Sue Islet (or Sue Island), also known as Warraber, is the middle

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...

of The Three Sisters,

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. This island is one of the

Torres Strait Islands The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait, a waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea. They span an area of , but their total land ...

and is within the locality of Warraber Islet in the

Torres Strait Island Region The Torres Strait Island Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia, covering part of the Torres Strait Islands. It was created in March 2008 out of 15 autonomous Island Councils during a period of statewide local gove ...

Geography

It is in the Vigilant Channel. Situated on a

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...

cay, Sue Island has an abundance of traditional foods such as wongai and

coconuts The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

. Fish,

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

s and

dugong The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...

inhabit the warm waters and coral reefs surrounding the island. The island is threatened by

rising sea levels Rising may refer to: * Rising, a stage in baking - see Proofing (baking technique) *Elevation * Short for Uprising, a rebellion Film and TV * "Rising" (''Stargate Atlantis''), the series premiere of the science fiction television program ''Starga ...

, and coastal defences have been built on many of the beaches on the island. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted that by 2100, tides will rise by 30–110cm, depending on the timing and level of cuts to carbon emissions.

History

Warraber Island State School was opened on 29 January 1985. On 1 January 2007 it became the Warraber Island campus of the Tagai State College.

People

The people of Sue Island are part of the Kulkalaig, of the Central Islands of Torres Strait, including Nagi. Specifically, the Nagilgal and of Waraberalgal are the same people. Life on the island remains very traditional and includes hunting, dancing, and ''thayilai'' (feasts); vital components of contemporary life.

Language

The day-to-day language of Warraber is Brokan (

Torres Strait Creole Torres Strait Creole ( tcs, Yumplatok), also known as Torres Strait Pidgin, Brokan/Broken, Cape York Creole, Lockhart Creole, Kriol, Papuan, Broken English, Blaikman, Big Thap, Pizin, and Ailan Tok, is an English-based creole language (a varie ...

); however, the traditional language of the people of Waraber is Kulkalgau Ya, one of the four dialects of

Kalaw Lagaw Ya ''Kalau Lagau Ya'', ''Kalaw Lagaw Ya'', ''Kala Lagaw Ya'' (), or the ''Western Torres Strait language'' (also several other names, see below), is the language indigenous to the central and western Torres Strait Islands, Queensland, Australia. O ...

. Kulkalagau Ya phrases: ''Ni midhadh?'' How are you? ''Ninu nel nga?'' What is your name? ''Stuwa unaga?'' Where is the store? ''Ninu waru ubilaig, au?'' Do you like turtle? ''Ni kulkalgadh yamuleka, au?'' Do you speak Kulkalgau Ya? ''Ni markaidh muleka, au?'' Do you speak English? ''Ina ngau mudh.'' This is my house. ''Kayib mina kapu goeiga.'' This is a really nice day. ''Maal kapu idi.'' The sea is dead calm. ''Inabi ai mina kapu mithalnga.'' This food is very delicious. ''Aye, ngoeba buthuka.'' Come, let's go to the beach.

Religion

Many Sue Islanders still retain strong links to their traditional religion, centering on ancestor worship, including a totemic clan structure. An important religious figure was Kulka, one of Malo-Bomai's brothers. The inhabitants (Kulkalgal) are named for Kulka. On 1 July every year the residents of Sue Island observe the "

Coming of the Light All Saints Anglican Church is a heritage-listed church at Darnley Island, Torres Strait Island Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1919 to 1938. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. History Comi ...

". On this date in 1871, a Christian reverend named Samuel MacFarlane of the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational m ...

came to convert the Indigenous people of the Torres Strait to Christianity. Currently, there are two main churches on the island, including the more traditional Church of the Torres Strait and the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church.

Education

Warraber Island Campus is a primary (Early Childhood - Grade 6) campus of Tagai State College ().

Facilities

Warraber Island has an Indigenous Knowledge Centre operated by the

Torres Strait Island Regional Council The Torres Strait Island Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia, covering part of the Torres Strait Islands. It was created in March 2008 out of 15 autonomous Island Councils during a period of statewide local go ...

. It functions as a library and a

visitor centre A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors. Types of visitor center A visi ...

Navigation

This island houses new ship tracking and communications technologies ( Automatic Identification Systems) and ship polling via the INMARSAT C satellite system.

References

{{Coord, -10.207, 142.825, region:AU-QLD_type:isle, display=title Torres Strait Islands Torres Strait Island Region