In recent years, the larger Torres Strait islands have formed their own community councils with funding provided by the Commonwealth and State governments. Those councils, often governing populations of fewer than a hundred people, employ white administrators with such exaltant titles as "Chief Executive Officer" and salaries and other emoluments to match. Despite the generous salaries, few professional people go to such remote places to engage in work which is often banal and never challenging enough to further their careers. Modern-day carpet-baggers had filled the void and I was sitting across from one on the balcony of the hotel. He was a "C.E.O" on one of the outer islands and had come down to T.I., ostensibly on an all-expenses-paid business trip but primarily to sample the delights of what amounted to the bright city-lights for one living so remote. Being fellow-travellers and, like "ships passing in the night", not likely to meet again, he had soon told me his life story: divorce and a number of business failures had seen to it that he had come to the Torres Strait "with the arse hanging out of his pants" but only a few months into the job, he already sported a very healthy bank-balance.
[There has been a sequel to this chance encounter: >>> read more ... ]