Their Legacy - Strong, Willing, Fast, Efficient

It’s evidence of hard work and it was hardship them times but for them to come here leaves a legacy and it says, ‘Hey, we were here’.

George Pitt, former railway worker, 2012

**Caption: Torres Strait Islanders were renowned for their hard work ethic and spirit. Mt Newman Railroad construction, 1968.**
Credit: BHP Collection, BA2948/15, State Library of Western Australia.

Torres Strait Islander workers made many sacrifices leaving their homelands and communities to seek new opportunities in Western Australia.

The railway lines, and the determination and skill of the men who laid them under gruelling conditions, were essential for the successful expansion of Western Australia’s mineral resources industry into the northwest, and the development of the state’s economy.

Caption: Torres Strait Islander workers here haul a 1,440 string of rail on the Mt Newman railway line in 1968. The job required 870,000 sleepers to be spiked, along with strings of rail weighing 60 kg/m.
Credit: BHP Collection, BA2948/4, State Library of Western Australia.

The experiences of these men, and their families, as told and retold by younger generations, highlight the significant contributions of Torres Strait Islanders to Western Australia’s economic and social landscape. These contributions and achievements are a source of great pride for many ex railway workers and their families.

An important story that we want to be shared.

Sonya Stephen, daughter of former railway worker, 2018

**Caption: Left to right: Syd Hill, Dave Rickard, Lolo, Dixie Stephen and Mike Coote. The Locomotive was donated by BHP and delivered to the Railway Museum, Bassendean, to represent the world record.**
Credit: Sonya Stephen

Today the extraordinary stories of the Torres Strait Islander workers involved the historic record-breaking event - and those who worked on other railways during the 1960s and 1970s - are celebrated and commemorated by memorials in the Torres Strait and Pilbara regions.