
Blue skies, as the camera pans down, the frame rests on 'Wickham, Western Australia’. A Torres Strait man recalls how he came to work on the railway and stayed. As he describes his experiences we see film of black and white men working on the railway and relaxing in between work, with a song. He tells of how their bodies would turn white from the salt and of his regrets for not returning home. It’s too late now, he says. Summary by Romaine Moreton.
In 1965, the building of a railway from Dampier to Tom Price began. The work on the Pilbara brought men from all different cultural backgrounds together. In this new place the men became firm friends, forging a relationship with each other that was akin to family. The many cultures that have contributed to the building of the nation of Australia we are reminded, are people who sacrificed a lot in order to not only survive financially, but went to great lengths to provide for their family.
A documentary that uses historical footage, with current interview and observational footage, about the journey of Torres Strait Islander men who moved to the Pilbara to work on the railways and after the job finished stayed on.
In the 1960s, Torres Strait men left their homes to travel to the foreign country of the Pilbara, determined to provide for their family. When the work was over, many returned home, but some did not. Those Torres Strait Islanders that stayed created a community and continued their traditional culture. The juxtaposition of Torres Strait culture against the backdrop of the Pilbara offers a stark contrast, visually, physically, and aurally.
Island Fettlers begins with shots of Darnley Island in the Torres Strait, Far North Queensland, in 1964. The tropical coastline of Darnley Island sets up the visual paradox characterised by country as the story of the Island fettlers unfolds. Darnley Island, coloured by the tones of the ocean and swayed by the wispy sea breeze appeals to the senses as a place that is colourful and imbued with movement. The tones of the Pilbara is intensified by the sense of trapped heat; a different kind of island that is circumvented by vast dry land. In Indigenous cultures, there are many different tribes or nations, and these tribes or nations represent the variation in the landscape itself. Island Fettlers draws upon this understanding, gently reminding us that Australia is a great and varied land, as too are its Indigenous peoples.
Notes by Romaine Moreton
This clip shows the Pilbara township of Wickham in its desert setting in Western Australia. Tom Saylor, one of those who came to Wickham from the Torres Strait Islands in 1965 to help build a railway, is interviewed and then tells the story of his experience in voice-over with subtitles. Black-and-white photographs show construction workers arriving by plane and building the railway. Colour footage with sound then shows the type of work the group performed and their recreation time. The music that accompanies the clip is a song sung by a group of Torres Strait Island workers, one of them playing the ukulele.
Education notes provided by The Learning Federation and Education Services Australia
This clip starts approximately 2 minutes into the documentary.
We see a shot of Wickham, Western Australia.
Torres Strait man They sent someone up to recruit all the boys. So I put my name down to come up to Western Australia. It was 1965 when we started to build the railway from Dampier to Tom Price.
We see an old photograph of all the men who worked on the railway standing in front of an aeroplane.
Torres Strait man When we arrived there was like, you know, we were all Torres Strait and we were happy to start on this. When we started the first day of work … that’s the first day we get the heat of the Pilbara. Hot. Your body just white from salt. Clothes is stiff like starch. It was very hot when we first started.
We see old footage of men working on the railway in the hot conditions.
Torres Strait man Because you were here to complete the track, to finish the work, you all joined like one big family.
Torres Strait man in footage OK boys, that’s it. Time for a break.
Island music plays in the background.
Torres Strait man You see your mates, you all enjoy yourself after work. You go and have a few drinks, a few talk. The next day, do the same thing. Getting hotter, but you still there doing your job. You got all Yugoslavia, all countries up here when you do a contract like this. Everybody enjoy themselves. You make friends, drink together. We’re not strangers, we drink together, make friends, no trouble.
We see footage of Torres Strait Islanders singing and playing the guitar entertaining their drinking friends.
Torres Strait man Well, it’s a long way from home. But once you’ve got a job and it’s something like this — because when you go back home, you can’t get a job like this. Yeah, I stayed here because — well, I was young and wild. But now I realise it’s too late, with your family and everything. I should have gone before, before those kids getting bigger but … I got a job so I’ll have to stay with the job, to support them.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.