JCU celebrates 25 years of Australian South Sea Islanders
JCU hosted a signing ceremony on Wednesday 23 July 2025 to celebrate 25 years of Australian South Sea Islanders.
The 2025 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony at JCU marked not only 25 years since the formal recognition of the Australian South Sea Islander (ASSI) community by the Queensland Government but also 25 years of the ASSI Community Foundation’s scholarship program for undergraduate university students.
Australian South Sea Islanders are Australian-born, direct descendants of people from Pacific islands who were brought to Australia between 1863 and 1904 and indentured as labourers in Australian primary industries.
JCU is one of four Queensland universities participating in the ASSI Community Foundation scholarship program, which aims to improve educational opportunities for ASSI students by providing annual scholarships for their undergraduate studies.
“The scholarship program supports Australian South Sea Islander students as they undertake their studies,”
said Professor Marcus Lane, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academy at James Cook University, who attended the event.
“The Memorandum of Understanding ensures these opportunities continue to be available to future generations of students.”
The annual signing of the MoU re-establishes the roles and responsibilities of Multicultural Affairs Queensland and JCU in the delivery of the scholarship program.
Since the scholarship program’s commencement in 2000, it has supported 21 students at JCU, with 14 graduates now contributing to their chosen field.
The MoU and scholarship program not only strengthen the future education of ASSI students, they honour the legacy, resilience, and cultural contributions of the ASSI community to JCU and beyond.
“This legacy continues to shape how we support inclusion and reconciliation through education,” said Prof Lane. “JCU is proud to walk alongside the ASSI community in continuing this important journey.”
Also in attendance at the signing ceremony were representatives from James Cook University, Multicultural Affairs Queensland, Queensland Gives, as well as representatives from the Queensland United Australian South Sea Islander Council and the ASSI community.