Education tradition & a Norf'k Language Camp!

Education tradition & a Norf'k Language Camp! - 

AUDIO>> You have just heard the late Archie Bigg reciting his poem about the Year 9 Norfolk Language camp

 In this episode, let’s explore the foundation of our Norfolk Island education from our Pitcairn origins.

The educational tradition on Norfolk Island extends back to the Pitcairn Islanders. In 1835, the community on Pitcairn instituted compulsory education for children aged six years and over. This early dedication to education stemmed from John Adams, one of the original Bounty mutineers, who taught the first generation of Pitcairn children to read in the early nineteenth century using only the Bounty Bible and a prayer book.

This educational foundation proved influential when just one month after the Pitcairners’ arrival in Norfolk Island in 1856, the Reverend George Hunn Nobbs, who had been educated in England and served as the community's teacher, pastor, and doctor on Pitcairn, established schooling in the Old Military Barracks at Kingston. 

The Pitcairn educational tradition was reinforced the following year when Governor Denison published laws for compulsory school attendance on Norfolk Island—recognised as the earliest legislation of its kind in the British Empire. 

While formal education was highly valued on Norfolk Island, the practical realities of island life required a sensible approach to schooling. 

The lemon and passionfruit industries represented crucial export markets for Norfolk Island during certain periods, providing essential income for families and the broader community. When harvests peaked, all available hands—including school children—might be called upon to ensure the crop was gathered efficiently before spoilage. Children on the island learnt practical skills that complemented their formal education—understanding agriculture, commerce, logistics, and the seasonal rhythms that governed island life.

This balance between formal classroom education and practical life skills created a holistic educational experience that prepared children not just for academic achievement but for the realities of life on a remote island. 

One of the most significant educational initiatives has been the deliberate effort to preserve and promote our unique Norf'k language, with one of the most notable of these initiatives being the annual Language Camp for Year 9 students. 

The camp took students out of the standard classroom environment and placed them in settings where they actively used and learnt the Norf'k language while simultaneously engaging with traditional cultural practices.

>> AUDIO Have a listen now to Gaye Evans, Judith Davidson & Colleen Crane as they share with us how the Norfolk Language Camp came about and what it involved.

>> AUDIO:  the next collection of audio compilations includes the Year 9 students in 2013 speaking about their fishing experiences, favourite foods and activities, along with the late Archie Bigg, Colleen Crane, Maev Hitch, Greg Magri and Arthur Evans.

The ripple effects of the Language Camp extended throughout the community. Participating students often returned home with renewed enthusiasm for Norf'k, bringing phrases and cultural practices into family settings and encouraging intergenerational language use. The camp also paid tribute and acknowledged appreciation of our community elders, whose knowledge of language and tradition is showcased as valuable expertise rather than relics of the past. 

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Transcript

Welcome to Episode 24 of the Untold Norfolk Island travel podcast series.

My name is Jodie Williams and as a Norfolk Islander & Churchill Fellow, I am your ‘on island’ podcast host.

>>> Audio: You have just the late Archie Bigg reciting his poem about the Year 9 Language camp.

In this episode, let’s explore the foundation of our Norfolk Island education from our Pitcairn origins.

The educational tradition on Norfolk Island extends back to the Pitcairn Islanders. In 1835, the community on Pitcairn instituted compulsory education for children aged six years and over. This early dedication to education stemmed from John Adams, one of the original Bounty mutineers, who taught the first generation of Pitcairn children to read in the early nineteenth century using only the Bounty Bible and a prayer book.

This educational foundation proved influential when just one month after the Pitcairners’ arrival in Norfolk Island in 1856, the Reverend George Hunn Nobbs, who had been educated in England and served as the community's teacher, pastor, and doctor on Pitcairn, established schooling in the Old Military Barracks at Kingston. This quick establishment of educational services demonstrates how central learning was to our community's values and identity.

The Pitcairn educational tradition was reinforced the following year when Governor Denison published laws for compulsory school attendance on Norfolk Island—recognized as the earliest legislation of its kind in the British Empire.

In New South Wales, education was not compulsory until 1880, and mandatory daily attendance not enforced until 1916.

Simon Young, another respected member of the Pitcairn community, took over teaching duties until his return to Pitcairn in 1859. Young's departure marked a transition in the island's educational leadership, as he was succeeded by Thomas Rossiter, an English schoolmaster who brought mainland educational practices to the island.

School was compulsory from 9am to 2pm for all children aged 6 - 14 years. The curriculum likely followed British educational standards of the period, focusing on reading, writing, arithmetic, and religious education

Despite the formal structure, the island's economic needs occasionally took precedence—in later years, children were sometimes kept home from school to help with harvesting lemons or passionfruit, or to assist with unloading ships, activities vital to the island's economic survival. This pragmatic balance between formal education and practical life skills reflected the realities of life in a small, self-reliant island community where every family member's contribution mattered to collective prosperity.

Daily life for Norfolk Island students in the mid-twentieth century reflected both the island's isolation and its connections to broader educational traditions. Colin "Boonie" Buffett's recollections of beginning school in 1934 provided valuable insights into this period in the book ‘An Island Education’. Unlike today's education system, there was no Kindergarten class, and children typically didn't start First Class until they turned seven years old—This may have reflected both practical considerations of island life and the continued influence of the original Pitcairn educational traditions.

Boonie describes the school playground as being the place where distinct island dynamics emerged most clearly. Students enjoyed cricket and rugby union. Meanwhile, girls played vigoro, a  game that combined elements of cricket and baseball, played with a paddle-shaped bat. These sporting activities often revealed geographic divisions among the students, with friendly rivalries emerging between children from different areas of the island—Anson Bay versus Rocky Point, or Ball Bay against Cascade. These natural groupings reflected the settlement patterns and family relationships across the small island community.

While formal education was highly valued on Norfolk Island, the practical realities of island life required a sensible approach to schooling.

The lemon and passionfruit industries represented crucial export markets for Norfolk Island during certain periods, providing essential income for families and the broader community. When harvests peaked, all available hands—including school children—might be called upon to ensure the crop was gathered efficiently before spoilage. Similarly, when ships arrived with supplies, the whole community were involved to unload cargo quickly, as weather conditions could change rapidly and force vessels to depart before completion. Children on the island learnt practical skills that complemented their formal education—understanding agriculture, commerce, logistics, and the seasonal rhythms that governed island life.

This balance between formal classroom education and practical life skills created a holistic educational experience that prepared children not just for academic achievement but for the realities of life on a remote island.

The local school has consistently recognised the importance of early learning whilst still acknowledging the island's unique cultural context.

One of the most significant educational initiatives has been the deliberate effort to preserve and promote our unique Norf'k language, with one of the most notable of these initiatives being the annual Language Camp for Year 9 students.

During this hands-on practical experience of ‘all things Norf’k’, teenage students were guided by local elders through several days of cultural and linguistic immersion. The camp took students out of the standard classroom environment and placed them in settings where they actively used and learnt the Norf'k language while simultaneously engaging with traditional cultural practices.

>>>> AUDIO Have a listen now to Gaye Evans, Judith Davidson & Colleen Crane as they share with us how the Norfolk Language Camp came about and what it involved.

The Language Camp became a major factor in promoting Norf'k language use among younger generations who might otherwise have limited exposure to the language in their daily lives. The camp provided students with a holistic cultural immersion experience that encompassed a wide range of traditional practices - cooking, fishing, learning about flora and fauna, industry, all allowed for students to gain appreciation for the full spectrum of the Norfolk community’s unique cultural inheritance.

Students learnt to prepare dishes like mudda, pilhi, coconut & passionfruit pies, coconut bread, sour milk bread, and other recipes that have been passed down through the generations. Beyond just following recipes, this culinary education connects young people to the agricultural history of the island, sustainable food practices, and the communal traditions of food preparation and sharing that are central to our island life.

Poetry and storytelling sessions conducted in Norf'k not only develop language skills but transmit the oral traditions, historical narratives, and moral lessons that have shaped the community's values for generations. Fishing and outdoor activities teach practical skills that have sustained the island community, connecting students to traditional ecological knowledge and sustainable resource management practices.

Through this multifaceted cultural education program, this innovative approach to heritage preservation placed young people at the centre of cultural transmission. Rather than treating cultural education as separate from "academic" learning, the Year 9 Language Camp integrated heritage preservation into the educational framework, ensuring that traditional knowledge and practices were valued alongside contemporary subjects. Norfolk Island's long-standing educational tradition has always aimed to balance formal academic instruction with practical knowledge relevant to island life.

>> AUDIO:  the next collection of audio compilations includes the Year 9 students in 2013 speaking about their fishing experiences, favourite foods and activities, Archie Bigg explaining how to set up your fishing rod, Colleen Crane sharing a memory of getting into trouble from her father, Boonie Buffett for snapping one of their bamboo rods whilst reversing the truck, Maev Hitch & Greg Magri outlining briefly our traditional craft of plaiting and Arthur Evans explains about Norfolk land, flora & fauna and the way in which rope was traditionally made from the flax plant.


>> AUDIO: now have a listen to Archie Bigg and his fellow musicians playing the piano at Wonderland by Night, for a fun entertaining evening to conclude the 2013 Language Camp.


As noted in the historical record, the camp "has become a major factor in promoting Norf'k language use among younger people"—an outcome with profound implications for the preservation of the island's unique linguistic heritage. 

The camp's success stemmed from its immersive approach, which goes beyond traditional classroom language instruction. By creating an environment where adolescents use Norf'k in authentic cultural contexts—whether cooking traditional foods, engaging in storytelling,  or learning about fishing practices—the program connects language learning directly to cultural identity and practical activities. This approach has proven particularly effective for engaging teenagers, who might otherwise view language preservation as irrelevant to their contemporary lives.

The ripple effects of the Language Camp extended throughout the community. Participating students often returned home with renewed enthusiasm for Norf'k, bringing phrases and cultural practices into family settings and encouraging intergenerational language use. The camp also paid tribute and acknowledged appreciation of our community elders, whose knowledge of language and tradition is showcased as valuable expertise rather than relics of the past. 

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Planning an educational trip to Norfolk Island offers visiting students a unique opportunity to engage with diverse ecosystems, cultural experiences, and hands-on learning beyond the traditional classroom setting. Contact Baunti Tours if you are interested in making plans to organise a successful, enriching island excursion that balances educational objectives with safety, logistics, and enjoyable experiences for all participants. They’d be more than happy to help, offer advice and suggestions and guide you through identifying specific curriculum connections across multiple subject areas.


We look forward to welcoming you here!

Thanks so much for joining me this week!!