An Englishwoman in the Torres Strait, 1969-70 (Elaine Sinnamon collection)

In 1969, 28 year old English nursing sister Elaine Constance Street (later Sinnamon) arrived on Thursday Island (Waiben). Leaving school at the age of 14, Elaine’s true aspiration was to become a nurse. She joined the Long Eaton Red Cross in Derbyshire, in part to convince her father of her interest in nursing. Eventually, and reluctantly, her father gave his permission and Elaine did her nurses training at Hornsey Hospital in North London. From there, Elaine moved to Bristol, where she took her certificate in care of premature babies. Care of premmies was to be her greatest love in nursing.

In 1967, in search of adventure and independence, Elaine came to Australia as a ‘Ten Pound Pom’. Arriving in Sydney, she worked for a time in the Blue Mountains as a theatre sister. She trained for her midwifery certificate at Crown Street Women’s Hospital in Sydney. She passed her exams and received the tutorial prize for her class.

Wanting to experience more of Australia she applied for and received a position as ‘Sister’ at the Thursday Island Hospital in Torres Strait as well as stints at Bamaga Hospital, North Queensland in 1969. Elaine didn’t spend all that long in the Torres Strait, only 12 months, but it was an important period of her life. She was experiencing a life far removed from her childhood in England, enjoying an independent and free-spirited existence. On Thursday Island she would meet her future husband Mike, an employee at the local branch of the National Bank of Australasia. 

Elaine also collected a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait artefacts from her time in the Far North, including a Torres Strait hand-carved snakeskin drum, a juju shaker made from juju seed pods, wooden fishing spears (possibly from Cape York) and two turtle shells. The collection also features 5 hand-carved wooden faces which were acquired on Daru Island and are believed to be of Papuan New Guinean design.

An avid photographer, Elaine kept a comprehensive record of the year she lived in the Torres Strait, her nursing vocation, and the many people she connected with.

Elaine made friends easily and she was generously gifted several items from First Nations colleagues, including a traditional drum, a dance rattle (kulap) and two spears.

The collection consists of 177 colour slides depicting various images of the Torres Strait and Cape York. These images have been digitised and can be viewed online through State Library's catalogue.

Myles Sinnamon - son of Elaine Sinnamon and engagement officer at State Library of Queensland