69-730: Palm Island is a locality consisting of an island group of 16 islands, split between the Shire of Hinchinbrook and the Aboriginal Shire of Palm Island , in Queensland , Australia. The locality coincides with the geographical entity known as the Palm Island group , also known as the Greater Palm group , originally named the Palm Isles . However, the term "Palm Island" is most often used to refer to
138-716: A few unnamed islets. Its southern boundary lies south of Gladstone and north of Bundaberg , taking in Lady Elliot Island . As of 2016, zones within the marine park has been categorized into the following IUCN protected area categories : In 1975, the Government of Australia enacted the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 , which created the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and defined what acts were prohibited on
207-514: A football club, hospital and churches. The town area, next to the jetty where the ferries dock, has no formal name, and is still called "the Mission" by some of the locals. It is referred to as "Palm Islands" on the Queensland Government place names database. In addition to the town, there are several small settlement areas to the north and south, but the roads are limited to the western side of
276-557: A new timber St George's Anglican Church was opened and dedicated by Bishop John Feetham . During World War II , the Naval Air Station Palm Island (aka Palm Island Airfield) was built at Wallaby Point in 1943 by the US Navy’s 55 Construction Battalion (Seabees). It was a seaplane maintenance facility with a concrete slipway which was predominantly used to serve PBY Catalina flying boats . St Anthony's Catholic Church in
345-618: A new zoning plan was brought into effect for the entire Marine Park, and has been widely acclaimed as a new global benchmark for the conservation of marine ecosystems . The rezoning was based on the application of systematic conservation planning techniques, using the MARXAN software. On 1 July 2004 the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park became the largest protected sea area in the world when the Australian Government increased
414-684: A peer-reviewed Outlook Report should be published, examining the health of the Great Barrier Reef, the management of the Reef, and environmental pressures. In early 2007, GBRMPA was one of three nominees for the Destination Award in the World Travel and Tourism Council 's Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. On 3 April 2010, the Shen Neng 1 , a Chinese ship carrying 950 tonnes of oil, ran aground, causing
483-585: A police cell on Palm Island, one hour after being picked up for allegedly causing a public nuisance. After the post-mortem report said that the cause of death was severe internal injuries, riots occurred, and as a result, a number of people were charged with offences. Two coronial inquests were held, a police officer was tried for manslaughter , but acquitted on 20 June 2007. The Crime and Misconduct Commission examined police relations in Queensland and as part of this, conducted an inquiry into police handling of
552-582: A strong feeling that the provision of a small number of employment opportunities offered by the pearling operations would not adequately compensate the damage to cultural values." Subsequently, the Park Authority refused to extend the pearl farming permits and Crimp took action before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to have this decision reversed. On 15 March 2004 the Tribunal agreed that
621-506: A total 1.8 metric tons (4,000 pounds), into more than 50 metres (164 ft) of water. None exploded and no coral was damaged. People such as scientists, conservationists, developers, managers, tourism entrepreneurs and politicians have had major influences on the history of the reef In 2015, the Australian Government and Reef Ecologic Pty Ltd conducted a coral reef training course to build capacity to protect coral reefs The crown-of-thorns starfish ( Acanthaster planci ), while native to
690-408: Is a vast multiple-use Marine Park which supports a wide range of uses, including commercial marine tourism, fishing, ports and shipping, recreation, scientific research and Indigenous traditional use. Fishing and the removal of artefacts or wildlife (fish, coral , seashells , etc.) is strictly regulated, and commercial shipping traffic must stick to certain specific defined shipping routes that avoid
759-408: Is also a daily ferry and barge from Lucinda . Palm Island Airport is on Great Palm Island and is operated by the shire council. Hinterland Aviation operates several flights on each weekday between 7am and 4:30pm, and Townsville Helicopters operates on-demand helicopter flights to and from Palm Island, also from Townsville Airport . There is a daily scheduled helicopter flight from Townsville to
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#1733086079812828-410: Is responsible for the care and protection of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It uses a range of tools to manage the marine park including Acts and Regulations, zoning plan, plans of management, traditional owner agreements, partnerships, stewardship and best practice, education, research and monitoring and reporting. It issues permits for various forms of use of the marine park, and monitors usage in
897-538: Is sometimes used to refer to the island group, sometimes the Aboriginal Shire, and sometimes Great Palm Island, but as most of the other islands are uninhabited, the majority of sources are actually referring to Great Palm only, or to the Aboriginal Shire Council. Orpheus Island has a tourist resort and research facility, and is the only one with a well-developed tourist industry. In the 2021 census ,
966-478: Is split between the City of Newcastle and City of Lake Macquarie LGAs; and Woodville , which is split between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs. In unincorporated areas , localities are declared by the relevant state authority. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. It
1035-686: Is the circle of latitude 10°41'S (running east up to the eastern edge of the Great Barrier Reef at 145º19'33"E), thereby encompassing those few uninhabited Torres Strait Islands that are east of Cape York, south of 10°41'S and north of 11°00'S. The largest of those island are Albany Island (5.9 km or 2.3 sq mi), Turtle Head Island 12.8 km or 4.9 sq mi and Trochus Island 2.2 km or 0.85 sq mi. Further islands are Mai Island 0.25 km or 0.097 sq mi, Bush Island 0.2 km or 0.077 sq mi, Tree Islet 0.01 km or 0.0039 sq mi, Brewis Island 0.05 km or 0.019 sq mi, and
1104-489: Is used for Air Force bombing practice, and Magnetic Island , an island suburb of Townsville . The nearest island to the group is Pandora Reef . Table 1 shows the micro-islands, known as rocks, and their Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) designations. Today's population are descendants of people taken to the Palm Island Aboriginal Settlement from 1914 up to 1971. Estimates vary, but
1173-551: The 2010 Great Barrier Reef oil spill . In 2012, legislation was introduced which compelled developers to deposit money into the Reef Trust. Professor Tiffany Morrison argues that this has made it easier for developments to be approved in the region. The week before 21 July 2013, on the second day of the biennial joint training exercise Talisman Saber , two American AV-8B Harrier fighter jets launched from aircraft carrier USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) dropped four bombs, weighing
1242-530: The Cape York Peninsula . The locality of Palm Island falls in the federal Division of Herbert and the Electoral district of Townsville . Local government of the islands is split: the two most northerly islands, Pelorus and Orpheus, are in the Shire of Hinchinbrook , while the other ten are in the Aboriginal Shire of Palm Island . Table 2 (below) shows the ten islands of the group in the jurisdiction of
1311-527: The Government of Queensland , to ensure that it is widely understood and used in a sustainable manner. A combination of zoning, management plans, permits, education and incentives (such as eco-tourism certification) is used in the effort to conserve the Great Barrier Reef. As many species of the Great Barrier Reef are migratory, many international, national, and interstate conventions or pieces of legislation must be taken into account when strategies for conservation are made. Some international conventions that
1380-572: The Northern Territory had not completed this process. The CGNA's Gazetteer of Australia recognises two types of locality: bounded and unbounded. Bounded localities include towns, villages, populated places, local government towns and unpopulated town sites, while unbounded localities include place names, road corners and bends, corners, meteorological stations, ocean place names and surfing spots. Sometimes, both localities and suburbs are referred to collectively as "address localities". In
1449-524: The 19th century the population had been reduced to about 50. In 1914, the Palm Island Aboriginal Settlement was created by the Queensland Government , and relocated people from 1918 all over Queensland, starting with Hull River Mission residents after the mission was destroyed by a cyclone. People from up to 57 language groups were moved there. In the first two decades of its existence, the number of residents rose from 200 to 1,630. It
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#17330860798121518-485: The Central Queensland Coast, making it the largest Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreement (TUMRA) on the reef. The agreement created a partnership with GBRMPA and Queensland's Department of Environment and Science . The occasion was marked by a ceremony on the beach at Emu Park . The marine park lies east of the mainland coast of Queensland, starting in the north at Cape York . Its northern boundary
1587-725: The Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity, Australia's Oceans Policy, National Strategy for the Conservation of Australian Species and Communities Threatened with Extinction. Some state legislation that the Park must follow are: Nature Conservation Act 1992, Marine Parks Act 1982, Fisheries Act 1994, Queensland Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 1994. For example, the Queensland Government has enacted several plans attempting to regulate fishing. The East Coast Trawl Management Plan 1999 aimed to regulate trawling through limiting
1656-541: The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park must follow are: the Bonn Convention , Ramsar Site (for the Bowling Green Bay National Park site), CITES , JAMBA and CAMBA . Some national legislation that the Park must follow are: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development, National Strategy for
1725-464: The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. They can then be protected in "Green Zones" (no-take zones). The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area has been divided into 70 bioregions , of which 30 are reef bioregions, and 40 are non-reef bioregions. In 2006, a review was undertaken of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 . Some recommendations of the review are that there should be no further zoning plan changes until 2013, and that every five years,
1794-424: The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. They were the "Far Northern", "Cairns", "Central" and "Mackay/Capricorn" sections. These zoning sections were created between 1983 and 1987. Another section, the "Gumoo Woojabuddee" section was declared in 1998. Each section had its own zoning plan. The Great Barrier Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003 superseded all previous zoning plans, coming into effect on 1 July 2004. In July 2004,
1863-640: The Mulrunji investigation. In 2010 it reported that more work was needed on police relations, while noting that some improvement had occurred, recommending 51 specific actions. The police raids and behaviour following the riot were found in December 2016 to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 , with a record class action settlement of A$ 30 million awarded to victims in May 2018. The raids were found by
1932-639: The Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council. The remaining rocks, listed above, are owned by the Commonwealth and are in the jurisdiction of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA). Australia Post lists only one postcode for "Palm Island, QLD" (4816), which refers to the island group; there is no formal name for the settled areas of Great Palm Island. The main town has on Great Palm has schools, shops,
2001-664: The Palm Island group and the Greater Palm group. The majority of the islands are micro-islands; the most notable are Great Palm Island (the largest and only one with a permanent population), Fantome Island, and Orpheus Island. The ocean surrounding the islands is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park , where extraction and fishing are regulated. Neighbouring islands outside the Palm group include Rattlesnake Island , which
2070-665: The Palm Island group were formed in the Dreamtime from the broken up fragments of an ancestral spirit, Rainbow Serpent . Manbarra (also known as Wulgurukaba) is a language of the Palm Island region, which lies within the local government boundaries of the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council. In the Hinchinbrook shire, the traditional owners of Orpheus Island were the Nywaigi , while the Warakamai inhabited Hinchinbrook Island. The islands in
2139-566: The Parish of St Anne was blessed and opened on Sunday 6 August 1961 by Bishop H. E. Ryan . It was designed and built from stone by Townsville consulting engineers, Ariotti and Norman. It is at 26 Banfield Drive (within the grounds of the Catholic school, 18°44′20″S 146°34′40″E / 18.73899°S 146.57774°E / -18.73899; 146.57774 ( St Anthony's Catholic Church ) ). The women's dormitory closed in 1967 and
Palm Island, Queensland - Misplaced Pages Continue
2208-541: The Reef. Joe Baker , who was involved in the bid to make the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage-listed in 1981, was a founding member of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. The Australian Government also has recognised the ecological significance of this Park by its inclusion in the nation's Biodiversity Action Plan . The Government of Australia manages the reef through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and in partnership with
2277-620: The Sisters of Our Lady Help of Christians were replaced by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary . In 1969, the school was relocated as it was in the way of the development of the airport. From 1979 to 1991, the school was under lay leadership, before the Sisters of the Good Samaritan took over in 1992. Palm Island Provisional School opened in 1938 for the children of the white officials on
2346-483: The area were named the "Palm Isles" by explorer James Cook in 1770 as he sailed up the eastern coast of Australia on his first voyage . It is estimated that the population of the island at the time of Cook's visit was about 200 Manbarra people. Cook sent some of his men to Palm Island and "they returned on board having met with nothing worth observing". In 1819, Captain Phillip Parker King landed on one of
2415-536: The areas protected from extractive activities (such as fishing ) from 4.6% to 33.3% of the park. As of 2006 , the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument is the largest protected marine area in the world. The management committee draws inspiration from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's management strategies. The current method of zoning is called the "Representative Areas Program", which chooses "typical" areas of
2484-434: The capacity of community members to participate in social and economic opportunities. The IKC has played a vital role as a historical information centre, connecting local community, and visitors with historical connections, with family history records. Sealink Queensland runs a ferry every day from Townsville to Great Palm Island each day of the week except Tuesday, with the journey taking around an hour and 15 minutes. There
2553-732: The community consisted of approximately 42 Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander clan or family groups. In the 2016 census , the locality of Palm Island had a population of 2,455 people, of whom 74.5% identify as Australian Aboriginal and 12.8% identify as Torres Strait Islander. The Palm Island community was younger than Australians as a whole, with 32.0% under 15 and only 3.3% over 64, and they were more religious. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 50.4%, Anglican 19.4%, Other Protestant 8.5%, Baptist 5.0% (total 91.2% Christian) and No Religion 8.1% (compared with 29.2% for Queensland). 92.2% of respondents reported speaking only English at home (compared with 81.2% for Queensland),
2622-464: The court to be "racist" and "unnecessary, disproportionate" with police having "acted in these ways because they were dealing with an Aboriginal community". In 1926 a lock hospital was built on Fantome Island ; Aboriginal people were sent there mainly for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases . In 1937 Fantome Island became a medical clearing station, where Aboriginal people sent to Palm Island were examined and treated if necessary. A leprosarium
2691-470: The decision was made based on a counter-petition run by the government which contained many signatures of Aboriginal people which had been forged or obtained by duplicity, and was "part of a plan by the Bjelke-Petersen government to ride roughshod over the wishes of the 1305 residents of the island and open it up to property speculators and tourist development". He wrote that both petitions contained many of
2760-438: The first instance, decisions about the names and boundaries of suburbs and localities are made by the local council in which they are located based on criteria such as community recognition. Local council decisions are, however, subject to approval by the state's geographical names board. The boundaries of some suburbs and localities overlap two or more local government areas (LGAs). Examples of this are Adamstown Heights , which
2829-483: The greatest risks to the Reef are still climate change, land-based run-off, coastal development, some fishing impacts, illegal fishing and poaching. The Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park is a marine protected area located in Queensland waters adjoining the Great Barrier Reef. It was created on 5 November 2004 by the amalgamation of the following former marine parks – the Mackay/Capricorn Marine Park,
Palm Island, Queensland - Misplaced Pages Continue
2898-420: The island has tropical rainforest and is rich in diverse flora and fauna , is close to the Great Barrier Reef and its waters abound with tropical fish , making it an ideal spot for eco-tourism , there have been concerns owing to its troubled history and social problems, and its residents need to be ready to embrace the idea of a possible flood of visitors. There are, however some facilities and accommodation on
2967-471: The island. The islands within Palm Island Aboriginal Shire have alcohol restrictions: the maximum amount of alcohol a person can carry in the restricted area is 11.25 litres (2.47 imp gal; 2.97 US gal) of any liquor with a concentration of less than 4 per cent. While it is not a completely dry zone , " sly grog " sales are not permitted and penalties apply for breaches of
3036-415: The island. It closed in 1970. As at 2022, there are two schools on Palm Island, both on Great Palm Island. Bwgcolman Community School is an Indigenous community primary and secondary (Early Childhood-12) school for boys and girls at Creek Road ( 18°44′10″S 146°34′41″E / 18.7362°S 146.5781°E / -18.7362; 146.5781 ( Bwgcolman Community School ) ). In 2018,
3105-409: The islands and recorded seeing recently occupied circular huts, and canoes nearby their landing place. Great Palm Island has always been the most populated island. It is estimated that the population of the island at the time of Cook's 1770 visit was about 200 people. From the 1850s, locals were enticed away to join bêche-de-mer and pearling enterprises with Europeans and Japanese, and by the end of
3174-518: The large island for tourists, such as Klub Kuda. The Palm Island Motel is operated by the council. Suburbs and localities (Australia) Suburbs and localities are the names of geographic subdivisions in Australia , used mainly for address purposes. The term locality is used in rural areas, while the term suburb is used in urban areas. Australian postcodes closely align with the boundaries of localities and suburbs. This Australian usage of
3243-508: The law. There is one licensed premises in the restricted area, the Coolgaree Bay Sports Bar and Bistro, where alcohol can only be sold for on-premises or off-premises consumption to a patron with a valid membership card. Lying in the tropical zone , the islands' climate is tropical and the area is vulnerable to cyclones . The Manbarra people are the traditional owners of Great Palm and nearby islands. In Manbarra beliefs
3312-411: The locality of Palm Island (incorporating all the island in the group) had a population of 2,138 people, of whom 1,918 (89.7%) identify as Indigenous Australians . There are 16 islands that make up the Greater Palm group, 12 of them named. The islands listed from north to south, are: The group was originally named the "Palm Isles" (see History, below), while other current names for the island group are
3381-505: The luxury resort on Orpheus Island and back, and private helicopter charter flights are available from Townsville, Cairns or other nearby facilities. In the locality of Palm Island, only Orpheus Island has a well-developed tourist industry, based around a private luxury resort, the Orpheus Island Lodge. Some attempts have been made to develop a tourist industry on Great Palm Island, but these have met with limited success. Although
3450-482: The main island, Great Palm Island , the largest island in the group and the only one with a significant population of permanent residents, most of whom are Aboriginal . The island is also known by the name " Bwgcolman ", meaning "one people from many groups", derived from an Aboriginal language of one of the earliest groups of Aboriginal people removed from the mainland and settled there from 1918 onwards, during its use as an Aboriginal reserve . The term "Palm Island"
3519-519: The most sensitive areas of the park. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest and best known coral reef ecosystem in the world. Its reefs, almost 3000 in total, represent about 10 per cent of all the coral reef areas in the world. It supports an amazing variety of biodiversity, providing a home to thousands of coral and other invertebrate species, bony fish, sharks, rays, marine mammals, marine turtles, sea snakes, as well as algae and other marine plants. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority ( GBRMPA )
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#17330860798123588-463: The next most common being Yumplatok ( Torres Strait Creole ) at 0.2%. 702 people were in the available workforce : of these, 38.6% were employed full-time, 28.3% were employed part-time and 29.1% were unemployed. The median weekly personal income for people aged 15 years and over was A$ 306 (compared with A$ 660 in Queensland). 93.8% of occupied private dwellings were rented. Level of education achieved
3657-556: The number of tribal groups represented by the descendants (known as the Bwgcolman people is at least 43 and has been said to represent 57 different language groups . At least 5000 people were forcibly removed to the reserve from all over Queensland, the Torres Strait and Melanesian islands . The majority of the current population descend from peoples occupying the region between Bowen and Tully , from north-western Queensland, and from
3726-553: The opposition of, at least some, of the people of Palm Island. On 24 September 1998 the Manbarra elders passed a resolution opposing the farms on the basis of; "the historical and cultural significance of the Juno Bay site for both the Manbarra and Bwgcolman Peoples, the sense of trespass on traditional ownership rights, concerns that the cultural connection to the area would slip away and
3795-527: The park to ensure compliance with rules and regulations associated with the park. GBRMPA is funded by Commonwealth Government appropriations and an environmental management charge levied on the permit-holders' passengers. Currently this is A$ 6.00 per day per passenger (to a maximum of $ 16.50 per trip). In May 2022 the Darumbal people were officially recognised as the traditional custodians of an expanse of ocean covering 36,606 km (14,134 sq mi) off
3864-586: The past as informal units, but in 1996 the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping and the Committee for Geographical Names in Australasia (CGNA) decided to name and establish official boundaries for all localities and suburbs. There has subsequently been a process to formally define their boundaries and to gazette them, which is almost complete. In March 2006, only South Australia and
3933-513: The permits should be terminated but allowed the existing pearling operations to continue to 1 December 2005. This decision was substantially upheld by the Federal Court on 21 October 2004. The Indigenous population generally identify with either the Bwgcolman (descendants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people removed to Palm Island from throughout Queensland by the authorities, or Manbarra (original inhabitants) people. As of 2007,
4002-497: The reef, poses one of its greatest threats when outbreaks occur. Several efforts have been made to identify and control these outbreaks, including the COTSBot developed by Queensland University of Technology . These outbreaks and subsequent threats have led to an increase in awareness and appearances in mainstream media, as industry and conservation groups try to control the COTS and protect
4071-489: The reef. An infographic explaining the process of identifying and targeting this threat can be seen here . The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2014, published every five years, examines the Great Barrier Reef's health, pressures, and likely future. The report is required under Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (section 54) and aims to provide a regular and reliable means of assessing reef health and management in an accountable and transparent way. The report finds
4140-532: The same people's signatures. In 1999 the Queensland Government apologised and gave A$ 7,000 compensation each to former Palm Islander employees in recompense for underpaid wages between 1975 and 1986. The payment was ordered by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in a case first brought to the commission by seven Palm Islanders in 1986. On 19 November 2004, Palm Island resident Mulrunji (known as Cameron Doomadgee while alive), aged 36 or 37, died in
4209-470: The school had an enrolment of 101 students with 8 teachers and 13 non-teaching staff (12 full-time equivalent). Bwgcolman Indigenous Knowledge Centre (IKC) is owned and operated by the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council (PIASC), providing a community space that builds community capacity through combining library services with a range of training, learning and information activities. These activities enable access to information knowledge and culture, developing
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#17330860798124278-433: The school had an enrolment of 249 students with 30 teachers and 28 non-teaching staff (23 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program. St Michael's Catholic School is a Catholic primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Banfield Highway ( 18°44′12″S 146°34′37″E / 18.7366°S 146.5769°E / -18.7366; 146.5769 ( St Michael's Catholic School ) ). In 2018,
4347-575: The term "suburb" differs from common American and British usage, where it typically means a smaller, frequently separate residential community outside, but close to, a larger city. The Australian usage is closer to the American or British use of "district" or "neighbourhood", and can be used to refer to any portion of a city. Unlike the use in British or American English, this term can include inner-city, outer-metropolitan and industrial areas. Localities existed in
4416-483: The times when trawling is permitted and restricting gear used. The Fisheries (Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery) Management Plan 2003 aimed at reducing the annual commercial catch to 1996 levels, disallowing fishing when the fish are spawning and increasing the minimum legal size of fish. The Great Barrier Reef was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. Up until 1999, there were four main zones in
4485-540: Was demolished in 1969. The children's dormitories were officially closed on 5 December 1975. The Aboriginal Council of Palm Island was sacked by Joh Bjelke-Petersen 's government in July 1978. This followed moves by the Queensland Government to hand over control of Palm Island to Townsville Council, which was opposed by islanders in a petition instigated by Labor senator Jim Keeffe . Denis Freney, writing in Tribune , reported that
4554-409: Was established on Fantome in 1939. The hospital was closed in 1945, and the leprosarium in 1973, when the inhabitants were moved to (Great) Palm Island. Zen Pearls Pty Ltd and Indian Pacific Pearls Pty Ltd (both controlled by Michael Crimp) established pearl farms in 1998 with the permission of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (which controls the sea waters around the islands), despite
4623-479: Was much lower than Queensland as a whole, with only a tiny number having any higher or further education . In the 2021 census , the locality of Palm Island had a population of 2,138 people, of whom 1,918 (89.7%) identify as Indigenous Australians . Palm Island Settlement State School opened in 1926, but closed in 1927. A mission school operated on the island in 1930s. In 1962, Palm Island Settlement School opened, being renamed Palm Island State School, and in 1994
4692-439: Was regarded as a penal settlement , with people being sent there for perceived wrongdoing, and soon it became the largest government Aboriginal reserve in Queensland. St George's Anglican Church was built in 1931 from palm leaves and grass (approx 18°44′09″S 146°34′37″E / 18.735774°S 146.577°E / -18.735774; 146.577 ( St George's Anglican Church ) ). On Wednesday 4 July 1935,
4761-553: Was renamed Bwgcolman Community School. The Sisters of Our Lady Help of Christians established St Michael's Catholic Convent in 1934. They established a temporary Catholic school in October 1934 with 97 students, but a lack of funds prevented the establishment of a permanent Catholic school until 1938. St Michael's Catholic School was blessed on Sunday 24 July 1938 by the Apostolic Delegate Giovanni (John) Panico . In 1945,
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