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Christmas Island Archives Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) - Ruins, relics, stories and other interesting things

Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) - Ruins, relics, stories and other interesting things

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A long winding track

There are many thousands of historic photographs of Christmas Island but these two photos, shown below, are quite unique in their subject matter. They came from an old photograph album (origins unknown) that was most unfortunately being broken up in the UK.

Fran Yeoh – personal collection
Koah Seng Kim, the Towkay, is standing in the middle. The young men lying in the front both have long thick queues (pigtails). Where the left hand can be seen, all the men are wearing rings on their little finger. The seated man on the left has a cigar.

The earliest days of Christmas Isle
Friends posing with a drink
Ghosts of long gone men
Unwavering gazes that do not blink.

Bound together were they
Forgotten for many a year
Until their prison was opened
And then they did they appear.

Now finally released
It’s plain to see they’re back
So much closer to the Island now
It’s been a long winding track.

Fran Yeoh – personal collection
Koah Seng Kim is sitting on the left.

The photos look staged with the glass and bottle being props? I find these images fascinating. I wonder about the other identities and what became of these men. They date between the years 1900-1902. This is known because, like the kongsi photos, Koah Seng Kim who was the Towkay (local Chinese manager) appears in these too. (He was on the island between the years 1900-1902.)

It is also quite possible that the photos were taken by Lewis Clayton who was the District Officer and also on the island between those years. He died, aged 48, on the 29th September 1921 in Lucerne, Switzerland. So if these photos were indeed taken by him and kept in his or someone’s private album, then they have travelled from Christmas Island to the UK (via other countries in between?) and now Australia to be shared back to Christmas Island. Indeed, a long winding track!

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Christmas Island Archives was selected for preservation by the State Library of Western Australia. It is now listed in perpetuity on PANDORA, Australia’s website archive established by the National Library of Australia.

Grant acknowledgement

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The base ruins of the Assistant Manager/Chief Engi The base ruins of the Assistant Manager/Chief Engineers house. It was once a substantial colonial home from the 1930s with beautiful gardens. It was still being occupied in June 1965 but by the 1970s it had been abandoned and neglected and fell into decay. The decision to demolish it was taken by a meeting of the CI Club members in 1977.
#christmasisland #ruin #ruins #history #historicalruins #colonialhouse #jungleruins #jungle #christmasislandarchives
A sound from the past Footsteps upon the stair I A sound from the past 
Footsteps upon the stair
I turned around quickly
But no-one was there.
#christmasislandarchives #ruins #steps #ghost #christmasisland
When exploring this old ruin at South Point on Chr When exploring this old ruin at South Point on Christmas Island with my sister-in-law, she noticed a bracket type fixture. It is located in the back corner where the white arrow indicates in the main picture. Were these meant for chains and shackles?
#christmasisland #history #shackles #oldstructure #christmasislandarchives #ruin #southpointchristmasisland
A photo of probably the first Chinese temple to be A photo of probably the first Chinese temple to be built on Christmas Island c1902-1904. This site is in Settlement at the Temple Court area on Gaze Road. The original temple, shown here in black and white, appears to have been replaced in later years by the current one (scroll across) still standing on the original site. It is today known as the Tai Pak Kong temple - Tua Pek Kong (Chinese: 大伯公; Tâi-lô: Tuā-peh-kong).
#christmasisland #taoisttemple #chinesetemple #christmasislandarchives #culture #taoist
“In the universe, there are things that are know “In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors.” ~ William Blake
I think the old wooden banners around the door may have been rescued when a nearby temple was being renovated many years ago? I'm not sure about this, so if anyone can tell me their origin that would be great.
#christmasisland #chinesedoor #reddoor #christmasislandarchives
Just one of many fascinating stories that were exh Just one of many fascinating stories that were exhibited at my Faded Lost Forgotten exhibition held on Christmas Island during Territory Week in 2021 and 2022.
#christmasisland #christmasislandhistory #cemetery #headstone #gravesite #grave #arab #forgottenplaces #lostcemetery #kubur #christmasislandarchives
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