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Australian South Sea Islanders

Between the years 1863 and 1904 an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 South Sea Islanders entered Queensland.

South Sea Islanders were first brought to Queensland for work in the cotton fields, and by 1868 were mainly recruited to work on sugar plantations.

Recruited mainly from the New Hebrides (Vanuatu) and the Solomon Islands, these South Sea Island labourers made an important contribution to the economic development of Queensland. They played a significant role in the development of sugar industry and contributed to the development of farming, grazing and the maritime industry.

We hold archival information about Australian South Sea Islander people that includes records on:

  • recruitment
  • transportation and arrival in Queensland
  • registers of agreement
  • employment
  • education
  • legal issues
  • health and medical issues
  • deportation and repatriation
  • those who remained in Queensland after 1906
  • miscellaneous records and maps.

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Archival research terms

Record—information of permanent and historic value, often in paper-based form (e.g. a letter, photograph, a map), but can also be a CD, a film or a digital file

Item—a single record or many records, e.g. an item may be a single architectural drawing, a 500-page leather-bound book, or a bundle of correspondence (letters, telegrams, reports)

Series—a group of related items created, received, or used in the same activity

Agency—the Government Agency responsible for creating a series. For example, the Department of Education is the Government agency who created a series of School Admission registers for Runcorn State School. An admission register for Runcorn State School would be considered an item within that series.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

The records held at QSA may contain names and images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have died. The terms found in the records reflect the period in which they were created. As such, some words and descriptions may be culturally insensitive. Records may also contain offensive and derogatory terms which are unacceptable today and may cause distress.

Last updated:
27 August 2024