Head of Campus: Aleksandr Taylor-Gough
Phone: (07) 4030 6555| Fax: (07) 4069 1950
Email: the.principal@thurislass.eq.edu.au
Campus enrolment: 390 Students
Year Levels: Kindy to Year 6
Community Snapshot
Population: 2,938*
Cluster: Inner Islands
English Name: Thursday Island
Traditional Name: Waibene
The island takes the name Waiben meaning ‘no water or place of no water’, owing to the scarcity of fresh water on the island. It is also known as Thursday Island or TI. Waibene comprises of a number of communities. Port Kennedy is the name given to the community living on the north western side of the island. The communities found on northern side of the Island - namely the suburbs of Tamwoy, Rose Hill, Aplin, Waiben and Quarantine - are often grouped together under “TRAWQ”.
The traditional language spoken on Thursday Island is Kulkalgal Ya (KLY), but the campuses cater for all languages.
In 1877, the Queensland Government developed Waibene as the administrative centre for the Torres Strait. By 1883, over 200 pearling vessels were based on the island. The lucrative pearling industry attracted workers from around Asia and the South Pacific. The fear of Russian invasion lead to the building of a fort on Battery Point in 1892. To protect the island during World War II, Waibene became the military headquarters for the Torrs Strait and was a base for Australian and United States Forces.
Thursday Island Campus is also host to the Malu Os Special Education Services. Malu Os has the charter to provide special education services to all 17 campuses of Tagai State College as well as Northern Peninsula Area College.
*Source: 2016 Census