5/5/26: Broome's Historic Cemeteries & Sun Pictures!

 

Earlier in the day, Steven and I had learned all we ever wanted to know about Broome's longstanding pearling industry from one of the many pearl shops in Broome's central business district! Conveniently located across the street was The Roebuck Hotel, established in 1890 by London jeweler and pearling entrepreneur E.W. Streeter. It was one of the first buildings in the early settlement town and Broome's longest-standing hospitality establishment. When we popped in for a look, the adjacent Roey Pearlers Bar was still closed, and there were few customers at the main bar.

Near Broome's Chinatown stood a traditional stone Foo Dog statue, also known as a Chinese guardian lion.

Spending any time in Broome, you can't miss Broome's largest public space, Male Park, also called the Male Oval, named after the prominent Male family, pioneering business owners in the town's historic pearling industry. Day or night, it was a popular hangout spot for Aboriginal families who gathered under one of the shade trees. 

As we walked toward the town's historic cemeteries, we came across a boab tree, easily identifiable by its swollen trunk.

As the gateway to the Kimberley region, Broome appeared to have a full array of social services targeted specifically for its Aboriginal people. We'd only seen the same programs once when touring the southwestern tip of Western Australia. 

We were delighted to be in the tropics and see the vibrant pinkish-purple bougainvillea flowers intertwined with the fronds of a palm tree.

After leaving the business area, we walked past Broome Senior High School on our long walk to Broome's historic cemeteries. We knew they would be poignant memorials honoring the diverse pioneers, pearling crews, and divers who lost their lives in the harsh northern frontier.

If I had ever thought of writing a post on unusual signs we've seen, this one would surely be near the top!

We first arrived at the Japanese Cemetery, the second-largest Japanese cemetery outside Japan after the Japanese Cemetery Park in  Singapore. Opened in 1896, the historic site was the final resting place for over 900 individuals across 707 graves marked by Kanji-engraved sandstone headstones. The majority of deaths commemorated in the cemetery resulted from the bends or drowning during cyclones.

As we walked among the graves, we noticed only a few had any English-language words, a cross, or flowers.

Pearl diving was a dangerous pursuit. The cemetery's large stone obelisk paid homage to those who drowned at sea in the 1908 cyclone. The cyclones of 1887 and 1935 each caused the deaths of at least 140 men. The sheer scale of early pearling deaths resonated in this poignant tribute.

The bamboo groves at the far end provided a sense of peace in the otherwise somber site. Shine, our guide on the Pearl Luggers tour earlier that morning, had remarked on the discrimination the Japanese experienced following their country's air raids on Broome in 1942.

There was a disappointing lack of signage, but we thought this was possibly the Chinese Cemetery, located directly next to the Japanese Cemetery. If so, it honored Chinese shopkeepers, market gardeners, and community members who helped build Broome. Benches provided welcome rest areas by many of the graves. Unfortunately, no markers divided the two cemeteries, so it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began.

However, it was immediately apparent that these gravestones were far more adorned and brightly decorated, judging from the profusion of flowers and flags. But I wondered whether this was the norm or whether a recent Chinese holiday had encouraged relatives to decorate the graves. The difference was that stark.

The crosses didn't mesh, though, with it possibly being a Chinese cemetery.

Whatever the nationalities, the cemeteries did give us an appreciation for the lives sacrificed by the migrants who settled in Broome to prosper from its lucrative pearling industry. 

The Muslim Cemetery sadly seemed almost an afterthought by comparison. Positioned nearby, this site contained the graves of many pearl divers and crew members who contributed to Broome's pearling boom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  

Seeing the bare-bones gravesites there and the adjacent Malay plot made me wish some locals had adopted them so they could be properly cared for. It looked too much like a paupers' grave.

For the hour or so we'd been wandering among the graves, there had not been another soul. We'd been searching for the Aboriginal Cemetery, but the lack of signage had made that fruitless until we noticed a young Aboriginal woman walking near us. I asked her where her people's cemetery was, and she pointed to this area.

I like to think the Aboriginal Cemetery recognized and celebrated the region's Indigenous people, as so many suffered unimaginable horrors during the pearling industry's heyday.

Having recently learned that a blue tree or cross signified mental health struggles in Australia, I wondered if this blue cross meant that the young man died from mental health issues. Far too many of the people in the Aboriginal graves had tragically died at young ages.

We caught a glimpse of the Anglican Cemetery, but we didn't know where to find the Catholic or Jewish Cemeteries, which were supposedly nearby.

As we left the cemeteries, we had a chance to reflect on Broome's diverse multicultural history.

It was immediately apparent that the residential area we walked around was not nearly as well kept up as any of the areas in Perth. There was also a considerable amount of trash, as in the downtown area. We'd happily spent quite a bit of time hanging around Perth, and all the city had been close to immaculate, so the difference was again quite striking.

Outside another Mental Health Services building was a tree painted blue, which seemed apropos, given its significance. 

As I photographed one home's decorative timber fretwork, the owner came out to chat with us and kindly invited us into his garden! He said he'd been living in the former government medical officer's home across from the clinic since 1995 and that it was 140 years old. He commented that it was a typical Broome-style home.

Not two blocks away was yet another mental health service provider. A sign out front read, "This Service Strives to be Respectful of all Cultures." I wondered what societal conditions made it necessary for the small city of under 15,000 people to have so many mental health clinics.

The pretty mural atop the clinic reflected mabu liyan, meaning a strong or good spirit in the local Yawuru Aboriginal language. It also represented a state of "good feeling, spiritual wellbeing, and strong spirit in Yawuru culture."

I was surprised that Our Lady Queen of Peace Cathedral had only two weekend Masses each week.

On our way to the movies that night, we again admired the Fusion – Interwoven Cultures sculpture located at the roundabout in Chinatown. It was made from local pearl shell and salvaged timber. 

As we crossed the Male Oval, the Aboriginal people were again, or still (!), relaxing on the park's grass. 

I was excited to be back at Sun Pictures, the world's oldest, continually operating outdoor movie theater, to watch The Devil Wears Prada 2 with Steven. He was far less enthusiastic, but agreed to come along after some cajoling! Before Covid, we were huge movie buffs, but we'd only seen a couple in the many years since then.

Local Lexie Tang Wei was recorded as saying: "Me and my husband were allowed to sit together at the Sun Pictures, on the left side. The pearling masters sat in the centre, the Filipinos and Koepangers (people from Kupang on the island of Timor, coincidentally which we'd visit later on this trip) on the side and Aboriginal people were right at the back where the film was working. Kids were scattered everywhere. Pictures were held three times a week, costing about sixpence for kids, always starting with the national anthem, God Save the Queen."

If your derrière needed extra padding, cushions were free to borrow!

Of course, popcorn and drinks were available to enjoy the film!

Broome's Chinatown, and therefore Sun Pictures, was on the flight path!

It was another long day, beginning with the pearling industry tour, walking to and through the historic cemeteries, and finally a fun night out on the town!

Next post: Flight to & a hike into the Bungle Bungles!

Posted from our home in the Denver suburb of Littleton on 9/11/26, the 25th anniversary of a day that will forever live in infamy when 2,977 people died in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in the field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In addition to the firefighters, paramedics, and police officers who died in New York, thousands more people have died in the years following the attacks due to toxic dust and air exposure at Ground Zero. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.