A new generation of people on Palm Island is delving into a grim history with a view to sharing it with those they consider most to blame for past atrocities.
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The island in April opened to a boatload of mostly western tourists – 200 of them – for just the second time after a trial in 2014 proved there was genuine interest in the people's history, culture, and raw natural surroundings of palm trees, sandy beaches and pockets of coral reef.
This was, however, the first time tourists had been allowed to the island on a Sunday and there were some fears the island might have shown its ugly side, a community still marred by alcohol-fuelled violence and domestic abuse.
But the tourists are partly protected. The building they are being told is the "coffee shop" on most days of the year carries a liquor licence.
Truth is, this Sunday is likely to be very different to the last. There will be no visitors, no cultural dancing, no markets, and every chance of disruption caused by alcohol abuse.
Police – known to locals as "bullyman" – say the problems occur like clockwork, usually for 4-5 days after "pay day", the day welfare is transferred into families' bank accounts.
"Oh yes, it lasts 4-5 days, and they'll keep the courts busy on Monday," a long-serving PI police officer says. He, along with some of the other 18 law enforcers on the island, has dedicated more than 10 years to making the community safer for its inhabitants.
It is important, even for the police, to note that things have improved.
They have improved dramatically since the 2004 death in custody of Cameron Doomadgee and consequent riots. And it is certainly not the same place that in 1999 was named the most violent on earth by the Guiness Book of Records after it was found there was a life expectancy of 40, a high youth suicide rate and 15 times the number of murders than any other place in Queensland.
It's even improved in the past 18 months since leaded petrol was removed from the island. Children who would otherwise be sniffing a bag are now kicking soccer balls inside the PCYC basketball court.
People on the island see themselves as part of a multicultural community. There are about 40 different cultures represented, each of them with their own language or dialect. There are also cultural differences.
And therein lies some of the complexity, some of the history the visitors, "edu-tourists" as they are known to the tourism industry, want to know.
Walking along the bay, one of the visitors is heard telling others how the neighbours gasped when she told them of her upcoming visit to PI.
Most acknowledge the move into tourism is a and risky one – particularly as the novelty wears off and locals aren't quite so well behaved.
One of the drivers of the move to boost tourism is SeaLink Queensland general manager Paul Victory, who called this month's island "open day" a pioneering event.
It will be further tested in May, July, September and October when further open days will be held. And in August, the North Queensland Local Government Association will send 200 delegates to stay in a specially set up tent city for its annual conference.
"In the future the Palm group of islands have enormous opportunity, our location based in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef provides a foundation for the development of environmental and responsible reef education programs," Mr Victory said.
"Indigenous people have been custodians of land over many centuries and the opportunity for cultural tourism and education is enormous … it is potentially a future for our younger people."
The first tourism trial in 2014 put about $13,000 into the hands of locals. There is an odd juxtaposition in that just 4km away, tourists are paying $1200 a night for exclusive stays at swanky Orpheus Island Resort.
Palm Island mayor Alf Lacey has long been an advocate for self-management. He believes strongly in the island's "alcohol management program", which he says is making the town a safer place to live.
He wants the government to stop welfare and handouts, instead investing in programs such as the tourism venture – programs that will help create jobs and self-sufficiency.
"We don't need development plans to tell us how to live," he told Fairfax Media. "People in the 80s campaigned against tourism here, but attitudes have changed. We are not just a write-off. We are not just a people destined for the scrap heap."
He said those conducting historical tours of the island were asking elders about their history, learning culture in the process. Others were learning cultural dance. Tourism was a spark for economic stimulus.
"The government sector is trying to railroad our vision. It is spending 2000 per cent of its time looking at the problems. We don't need no middleman. We need to be looking at, and investing in, opportunity."
The mayor's vision of self-governance might be some way off. But most who are involved with the latest tourism project agree it is a step in the right direction.
A senior consultant in the project said it was real action. No longer is the vision restricted to mountains of unstructured recommendations saying tourism was the answer to everything.
"It's a very small component, but it's one which can generate confidence in other areas of business," she said.
