore... They ask him. "How them boys?" They say: "Nothing wrong. They singing like hell here" Mr Whiting can't get over it. They wait to arrest us. They think we all wild fellows on boat but we happy fellows.' (Thaiday, 1981, p. 36)

This story is about sacrifice and freedom, now each year commemorated when Palm Islanders remember the Magnificent Seven and their courage in the Strike of 57.