Early Settlers' Graves, Home Island

The Early Settlers' Graves are located between the road (Jalan Kipas) and the sports field, behind the Home Island School, Home Island Settlement.^[1]

There are three graves, two with carved timber headstones that are of European style. 35 metres (115 ft) to the east there is a square stone that is flush with the ground.^[1]

In 1996 the timber headstones were beautifully weathered with the top broken off one headstone. The concrete surround was cracked. Urgent repair of the broken headstone is required to avoid loss and further damage.^[1]

The Early Settlers' Graves are rare examples of late nineteenth century settlers' graves on Home Island.^[1]

The Early Settlers' Graves include Suma's Grave which is significant for providing a historic link to Alexander Hare's party which settled on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the 1820s. Suma's Grave is also associated with the Clunies-Ross family's occupation of the Islands in the nineteenth century. Suma was a small boy who was an original member of Alexander Hare's party. He became an imam or priest in the late nineteenth century.^[1]

• Allom Lovell Marquis-Kyle Architects Pty Ltd (1996). Cocos (Keeling) Islands Heritage Study Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
• Allom Lovell Marquis-Kyle Architects Pty Ltd (1994). Lot 14 Home Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
• Bunce, P. (1988). The Cocos (Keeling Islands) Australian Atolls in the Indian Ocean.
• Nairn, B. (1986). "no title (1891-1939)". In Searle, G. (ed.). Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943.

This Wikipedia article was originally based on Early Settlers Graves, entry number 105362 in the Australian Heritage Database published by the Commonwealth of Australia 2019 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 15 May 2019.