A very sad find

[SteveNT]

Just going through some old photos and came across these.

I found these graves on a small shell grit island out in the manngroves off Chanell Island. There was a leprosaurium for Countrymen there during the early 1940s. WW2 was in full swing so no-one cared much about these mob. Some got a cross, some got a ring of beer bottles around the grave which the soldiers "looking after" them had in abundance.

I was taking students studying mangroves on a walk at low tide when we found them. The heritage people didn't know about them but haven't done anything to look after them anyway. A super high tide during Cyclone Carlos has lifted the bottles on the lower graves. The island is less than a meter above the high tide mark.


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It is a very melancholy place. When I'm in the area I go out, sit down and have a smoke and say g'day to those poor souls who died of an easily cured disease and were buried thousands of kms from their home country with no ceremony and no family. The only sound is the pop and creak of the mangroves. Very sad.

 

[blakewilson]

Bless these poor souls.

 

[imported_Varanus]

What a sad ending, knowing how important Country and family are, thanks for sharing. There are still some old timers around with leprosy, I once loaned a mate an inner sheet and spare blanket from my swag, only to find out later that he had dry leprosy and was a late resident of the Derby Leprosarium. A similar story, but at least they had nuns caring for them.

Derby must have been in operation until the late 70's in one form or another.

just done a google...Derby operated until 1987!...who would have known?!

 

[Skelhorn]

Awesome historical find tho mate, that's amazing to see. Good that you sit down to reflect tho true Aussie style!

 

[SteveNT]

What a sad ending, knowing how important Country and family are, thanks for sharing. There are still some old timers around with leprosy, I once loaned a mate an inner sheet and spare blanket from my swag, only to find out later that he had dry leprosy and was a late resident of the Derby Leprosarium. A similar story, but at least they had nuns caring for them.

Derby must have been in operation until the late 70's in one form or another.

just done a google...Derby operated until 1987!...who would have known?!

No-one with the knowledge to fix it obviously. What a disgrace.

I think these graves will disappear in the next few years, a tiny rise in sea level will put them under on storm surge tides. Such is life.

 

[Renenet]

Sad indeed. Shame that the heritage people aren't interested. I wonder if these people have living relatives who would want them to come home.

 

[Dragonwolf]

I'm sure a lot of people have no idea that Leprosy existed. How aweful to be ostracised and then passing from life with no memory that you'd lived.

 

[SteveNT]

Sad indeed. Shame that the heritage people aren't interested. I wonder if these people have living relatives who would want them to come home.

They're interested but get no funding. They have to "discuss" what gets a signpost saying protected and there is no policing of their protection orders. Our current government is closing the Museum/ Art gallery, the History library, etc There is no profit for them in culture or history.

Records were not kept or lost. There were bigger fish to fry in 1944,

 

[Renenet]

They're interested but get no funding. They have to "discuss" what gets a signpost saying protected and there is no policing of their protection orders. Our current government is closing the Museum/ Art gallery, the History library, etc There is no profit for them in culture or history.

Really? That's depressing.

Records were not kept or lost. There were bigger fish to fry in 1944,

That's understandable and makes it all the more sad. Nameless, forgotten victims of circumstance as well as leprosy.

 

[imported_Varanus]

Nameless, forgotten victims of circumstance as well as leprosy.

Don't forget, under the policy of the day, we as "Australians" still classed countrymen as "flora and fauna". I have a document here from my father in law applying for citizenship in 1968...of course, he was denied (WA took a while to catch up).

Apologies for off thread Steve.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

They're interested but get no funding. They have to "discuss" what gets a signpost saying protected and there is no policing of their protection orders. Our current government is closing the Museum/ Art gallery, the History library, etc There is no profit for them in culture or history.

Records were not kept or lost. There were bigger fish to fry in 1944,

Steve, I'm startled to see your comment that the NT Government is closing the Museum & Art Gallery - I worked in Darwin at the Museum in 1974 with Colin Jack-Hinton & Graeme Gow, up until Tracy, when the museum was just getting established. Can you shoot me a few more details, it seems to be an astounding move, although nothing surprises me with these cowboy conservative governments, they HATE supporting non-profit making cultural entities like museums.

What will happen to the staff & the collections of both the Museum & the Gallery? I suppose the building and it's location overlooking the water are valuable real estate.

Cultural pursuits are a net benefit to the community, not a cost...

Jamie

 

[SteveNT]

Steve, I'm startled to see your comment that the NT Government is closing the Museum & Art Gallery - I worked in Darwin at the Museum in 1974 with Colin Jack-Hinton & Graeme Gow, up until Tracy, when the museum was just getting established. Can you shoot me a few more details, it seems to be an astounding move, although nothing surprises me with these cowboy conservative governments, they HATE supporting non-profit making cultural entities like museums.

What will happen to the staff & the collections of both the Museum & the Gallery? I suppose the building and it's location overlooking the water are valuable real estate.

Cultural pursuits are a net benefit to the community, not a cost...

Jamie

PM sent

 

[Renenet]

Don't forget, under the policy of the day, we as "Australians" still classed countrymen as "flora and fauna".

True. But it sounds absolutely crazy, looking back on it.

 

[SteveNT]

It just occured to me that these graves are prime candidates for fossilisation.

The beer bottles will float away but the bones and concrete crosses will stay. It is already a deposition zone and as sea levels rise it will become more so. Over time the mud will become siltstone and maybe a million years from now something (?) will discover the fossils. How ironic if these forgotten people were some of our few ambasadors to the future.

 

[pythonmum]

Perhaps a future species will decide that they are a fossil treasure, but will wonder at the disease damage to the bones. The sea water will also carry plenty of calcium minerals to cement the siltstone together or else make limestone. The bottles could well end up part of a reef. Glass bottles make great habitat for sea life, unlike plastic (which poisons everything). I'm glad someone is still honouring those poor folks.

 

[Justdragons]

as time goes by i suppose this will all end up a fossil under the mud for future generations to find.

RIP

 

[SteveNT]

I understand in America there are companies that will fossilise you for a fee. Your corpse is prepared and deposited in sites deemed best for fossilisation.

Some people have too much money.

 

[imported_Varanus]

I understand in America there are companies that will fossilise you for a fee. Your corpse is prepared and deposited in sites deemed best for fossilisation.

Some people have too much money.

That's brill, why didn't I think of that! And they can't ask for the money back if it dosen't take.

 

[SteveNT]

Not yet

 

[n3xia]

I hosted an Irish couchsurfer once who was studying leper colonies in the NT. Lived here all my life and had no idea they had existed until then. Such a strange thing to be studying though, I mean it'd be difficult to make a career out of that.