"Tommy Japan"

How Nipponese Came to TI

By Robert Bruce

The following story of how the Japanece invasion of Thursday Island’s commercial life began was given to us by Mr. Robert Bruce, now a 90 -years-old resident of Sydney. He knew Torres Strait long ago.

As most people know, the present cocky little Jap, carrying out the orders of the Tokio war-lords, is not typical of the Japan of 50 years ago.

WHEN I first went to Thursday Island in 1882, one of the most popular and best-known identities was a tiny Japanese man called Tommy Japan.

He clattered about in his wooden clogs, dressed in a beautiful, multi-coloured robe and little white sox, and with his thick black hair standing up on his head like a brush.

He greeted everyone with a sweet, bland smile, and usually by shaking hands with himself and bowing. His black eyes were forever twinkling, and he had an air about him that seemed to suggest that he was perpetually on the point of tell ing a funny story in his broken pidgin- English. He was never known to work, but wandered about the small settlement, and was always sure of a welcome and a meal wherever he went.

At about the same time the first Tatter sail’s Sweep tickets made their appear ance in TI, and one evening when the bar of Smyth’s Hotel was crowded, the iavourite barmaid, Kitty O’Shea, sug gested that there should be a “bob-in” for a ticket for Tommy Japan, who was there, wandering about but never drink ing. The crowd was delighted and pushed Tommy forward to receive his guinea ticket.

In due course, the results of the lottery were known and, to the amazement of the whole township, Tommy’s ticket won first prize—somewhere between £30,000 and £35,000.

He went about shaking hands and tell ing his friends that he would buy them just anything they wanted—and this he proceeded to do, with no half-measures.

To a big six-footer of a Samoan who had been kind to him he gave two pearling boats, and to the proprietors of Thursday Island’s five pubs he gave orders for free drinks for everyone. Some got cases of whisky, and some casks of beer, which they rolled out into the street where, under the coconut trees, they invited every passer-by to join them.

Tommy went back to Japan, taking with him the proprietor of Tatt’s Hotel and two other men, whom he entertained royally, and sent back loaded with Japanese curios.

But hard on the heels of the returning residents there came enterprising sons of Nippon, in ones and twos and threes; until, by the time I left the Island, there were some 700 of Tommy’s countrymen in the settlement. They had invaded every class of business, and already were well on the way to ousting the Europeans from their regular means of livelihood. They imported everything from Japan—even Black and White whisky, beer and soft drinks!