Gur A Baradharaw Kod Torres Strait Sea and Land Council (GBK), with partner organisations, has announced a week of public events to mark the 90th anniversary of the 1936 Torres Strait Islander Maritime Strike.
The strike is recognised as one of the most significant acts of collective First Nations resistance in Australia's history.
The commemorative week will take place on Waiben (Thursday Island) next week, from 12 to 16 January.
The program will include formal ceremonies, cultural exhibitions, historical displays and academic presentations.
Formal proceedings will be held on Wednesday 14 January and will be officiated by Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia.
GBK said the anniversary marks the start of an "Awareness Phase" leading toward the centenary of the strike in 2036.
GBK Chair Mr Lui Ned David said the significance of the 1936 strike has not been widely understood.
"For many years, public focus has been placed on the 1937 Masig Conference, but the spark that lit the fire of change came one year earlier when Torres Strait Islander men stood together on the shores of our islands and said 'enough'," he said.
"The 1936 Maritime Strike was the first organised Indigenous maritime strike in the country. It is time we tell this story and reflect on how it has shaped modern Australia."
The 1936 Torres Strait Islander Maritime Strike was a coordinated work stoppage by Islander men employed in the pearling industry across the region.
The strike was driven by opposition to government control over wages, movement and working conditions, as well as the authority of the local Protector system.
By withdrawing their labour, Torres Strait Islander workers demanded fair pay, greater autonomy and the right to manage their own affairs, setting in motion reforms that reshaped governance and rights in the Torres Strait.
A curated public exhibition will be held as part of the week, bringing together photographs of strike leaders and life aboard pearling luggers with historic Protector's Reports and published analysis of the strike.
The exhibition will also include sound recordings, oral histories, maritime songs and biographies that document the impacts of the movement.
Alongside the public displays, the program will feature academic presentations by researchers and historians throughout the week.
AIATSIS staff will attend to support community engagement, including the Collections Access and Family History Unit to assist with family research and the Ngurra Team to gather input on the proposed National Resting Place for repatriated ancestral remains.
The week will also include events focused on sea governance, with a Sea Alliance Forum in partnership with ReefTO on sustainable sea management and a Sea Rights Conference with Native Title Representative Bodies from across northern Australia.
GBK said further commemorative events will be held throughout 2026 across the Torres and Endeavour Straits.
A full program, including the order of proceedings for the formal event on 14 January, will be released closer to the date.
