Christmas Island (Indian Ocean), with its lost and forgotten stories, ruins, relics and the history of those who once lived and laboured there, captivates me completely.
My first trip was back in 2016 with my husband, some family and several friends. For them it was a very special and emotional trip. A return to their childhood home. Some hadn’t been back in 31 years; others even longer.
Our family’s tie to the Island began in 1972 when my father-in-law left Penang to work on “the rock.” Thirty years of hearing stories about Christmas Island had made it feel familiar to me. Yet I, the newcomer, carried no expectations other than to share the happiness of my travelling party returning to the place of their childhood.
What I didn’t expect was for the island to cast its spell on me almost immediately. I was mesmerised by the lush jungle, stunning seascapes and wildlife. The locals were lovely, and I made new friends. (You can read the various personal stories of Christmas Islanders at christmasislandstories.org.au) The hectic and chaotic outside world just melted away.
The Yeoh family unit, far right at the endThe old family unit, part of a building built in the early 1950s, was still standing and we were very fortunate to be able to explore inside. Located in Settlement, opposite the Chinese Literary Association (CLA) building, it had been converted into a museum; a plaque on its wall showing its opening date sharing the same day and month as my husband’s birthday.
Discovering Christmas Island history with its ruins, old sites, a lucky find and stories from friends and family piqued my curiosity enormously. And, the island’s spirituality added another dimension entirely. So on my return home, I started researching for more information about this tiny dot in the ocean and sharing my findings with an online group of over 600, mostly former and some current, Christmas Islanders.
After some time I realised it was a shame that my findings were restricted to that online group, so I decided to create a website where the information could be more widely available. The unique Christmas Island Archives was born and continues to grow.
Fran Yeoh
Perth, Western Australia
Research & Recognition
Christmas Island Archives has also become a resource for researchers and writers, with material from the Archives referenced, and assistance acknowledged, by academic, scientific, heritage and general publications.
Selected references to Christmas Island Archives include:
- Society of Architectural Historians – referencing The Early Coolie Houses on Christmas Island
- Ethnos (Taylor & Francis) – referencing Christmas Island in World War Two – a Teacup in a Storm? and The Old Hospital and the Scourge of Beriberi
- Australian Catholic University Research Bank – referencing V. E. Mathew and the Japanese Occupation
- Australian National Herbarium – referencing Arthur’s Steps – Who was Arthur?
- Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 25(3), 469–480 (2022) – Acknowledgement of assistance and connecting the article’s author to John Hunt.
- Hoodwinked by Cathy Koning – referencing Peter Grimes – His Tangled Webs
- University of Sydney, Opening the Multilingual Archive of Australia (OMAA) – crediting the Christmas Island Virtual Museum as source of a 1942 Japanese wartime magazine, Shashin Shuho
Contact
Email: christmasislandarchives@gmail.blockbot.com