Compiling Torres Strait Islander genealogies
began compiling Torres Strait Islander genealogies in 1981, in order to understand the contribution made by 19th-century immigrants and their descendants to the history of the region. Genealogy is a collaborative endeavour, and I have been generously supported by hundreds of Torres Strait Islanders and Cape York Aboriginal people, local officials, and the Community and Personal Histories section at the Queensland State Archives.
Oral and written accounts are complementary, each of them necessary but not sufficient on their own. Not all material is available online, and useful (though sometimes
