Home. This is a word that has a different meaning for different people. Some people might say 'home' is where you were born, others say it’s where you live with your family…... I personally think it comes down to what memories you have and what feelings those memories give you.

Some people may have been born in a certain country but their parents took them as babies to faraway lands where opportunities were greater and safety guaranteed . These people would remember nothing of their supposed ‘homeland’ and their new country is all they know of as ‘home’. For me, I have VERY fond memories of my ‘home’ – Thursday Island, otherwise known as TI, in the Torres Strait. When I think about it, I think of family (I have a HUGE family on my Dad’s side, with his 6 brothers and 1 sister and all their associated family – I grew up with 20 cousins around me), camping on an island with my entire extended family, riding in a boat, on a huge quad bike and on a 3-wheeler. I remember our dog, visiting Grand Dad’s grave at the cemetery, fishing, the water tank, eating fresh coconuts, centipedes, standing on the spikes woody fruits from the Casuarina trees, chasing chickens, sitting in the tray of our ‘truck’ (Toyota Hi-Ace), wearing no seatbelts and only having one channel on the tv – the ABC. I remember everything with happiness and a smile and it is the island that I identify with as MY home.

I have now lived in Cairns, a 2 hour flight away to Horn Island, 10 min drive to the wharf to catch the ferry, then 20mins boat ride away, for the last 25 years . And I do consider it ‘home’ in terms of my immediate family and all my humble possessions can be found here – so I always have to come back. But I feel that TI will always be my proper ‘home home’! It’s hard to explain but the feeling I get when I come home is one of peace, happiness and pride. I feel a real connection with the place and wish every time I leave that I could live here longer. I think my last visit home was in 2013 so it was really nice to end our Cape York tour with a visit to TI and Horn Island, introducing Mr Wanderlust to my family members.

The island is only 3.5 square kilometres, so with a car, it only takes about an hour or two to drive around and see the major sights as follows:

Main Street of town – Douglas Street

A single street spaning 2 blocks, some Government departments, the Council office, a couple of general stores, the newsagent, National Australia Bank, the Post Office, Bobby’s the local fish & chip shop, small tourist shops selling pearls and usual souvenirs of hats, t-shirts, tea towels, etc . The best thing about walking the main street is the locals you are bound to strike up a conversation with. Local ARIA award winning singer/musician Uncle Seaman Dan sits in a chair out the front of Mona’s Bazaar, where his famous CD’s are sold. Uncle Seaman will always take the time to chat with you and tell you stories from his interesting life. Another great stop, to meet some golden oldies for some wonderful recollection of island life, is the Home and Community Care (HACC) centre on a Thursday from 10am to 2pm. The old folk LOVE new visitors and you can learn a lot from sitting down and hearing their stories.

The foreshore

A peaceful walk from the wharf down the front towards the Bowls Club is a water front path with scattered sculptures and artwork along the way. Beautiful both on the high or low tide, it’s a very nice way to pass the time and relax.

The back of the island

With a car, you can check out the other side of the island most tourists rarely venture . Drive past the Rose Hill boat ramp for views of Hammond Island, then head around to Tamwoy Town where Tagai College (high school) can be found.

The Cemetery

The cemetery is renowned for the Japanese pearl divers memorial with pearl diving an integral part of history in the Torres Strait. There is also a monument dedicated to the late Bernard Namok, the designer of the Torres Strait Islander flag with some explanation of the design features of the flag. A stroll through the cemetery will give you an insight to the past and interesting history of the island.

Green Hill Fort

From Green Hill Fort, you can get some amazing views over the central ‘down town’ area of TI and the wharf precinct. You clearly see over to Prince of Wales (POW), Goode and Hammond islands. You can see some spectacular sunsets as the sun drops behind the islands and into the surrounding ocean . If you join a tour, you can gain access into the underground Green Hill Fort Museum. The Museum is locked and opened on occasions. To find out opening times, contact tour operators: Gateway Torres Strait Resort or Peddell’s Ferry.

Gab Titui Cultural Centre

The Cultural Centre, affectionately called Gabs, houses historical artefacts and contemporary Indigenous art and teaches you about islander custom, lore and traditions. When I visited, there was an exhibition showcasing Torres Strait masks. It was an informative display focusing on traditions and meaning behind the design of these beautiful pieces. What was most prominent for me was the displays detailing how the masks and other artefacts were taken from these islands by some of the first explorers to document new cultures. However, once removed from the islands and catalogued, these pieces of history were carefully wrapped and kept in storage for almost 100 years. The curators knew nothing about the meaning of the design or the stories attached to the pieces . Thinking they were doing a service by preserving these artefacts, these museums were actually keeping traditions away from their traditional owners! A local elder travelled to England to find these original pieces and bring these stolen artefacts back to where they belong, before those traditions and stories are lost forever!

HORN ISLAND
The Gateway Torres Strait Resort is home to the Torres Strait Heritage Museum and Art Gallery – an extensive private collection of history and artefacts of the Torres Strait, including a diverse range of World War II memorabilia. Something I never knew was the large Japanese population who called Thursday Island ‘home’ but were forced to move to southern Australia when the war began. Ripped from their homes they were taken away due to the impending raids, and had to fight their way back to their island home!

HAMMOND ISLAND

Not everyone is granted access to wander on Hammond Island, and it is actually necessary to request permission to visit from the Mayor of the island . Once this is given, you can take a short water taxi ride over to the island where you must ‘sign-in’ to the island and the protocols and island custom will be detailed to you. Something I do fondly remember from my childhood is coming to Hammond Island for sports carnivals or to go to church – and it is the stone church and glass bottle windows that I remember vividly.

Home coming....

Coming ‘home’ this time was a little different than usual as when you’re showing a visitor around, you look at things differently – that street IS beautiful, that view from here IS stunning – and visitors ask hard questions you never think about - why is that hill named that, how far is it to that other island, who is that street named after, how old is that building, etc!

And naturally, I always come ‘home’ with my own curiosities of things that have changed from the past…I am especially curious of my Dad. Losing my Dad at 16, I didn’t have the luxury of time to get to know him and ask him what antics he’d gotten up to when he was my age. Previously, I used to ask my Uncle Richard for these tales, but he’s passed on now too. So, this visit, I took the liberty to ask a lot of the elders I met about him. It was nice to hear the funny stories about him and people talk about him and my Mum with fond memories.

Finding out about your beginnings is so important. I miss my Dad every day. And I miss my ‘home’ most days too. When we first moved to Cairns I battled with sadness for not being on the island until my late teens. But then things changed and I started to appreciate why my parents moved us all to Cairns and how my life progressed from there. Although life could have been different, all the things that have happened have brought me to this exact moment, all the good times and the bad times too. In this present moment, I do not fear exploring the far reaches of the globe, I can talk to anyone and I never want to stop learning new things. I will continue to live my life to the fullest, but I always know that when the time comes, I can always return ‘home’. Any time I want.