COMMUNITY
Badges of honour presented for Mothers Union PALM Sunday was a proud day for four local Torres Strait Islander women who received their 25 years of service badge for time spent in the international charity, Mothers Union. Mrs Sania Mabo, Mrs Telita Pearson, Cathleen Mosby and Annie Peters were presented their badges at the Palm Sunday service at the All Souls Quetta Memorial Cathedral by vice president of the Torres Strait region Salu Blanco. Mrs Sania Mabo said it was very rewarding work. “We care for those who are lost in life, helping them with food, prayer and visiting with the eldery,” she said.
Ladies proudly wearing their badges standing with Bishop Saibo Mabo.
SHINE A LIGHT
Shine a light on our history
On our history
WHAT is the connection between Wikileaks and Thursday Island? According to a New Yorker profile on Wikileaks founder Julian Assange: “The name Assange is thought to derive from Ah Sang, or Mr Sang, a Chinese emigre who settled on Thursday Island in the early 1800s and whose descendants later moved to the continent.” Ah Sang is not a surname. Chinese people add the prefix “Ah” when calling someone by their given name. If your name is John, they would call you “Ah John”. So most likely, “Ah Sang” was what they called someonee with the given name “Sang”.Julian Assange: “My father’s surname is Assange. According to my father, on his side I am part chinese and part Thursday Island. My grandfather’s surname was George Assange and his father before him was also George, surname Ah-Sang. According to my father, my grandfather was a nightclub singer who changed his name to Assange because it sounded French and he would be more readily accepted among his peers. I believe my great grandfather travelled to Australia for the 1800s gold rush.” The accompanying photo is part of a short memoir of Gloria Asange, printed in the Cairns Post in September 2003. It shows Asange children, most likely on Thursday Island or Hammond Island. They lived on both islands at different times. Does anyone recognise these kids, or know the family history of Ah Sang, Asange or Assange in the Torres Strait?
The Asange children - Bert, Mary, Josie, Bill, Gloria and Shiela and (inset) Josie Asange - on Thursday Island.
Who was Bach of Bach Beach? In our first Shine A Light column (November 16, 2011) we asked when, and why, the bay near Battery Point was named ‘Bach Beach’. Brother Barry Lamb writes: “Joseph Bach was a Catholic priest on Thursday Island for 23 years, who eventually became a bishop. He was born in France in 1872 but after becoming Catholic Parish Priest of TI in 1904 became an Australian citizen in 1907. He was appointed Chaplain 4th Class in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve in 1909 for service at
Fishing industry leads charge on net bycatch QUEENSLAND fishermen are have been modifying their fishing behind a new research project to gears to reduce the risk of tangling reduce the risk of tangling species dugong and turtles. such as dugongs and turtles in “Preliminary trials tell us that their nets. different net types can significantly The project is being headed reduce the chance of entanglement by James Cook University’s of large bycatch species. As part Centre for Sustainable Tropical of the project we will design and Fisheries and Aquaculture and trial a few options to find the best funded by the Fisheries Research outcome,” he said. and Development Corporation Conservation and management (FRDC) on behalf of the Austral- groups are increasingly concerned ian Government. about the status of large marine Project leader Mr David Welch life such as dugong, marine turtles from JCU said that the main aim and dolphins. of the project was to identify net Although interactions between designs that decrease the likeli- these animals and fishing gear is hood of species of conservation very low, the fishing industry want concern getting caught, while to do all they can to continuously improving safety and maintaining improve their practices and gear the fishing efficiency for target to achieve this. species such as barramundi. The research will be conducted “The idea behind this research this year in the inshore waters came directly from fishers who around Townsville and in Moreton Page 16 Torres News 11 - 17 April 2012
Mrs Sania Mabo receiving her 25-year badge of service from vice president of the Torres Strait region Salu Blanco.
Bay. Fisheries Queensland manager Mark Lightowler said commercial fishers have significant pressures placed on them to fish in ways that protect the environment and continually reduce impacts onanimals such as dugong. “Leaders in the fishing industry should be commended for taking the initiative to change fishing practices to minimiseimpacts on dugong and other protected species,” Mr Lightowler said. The project is a partnership of fisheries scientists from JCU and scientists and managers from Fisheries Queensland, commercial fishers from the Moreton Bay Seafood Industry Association and Queensland Seafood Industry Association, as well as managers from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
Thursday Island. He would have had a lot to do with the Australian sailors and troops on TI at the time of the First World War as he was on TI in the capacity of military/ naval chaplain for the entire course of the war. Sadly, when he was appointed a bishop in 1927 and given a great send-off from TI, his biographer says “ he was not a great success in that position” and in a most unusual move he sought to be relieved of this duty. That request was granted. He spent his last 10 years as chaplain to a Sisters’ convent in Bowral, NSW until his death in 1943. Information gleaned from Littleton, James, Sacred Heart Mission Torres Strait, 1884-1967, published by Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Fyshwick, A.C.T., 2009.” PICTURED ABOVE RIGHT: Catholic priest Joseph Bach spent 23 years on Thursday Island, and Bach Beach was
named in his honour. Correction: Shine a Light, Torres News, February 29, page 13: Jack ‘Pony’ Panuel was reported as skippering the Cape York Pearling Company boat Acspia. The correct name for the lugger is Hespia.
Our beautiful baby Baby Fiona Namai with her mother Kasai from Papua New Guinea at Thursday Island Hospital. Fiona was born in March 31, 2012, tipping the scales at 3610g and 49cm long. She will return to PNG in three weeks to her sister Decom and father Kalcl. PHOTO: MELINDA TUPLING