The Norfolk Islanders

Map, ca. 1790, showing the known coastline of Australia (then called ‘New Holland’), as well as the position of the new British colony at Sydney Cove in Port Jackson. Norfolk Island is also shown, 1,600 km from Sydney across the Pacific Ocean. Adapted from a map entitled ‘New Holland & the adjacent islands, agreeable to the latest discoveries’, National Library of Australia (https://www.singletonmills.com/norfolk-island-overview.html#:~:text=Above%2C%20a%20map%2C%20ca.,’%2C%20National%20Library%20of%20Australia).

The memoirs and essays published here are:

Digging for Yams

3368 words / 9 pages

Inspired by the art of the acclaimed Australian First Nations artist Emily Kam Ngwarray, in this essay Lois reflects on her own search for her ancestral roots in Norfolk Island and Van Diemen’s Land and the many layers of Australia’s cultural canvas. The essay was first published in the Griffith Review 36, 5 June 2012.

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Land of the Second Chance

(17,820 words / 41 pages)

This is an in-depth historical account of Lois’s seven convict ancestors, their family origins, the reasons for their transportation, their experiences during the voyages out and their subsequent experiences in NSW, Norfolk Island and Van Diemen’s Land. It was previously published on the Norfolk Island, First Fleeters & Families blogspot in May 2018. It is a companion piece to Lois’s essays ‘Digging for Yams’ and ‘Six Degrees of Separation’, also published on this website.

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Six Degrees of Separation

10,038 words / 29 pages

This is a companion piece to Lois’s essays ‘Digging for Yams’ and ‘Land of the Second Chance’ about her convict ancestors who were exiled a third time from Norfolk Island to Van Diemen’s Land. There is a greater focus on their lives in Van Diemen’s Land and the connections between them. It includes photographs.

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A Tale of Four Territories

(4736 words / 11 pages)

Lois wrote this essay in 2015, after her visit to Norfolk Island. The essay compares the governance and administrative arrangements of Norfolk Island, the Indian Ocean Territories of Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory that were current in 2015. It considers the implications of these arrangements for democracy.

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The Norfolk Islanders

The memoirs and essays published here are:

Digging for Yams

Land of the Second Chance

Six Degrees of Separation

A Tale of Four Territories

Other Written Works

The Johnsons of Castle Hill

Single Hill

Creative Writing

Other Essays