Australian External Island Territories: Norfolk Island


Figure 1.--The Church of England established the headquarters of its he Melanesian Mission on the island (1867). We are not sure why they chose an island with no Melanesians, but it did provide a safe place where converts could be trained for missionary work on their home islands. Here we see a view of the mossion in 1986.

Norfolk Island is located east of Australia in the South Pacific between New Caledoniaa and New Zealand. Unlike New Caledoniato the bnorth, it was not settled by Melanesian peoples. Nor was it colonized ny East Polynesian peoples like New Zealand to the south, excepr for a brief period (14th-15-century). At the time Australia was founded, Norfolk Island was uninhabited and was converted into a penal colony. The economy developed as traditionl farming and whaling. Some of the Pictcarin Islandes settled on Norfolk Island. The Church of England (COE) established the headquarters of its he Melanesian Mission on the island (1867). We are not sure why they chose an island with no Melanesians, but it did provide a safe place where converts could be trained for missionary work on their home islands. St Barnabas Chapel became the mother church of the Church of England's missionary work in Melanesia. Thousands of students from the PMelanesian islands came to the Mission College to live and study. They lived apart from the rest of the island's population and were mostly self-sufficient. Not all became missionaries, but even those who did not promoted the spread of Christianity in Medate/2013/01/03/stbarn06slanesia. The mission was moved to the Solomons after World War I (1920). During World War II as fighting occurred in the Solomoms, the island became a key airbase and refuelling depot between Australia and New Zealand, and New Zealand and the Solomon Islands. Although Australian territory, Norfolk Island fell within New Zealand's area of responsibility. It was garrisoned by a New Zealand Army unit known as N Force at a large Army camp which had the capacity to house a 1,500 men. N Force relieved a company of the Second Australian Imperial Force. As the Aliies secured the Solomons and New Guinea, Norfolk Island lost much of its strategic importance. With the war shifting to the Central Pacific, N Force was redeployed (February 1944). Had the Americans not prevailed on Guadalcanal, island like New Caledonia and Norfolk would have taken on much greater importance. It is an external Australin territory, but attits request its autobnomy had declined because of a desire for greater Australiam welfare payments.







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