Torres Strait Islanders Won 1936 Freedom Strike

Workers literally jumped out of windows to say no to injustice, and their courage changed everything for Torres Strait Islanders.

In January 1936, when a government official tried to force Torres Strait Islanders into exploitative pearling contracts, they escaped through meeting hall windows rather than sign. Within days, workers across the entire island chain had coordinated a strike without phones or modern communication.

At the time, the Queensland Government Protector controlled nearly every aspect of Torres Strait Islander lives. He dictated where they could travel, what jobs they could take, and how they got paid.

Most Islanders worked in the booming pearl industry that supplied global demand. But government-controlled boats paid workers in flour, sugar and tobacco instead of cash, forcing them to shop only at designated stores.

The oppression reached a breaking point when protector J.D. McLean tightened restrictions to boost production. Torres Strait Islanders organized quietly across islands and refused to work simultaneously.

"You can only imagine back then, with limited means of communication, how people were able to organize themselves to synchronize the strike across the entire region," said Ned David, whose organization represents Torres Strait Islander land and sea rights.

The strike made headlines in major Queensland newspapers. After nine months, McLean was removed from his position.

The Ripple Effect

The victory brought immediate changes. The nightly curfew enforced by trumpet shell was abolished forever.

Workers gained cash wages, control of their own boats, and freedom to travel between islands without permission. They built a foundation for future Indigenous rights movements across Australia.

This week, Governor-General Sam Mostyn attended ceremonies on Thursday Island honoring the strikers' descendants. She noted that while Australians know about the Wave Hill Walk-Off and the Mabo decision, this earlier victory deserves equal recognition.

"It shouldn't have taken 90 years to really reflect on this," Mostyn said. "This story has so much extraordinary background to it."

Michael O'Shane, whose grandmother dove for shells around Masig Island, now works as a maritime union member. He sees his ancestors' fight as embodying Australia's core value of a fair go.

"We stand on those shoulders today," O'Shane said. "It exposed to the world what was happening to the First Nations people of this country."

The courage of those who jumped out of windows rather than submit to injustice created ripples that continue strengthening Indigenous rights nine decades later.