Malay Camp (site)

Statement of Significance

The site of the former camp has historic value for its association with the peak period of commercial activity in Broome in the first half of the 20th century when pearling was a profitable industry attracting many workers to the townsite.

The site of the former camp has historic value for its association with the past practices of divisions of the community along economic, cultural and racial characteristics as the camp formerly on this site was designated for use by ‘Malays’ a loose term applied to all people of south east Asian origin.

History

The townsite of Broome and its community was highly stratified along racial and economic lines during the majority of the 20th century. The divisions in the groups was represented in the location and type of living accommodation. The most disadvantaged were the indigenous aboriginal people, who lived in fringe camps in appalling conditions and had the least autonomy in the community. The most advantaged were the relatively few white ‘bosses’ and their families. In between was a complex layering of social groups each with their own social systems which were brought from their own countries of origin.

The ‘Malay’ workers was a catch all term for people from South-east Asia, which included contemporary Indonesia and Malaysia. The Malay men who came to Broome to work were indentured labourers and worked as general deck hands or in ancillary service trades. They were rarely divers, merchants or held positions of influence. As a result their living accommodation was generally on the fringes of the town, near the current [2019] airport, with other communities of similar status, including the mixed race population.

The Malay Camp was a collection of simple cottages of corrugated iron and timber that were adapted and added to as needed. Often built on stumps to enable some cooling breezes, this small adaptation would have had little effect during the wet season as these simple shelters provided little protection from the elements.

It has not been established when these simple structures were removed although there is likely to have been little need for them after the decline of the pearling industry in the 1930's and the onset of World War II and the internment of foreign nationals. Any physical evidence of the former camps is likely to have been removed during later ground works.

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