Fantome Island
Encyclopedia
Fantome Island is one of the island
s in the Great Palm Island group. It is neighboured by Great Palm Island
and is 65 km (40.4 mi) north-east of Townsville, Queensland
on the east coast of Australia
. The Aboriginal name for this island is Eumilli Island. The island is small with an area of 7.8 km² (3.01 sq mi) and is surrounded by a fringing reef
.
A leprosarium
was established on the island in 1927. Upon its closure in 1974, it was purged by fire. The island is the site of 200 graves. The island was also a mission
under the influence of Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
In 1932 the head of the Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine, Dr Raphael Cilento
, described his vision for Fantome:
The whole (local)population should be worked through Fantome & then regraded into new cases, incurable aged, incurable young & part cured & thence drafted when clean back into Palm from which they can be sent out into the mainland to be (1) assimilated if white enough; (2) employed under supervision & protection; or (3) kept on Palm as minor officials or peasant proprietors working personal strips around a collective farm. (in Yarwood, 1991: 63)
in 1920 there were 31 lepers and they were mostly Aborigines, though their numbers also included Torres Strait Islanders, Kanakas, Europeans and Asians. This figure represents a decline in the number of Aborigines contracting the disease of whom there had been 35 in 1910. The number of infected Aborigines rose to 36 in 1925, so it was obvious that leprosy was not about to disappear. The regions from which the new cases came were all in the north. A number of towns in the north such as Bundaberg, Innisfail
and Ingham
provided one leper each and two came from Cardwell
. Leprosy
had therefore become a disease of the north: no further new cases were reported from the southern areas of the State after 1925.
By that year two leprosaria
, one at Fantome Island and another at Peel Island
, had been established to house lepers. The numbers of people admitted to Peel Island fluctuated during the mid 1920s and rose to 47 new cases in 1928. Although no new cases were reported in 1929 the reason might have been the secrecy with which this whole issue was managed by the Queensland Health authorities and the inability of the health regime to locate and track down the source of infection. This was not a simple problem and it persisted well into the next decade.
Dr Raphael Cilento endeavoured to describe the problem in one of his reports. He wrote that when Kuranda (Mona Mona) reserve started in 1914, the majority of the Aborigines brought there belonged to the Mareeba tribe, a closely knit group. There were a few others from as far north as the Gulf region and some from Mossman
, and a large number had been born in fringe-camps and had grown up close to white settlement knowing no other life. The first case of leprosy reported among Aborigines in the region ‘was an old woman, Nellie, who died in 1916.’ According to native accounts this woman’s toes ‘looked as if they would drop off’, she ‘was covered with sores’, and she was avoided by other natives. Her principal contacts and relatives [were] known and she [had] no known descendants at the settlement.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s in the Great Palm Island group. It is neighboured by Great Palm Island
Great Palm Island
Great Palm Island, also known as Palm Island, or by the Aboriginal name Bwgcolman; is a tropical island with a resident community of about 2,000 people. The island has an area of . The official area figure of 70.9 km² refers to Aboriginal Shire of Palm Island and includes nine smaller islands...
and is 65 km (40.4 mi) north-east of Townsville, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
on the east coast of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The Aboriginal name for this island is Eumilli Island. The island is small with an area of 7.8 km² (3.01 sq mi) and is surrounded by a fringing reef
Fringing reef
A fringing reef is one of the three main types of coral reefs recognized by most coral reef scientists. It is distinguished from the other two main types in that it has either an entirely shallow backreef zone or none at all...
.
A leprosarium
Leper colony
A leper colony, leprosarium, or lazar house is a place to quarantine leprous people.-History:Leper colonies or houses became widespread in the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe and India, and often run by monastic orders...
was established on the island in 1927. Upon its closure in 1974, it was purged by fire. The island is the site of 200 graves. The island was also a mission
Mission (station)
A religious mission or mission station is a location for missionary work.While primarily a Christian term, the concept of the religious "mission" is also used prominently by the Church of Scientology and their Scientology Missions International....
under the influence of Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, or the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary is a Roman Catholic order founded by Sister Mary of the Passion, Helene de Chappotin, in 1877 at Ootacamund, India....
In 1932 the head of the Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine, Dr Raphael Cilento
Raphael Cilento
Sir Raphael West Cilento , often known as "Ray", was a notable Australian medical practitioner and public health administrator.-Early life and education:...
, described his vision for Fantome:
The whole (local)population should be worked through Fantome & then regraded into new cases, incurable aged, incurable young & part cured & thence drafted when clean back into Palm from which they can be sent out into the mainland to be (1) assimilated if white enough; (2) employed under supervision & protection; or (3) kept on Palm as minor officials or peasant proprietors working personal strips around a collective farm. (in Yarwood, 1991: 63)
History
In QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in 1920 there were 31 lepers and they were mostly Aborigines, though their numbers also included Torres Strait Islanders, Kanakas, Europeans and Asians. This figure represents a decline in the number of Aborigines contracting the disease of whom there had been 35 in 1910. The number of infected Aborigines rose to 36 in 1925, so it was obvious that leprosy was not about to disappear. The regions from which the new cases came were all in the north. A number of towns in the north such as Bundaberg, Innisfail
Innisfail, Queensland
Innisfail is a town located in the far north of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the major township of the Cassowary Coast and is well renowned for its sugar and banana industries, as well as for being one of Australia's wettest towns...
and Ingham
Ingham, Queensland
Ingham is a town in the Great Green Way region of North Queensland, Australia. The town was founded in 1864, gazetted a shire in 1879, and is the service centre for many sugarcane plantations, pioneered in the 1870s by William Ingham, for whom the town is named...
provided one leper each and two came from Cardwell
Cardwell
Cardwell can refer to:Places:*Cardwell, Queensland, Australia*Cardwell, Missouri, USA*Cardwell, Montana, USA*Cardwell Hall, Kansas State University, USAPeople:*Dale Cardwell, American consumer advocate and journalist...
. Leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
had therefore become a disease of the north: no further new cases were reported from the southern areas of the State after 1925.
By that year two leprosaria
Leper colony
A leper colony, leprosarium, or lazar house is a place to quarantine leprous people.-History:Leper colonies or houses became widespread in the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe and India, and often run by monastic orders...
, one at Fantome Island and another at Peel Island
Peel Island
Peel Island is a small island located in Moreton Bay, east of Brisbane, Queensland, in Australia.During the mid-19th century Peel Island was used as a quarantine station for the colony of Brisbane. Sailing ships would anchor to the north of the Island, the passengers would disembark on Peel Island...
, had been established to house lepers. The numbers of people admitted to Peel Island fluctuated during the mid 1920s and rose to 47 new cases in 1928. Although no new cases were reported in 1929 the reason might have been the secrecy with which this whole issue was managed by the Queensland Health authorities and the inability of the health regime to locate and track down the source of infection. This was not a simple problem and it persisted well into the next decade.
Dr Raphael Cilento endeavoured to describe the problem in one of his reports. He wrote that when Kuranda (Mona Mona) reserve started in 1914, the majority of the Aborigines brought there belonged to the Mareeba tribe, a closely knit group. There were a few others from as far north as the Gulf region and some from Mossman
Mossman, Queensland
For the collection of Horsedrawn Carriages see Mossman CollectionMossman is a town in Far North Queensland, Australia, on the Mossman River...
, and a large number had been born in fringe-camps and had grown up close to white settlement knowing no other life. The first case of leprosy reported among Aborigines in the region ‘was an old woman, Nellie, who died in 1916.’ According to native accounts this woman’s toes ‘looked as if they would drop off’, she ‘was covered with sores’, and she was avoided by other natives. Her principal contacts and relatives [were] known and she [had] no known descendants at the settlement.
See also
- List of islands of Queensland