The Bounty Museum
The History of Norfolk Island
(T-Z)
Thanksgiving on Norfolk Island
“On Norfolk Island there is one day when all congregations join together, and that is to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. The Pitcairners always celebrated the English Harvest Home festival, but it was not until the mid-1890s that All Saints Church was specially decorated for the service.”
~ Tom Lloyd
Isaac Robinson was an American trader who settled in Norfolk Island as agent for Burns Philp & Co Ltd. and later became the island’s Registrar of Lands.
It was Robinson's idea to decorate the church in an American flavour and to celebrate Thanksgiving. American whalers of the time, made frequent stop-overs on the island and appreciated joining in with the islanders and the festivities.
All Saints Church was decorated with palm leaves and lemons. Following Robinsons' death, the Thanksgiving event continued as an island custom and celebration.
For the second Thanksgiving service, the parishioners decorated the church with a variety of produce. Tradition now includes tying corn stalks to the pew ends and to place wreaths and flowers on the altar and around the font.
Thanksgiving
Two Chimneys Reserve - Norfolk Island
Two Chimneys Reserve is located on the eastern coast of Norfolk Island and has a total area of 14.04 hectares.
On 16 December 1960, Two Chimneys Reserve was proclaimed a reserve under the Commons and Public Reserves Act 1936 for the purpose of a “common”.
The Reserve has significant geological, biological conservation, and community values, providing opportunities for recreation and habitat for native coastal flora and fauna. The permanent stream and sheltered valleys behind the coastal originally supported a range of diverse habitats that are now rare on the Island.
The Reserve is an ideal location to observe White Terns nesting in the remnant forest. As the regenerating native forest matures the area may again be used by colonies of Noddies.
Reference: Norfolk Island Public Reserves - Plans of Management
Two Chimneys Reserve
Norfolk Island school - 1924
Captain Elliott of HMS Fly in 1838 assisted the Pitcairn Islanders in drawing up ‘a brief constitution and a code of laws selected from those already in force'.
A magistrate (who must be native-born) was to be elected annually “by the free votes of every native born on the island, male or female, who shall have attained the age of eighteen years; or of persons who shall have resided five years on the island.” He was to be assisted by a Council of two members, one elected and one chosen by himself.
Not only was this the first time female suffrage was written into a British constitution but it also incorporated compulsory schooling for the first time in any British legislation.
Reference: www.government.pn/Pitcairnshistory
Women voting
War participation
War participation
The greatest shift in lifestyle of the Norfolk population was the construction of the airstrip in World War II.
It was used by the armed forces of Australia, United States and New Zealand serving as a base for patrols in the Pacific.
Norfolk Island had the largest number of volunteers for service, per head of population. Island men and women served in the Australian and New Zealand Imperial Forces in the Boer War, World War I and WWII, and the Vietnam War.
War participation
Watermill - Norfolk Island
Soon after Lieutenant King arrived to establish the First Settlement he cleared this valley, named it Arthur’s Vale, and established in it a few prisoners to cultivate crops.
Later he added a watermill. The streams at that time were much bigger and there must have been a good flow of water coming down from the uplands. When a hurricane hit the island in February, 1789, the valley flooded and “had every appearance of a large navigable river”. The valley still floods in severe storms.
A watermill again functioned here during the Second Settlement, and, after the Pitcairners came, the area was leased to James Dawe, a miller, who was sent out from England to join the community.
Arthur’s Vale was the first settlement name for Watermill Valley. “Arthur” was Gov. Arthur Phillip, who was in charge of the First Fleet colonisation of Australia and Norfolk.
Kingston was swampy, and Arthur’s Vale was the most convenient drained land that Lt. King’s people could clear and plant. Banana trees were found growing there, which meant that unknown earlier visitors had planted them: bananas are not propagated by birds or the sea.
Reference: Marie’s Complete A-Z Guide to Norfolk (1986 edition) by Alice and Ed Howard.
The Watermill - Arthur's Vale
Whalebird on Phillip Island
Sooty tern (Sterna fuscata serrata) 450mm
With their sooty grey back and white underside, you might see these birds in large noisy flocks of thousands returning to one of Norfolk’s offshore islands to breed.
The local name for these birds is the 'whale bird', as they arrive back on Phillip Island at the same time as the spring/summer whale migration.
This variety of tern is seen less abundantly on Norfolk, preferring the offshore islands, particularly Phillip, where flocks of many thousands create a raucous din. The term 'sooty' refers to the bird’s back, its underside being white.
Another name for the bird is “Wide-awake”, after its call.
They like togetherness, and many nest in colonies, rising when disturbed from their rough scrape nests in a noisy cloud. Their eggs are regarded as delicacies (like fish omelettes) and are regularly collected by islanders during a short open season in October / November. The Norfolk Group has from 8,000 to 10,000 breeding pairs, a near record population.
References: Norfolk Island: South Pacific island of history and many delights. Jean Edgecombe 1991.
Norfolk Island National Park
Whalebird eggs on Norfolk Island
Whale birds
Whale boats on Norfolk Island
During the convict era government vessels and ships in distress were the only vessels permitted to call at the the Island.
After the Pitcairners arrived on the island, many captains sailing in the South Pacific found it a convenient place to take on water and fresh provisions. Whalers were the most frequent callers, as many as four ships standing off the Island at one time, so it was not long before some of the young Pitcairners joined the whaling crews, picked up techniques and built their own boats.
These were modelled on two of the narrow double-ended whaleboats which were given to the islanders by the New Bedford whalers. In the 1950’s amidst the first season which had secured a quota of 150 whales, there were 61 residents on the payroll.
Many were farmers who had been discouraged by poor bean seed harvests and had taken up whaling. Many farmers still farmed the year round, some hunted whales in the season, which began in June or July when the whales were passing the Island as they migrated to warmer waters and ended then the last whales passed as they headed south a few months later.
Reference: Norfolk Island - A history through illustration 1774 - 1974 by Merval Hoare, 1979.
Whaling Days
Boobook owl - Norfolk Island
There are a few native vertebrates on Norfolk.
Two species of bats have been recorded in early days of settlement; the Norfolk Island free-tailed bat and Gould’s wattled bat. They are now understood to be extinct on the island, but searching never ceases!
Two small lizards, a ghecko and a skink, have been seen on Phillip Island but do not exist on Norfolk as a result of the rats and cats on the island.
There are freshwater eels in the mill pond at Arthur’s Vale, and there are snails.
There are a few endemic birds, including the green parrot, the Norfolk boobook owl, the kingfisher and the white-breasted white-eye.
And that’s it. Everything else, from cats, cattle, pigs, chickens, horses, dogs, goats, and people, have been brought from overseas.
Reference: Marie’s Complete A-Z Guide to Norfolk (1986 edition) by Alice and Ed Howard.
Zoology
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Bounty Museum
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Norfolk Island
NSW 2899
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