A group of Torres Strait Islander men who achieved an unbeaten world record during Western Australia's mining boom are the subject of a groundbreaking musical. The men left the Torres Strait Islands to seek work on the mainland after the decline of the pearling industry in the 1960s.
These Torres Strait Islanders were the 'living legends' of WA's mining boom and their story is now being told in a new musicalWarning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains images of persons who have died.
They were hard workers and didn't mind the heat, moving together in a steady rhythm – often singing and laughing as they went."When we finished work, we'd go to the canteen … there was always a sing-song – that's the way we are." "We used to have a joke to say you could pull your shorts off, stand them up in the corner, and the next morning jump back in they'd be so hard and caked with salt."Despite the gruelling work, their progress was so impressive that their bosses challenged them to break the world record for the most track built in a day."They told us that we were going to have a go at trying to break this world record. And yeah, we did," Gehamat says."Once we passed the 4.
"I walked out of there thinking, 'You wait, I'm gonna do a musical with my dad's language and you are all gonna feel the same way I feel.'"Her vision is now springing to life in the form of a groundbreaking musical, Straight from the Strait.
Torres Strait Islanders Mining Boom Musical Western Australia World Record Pearling Industry
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