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Banfield Memorial Reserve and Grave

Dunk Island

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Banfield Memorial Reserve and Grave (2008); Heritage Branch staff

Banfield Memorial Reserve and Grave (2008)

Shells on Banfield's grave symbolising life and resurrection (2008); EHP

Shells on Banfield's grave symbolising life and resurrection (2008)

Dunk Island (2008); Heritage Branch Staff

Dunk Island (2008)

 Mr and Mrs Banfield ; Heritage Branch Staff

Mr and Mrs Banfield

Banfield's Grave on map of Dunk Island ; Heritage Branch Staff

Banfield's Grave on map of Dunk Island

A small memorial behind the main resort on Dunk Island commemorates the life of the ‘Beachcomber’, E J (Ted) Banfield. Banfield dedicated his life to preserving the flora and fauna of the island and published his experiences of living in his island paradise. Banfield accepted a job as sub-editor of the Townsville Daily Bulletin in 1882. Ill health led him to take time out during 1896, camping with his wife and friends on Dunk Island. A further deterioration to his health in 1897 led him to resign from the newspaper. Inspired by the writings and lifestyle of Henry David Thoreau, he and wife Bertha took out a 30 year lease on a small area on the island. Through his interaction with the local Banjin and Dijur people, he documented Aboriginal names and gained knowledge of their sustainable lifestyle. He was successful in having Dunk Island and the associated Family Islands declared a sanctuary for birds in 1905. Following his death in 1923, a stone cairn was erected over his grave with a quote from Thoreau. In 1936, after his wife’s death, the remainder of Dunk Island was protected. Today, Dunk Island is part of the Family Islands National Park.

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Coordinates: -17.93549217, 146.14445011

Full details of this heritage-registered place are in the Heritage register.

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Licence
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Last reviewed
1 July 2022
Last updated
28 February 2023