Christmas Island
 

6 Jun 1889 - May 1900; Aug 1945 - 1 Oct 1968                             1 Sep 1900 - 1925                           1925 - 31 Mar 1942                            1946 - 31 Dec 1957                            Adopted 1 Oct 1958      Adopted 26 Jan 2002 (unofficial from 14 Apr 1986)   Map of Christmas Island  Hear National Anthem   "Advance Australia Fair"  Text of National Anthem  Christmas Island Act (1 Oct 1958) Capital: The Settlement  Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD)  National Holiday: 26 Jan (1788) Australia Day -------------------------------- Local Holiday: 1st Monday in  Oct (1958) Territory Day Population: 1,402 (2007) GDP: $N/A Exports: $N/A Imports: $N/A Ethnic groups: Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% (2001) Total Police Force: 10 (2002) Defense is the Responsibility of Australia  Merchant marine: None (2008)  Religions: Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997)  International Organizations/Treaties: None Christmas Island Chronology  3 Feb 1615                Discovered by English Capt. John Milward of                              East India Co. ship Thomas.  25 Dec 1643                Re-discovered by English Capt. William Mynos of                              the East India Co. ship Royal Mary, named                               Christmas Island.  6 Jun 1888                Annexed by Britain. 1889 - 1899                Leased to Clunies-Ross family (see Cocos Islands). 1899                       Leased to the British Phosphate Company.  1 Sep 1900 - 1942         Administered by Straits Settlements (see Singapore) 31 Mar 1942 - Oct 1945     Japanese occupation. Oct 1945 - 1946            British military administration. 1946 - 31 Dec 1957         Administered by Singapore.  1 Jan 1958                British crown colony  1 Oct 1958                Australian territory (Territory of Christmas                              Island). 1980                       National park of covering over 65% of island                              composed mainly of rainforest established. 1994                       Proposal to separate from Australia rejected. 1995                       Part of Australian Indian Ocean Territories                              (Christmas Island and Cocos Islands).

Settlers
 6 Jun 1888 - 1888         George Clunies-Ross               (b. 1842 - d. 1910)
Nov 1888 - 1900            Andrew Ferguson Clunies-Ross      (b. 1859 - d. 1918)
District Officers
 4 Jun 1901 - 1904         Lewis Hare Clayton                (b. 1872 - d. 19..)
1902 - 1903                Walter Peacock (acting)           (b. 1875 - d. 19..)
1902 - 1904                David Beatty (acting)             (b. 1876 - d. 19..)
1904                       William Summer Gibson (acting)    (b. 1876 - d. 1946)
1904 - 1907                Arthur Walter Bailey              (b. 1873 - d. 19..)
1904 - 1905                W.S. Chapman (acting)
1906                       F.M. Baddely (acting)
1906 - 1908                Percy Tothill Allen (1st time)    (b. 1878 - d. 19..) 
1907 - 1909                Paul August Felix David           (b. 1874 - d. 19..)
                             (acting to 1908)
1909 - 1910                Percy Tothill Allen (2nd time)    (s.a.)
1910                       Stewart Codrington                (b. 1874 - d. 19..)
1910 - 1911                Lachlan McLean                    (b. 1875? - d. 19..)
1911 - 1912                James Startin Wills Arthur        (b. 1881 - d. 19..)
1912 - 1913                G.H. Minot Robertson
1913                       H.A. Forner
1913 - 1915                John Lynd McFall                  (b. 1888 - d. 19..)
1915 - 1917                H.A. Forner
1917 - 1918                John Vivian Gottlieb Mills        (b. 1887 - d. 19..)
1918 - 1919                J.D. Murray
1919 - 1920                G. McMicken
1920                       E. Cheers
1920 - 1921                F.E. Harmer
1921 - 1922                N.D. Lindon
1922                       A.H. Dickenson
1922 - 1923                George Christopher Dodd           (b. 1890 - d. 19..)
1923 - 1924                William Edward Rigby              (b. 1897 - d. 1972)
1924                       Stanley Musgrave Middlebrook      (b. 1898 - d. 1944?)
1924 - 1925                Stuart Edgar King                 (b. 1898 - d. 19..)
1925 - 1926                William Herbert Gatfield          (b. 1895 - d. 19..)
1926                       Victor William Williams Saunders  (b. 1896 - d. 1965)
                             Purcell
1926 - 1927                William Donald Horne              (b. 1894 - d. 19..)
1927                       Alistair William Hay              (b. 1899 - d. 1944)
1927 - 1928                Christopher Patrick Smith         (b. 1894 - d. 19..)
1928                       T.F. McNiece
1928 - 1929                Frank Leslie Williams             (b. 1899 - d. 1943)
1929 - 1930                Trevor Davis Hughes               (b. 1901 - d. 1945)
1930                       John Francis Fitzgerald Gregg     (b. 1903 - d. 19..)
1930 - 1931                Robert Porter Bingham             (b. 1903 - d. 1982)
1931                       Bernard Stratton Davis            (b. 1904 - d. 19..)
1931 - Jun 1932            John Percival Biddulph            (b. 1904 - d. 19..)
1932 - 1934                ....
1934 - 1935                Edward Cecil Stapleton Adkins     (b. 1903 - d. 19..)
1935 - 1936                Robert William Ingram Band        (b. 1907 - d. 19..)
                             (1st time)
1936 - 1937                Noel Lancaster Alexander          (b. 1907 - d. 19..)
1937 - 1938                George William Webb               (b. 1904 - d. 1974)
1938 - 1939                R.N. Broome                       (b. 1909 - d. 19..)
1939 - 1940                Geoffrey Williams Davis           (b. 1906 - d. 1971)
1940 - 1941                Robert William Ingram Band        (s.a.)
                             (2nd time)
1941 - 31 Mar 1942         Tom Pearson Cromwell              (b. 1909 - d. 1976)
British Commander
Mar 1942 - 11 Mar 1942     Leonard W.T. Williams             (d. 1942)
Japanese Commanders
31 Mar 1942 - 24 Oct 1944  Shoji Nishimura                   (b. 1889 - d. 1944)
24 Oct 1944 - Oct 1945     .... 
District Officers
Oct 1945 - 1946            Bryan Humfrey Craig Rodgers
                            (British commander, HMS Rother)
1946 - 1948                A.W. James
1948                       J. Balshaw
1949 - 1950                G. de Banzie
1949 - 1950                J.M. Devereaux-Colebourne
1951 - 1952                Albert Eric Goodwin                (b. 1914 - d. 1986)
1952 - 1953                James Gowing Godwin                (b. 1923 - d. 1995)
1953 - 1955                C. McLaren-Reid (1st time)
1955                       R.W. Home-Davies
1955 - 1958                C. McLaren-Reid (2nd time)
1958 - 30 Sep 1958         F.L. Harding
Official Representatives
 1 Oct 1958 - 31 Sep 1960  D.E. Nickels
 1 Oct 1960 - 12 Jun 1966  John William Stokes                (b. 1910)
13 Jun 1966 - 30 Apr 1968  Charles Ivens Buffett              (b. 1914 - d. 1995)
Administrators (from 1995, also Administrators of Australian Indian Ocean Territories)
 1 May 1968 - 30 Apr 1970  Leslie Dudley King                 (b. 1909)
 1 May 1970 - 14 Mar 1973  John Sampson White                 (b. 1916)
15 Mar 1973 - 14 Mar 1974  F.S. Evatt
15 Mar 1974 -  8 Oct 1975  Charles Henry Webb                 (b. 1908)
 1 Nov 1975 - 31 Oct 1977  William Worth                      (b. 1912)
 1 Nov 1977 -  4 May 1980  F.C. Boyle
19 May 1980 - 25 May 1982  Rendle McNeilage Holten            (b. 1922 - d. 1996)
26 May 1982 -  9 Aug 1983  William Yates                      (b. 1921 - d. 2010)
10 Aug 1983 - 15 Apr 1986  Thomas "Tom" Ferguson Paterson     (b. 1923)
15 Apr 1986 -  3 Aug 1986  C. Stephens (acting)
 4 Aug 1986 - 24 Feb 1990  Alexander Donald Taylor            (b. 1928)
25 Feb 1990 -  2 May 1991  W.A. McKenzie
 2 May 1990 -  4 Jul 1991  A. Mitchell (acting)
 5 Jul 1991 -  9 Mar 1992  P. Gifford (acting)
10 Mar 1992 -  9 Mar 1994  Michael John Grimes
10 Mar 1994 - 30 Jun 1994  Peter Woods (acting)
 1 Jul 1994 - 30 Jun 1996  Danny Ambrose Gillespie
 1 Jul 1996 - 24 Apr 1997  Merrilyn Ann Chilvers (f)(acting) 
25 Apr 1997 - 30 Sep 1997  Graham Nicholls (1st time)(acting)
 1 Oct 1997 - 30 Oct 1998  Ron G. Harvey                      (b. 1934)
 1 Nov 1998 -  3 Feb 1999  Graham Nicholls (2nd time)(acting)
 4 Feb 1999 - 30 Jul 2003  William "Bill" Leonard Taylor      (b. 1938)
30 Jul 2003 -  1 Nov 2003  Ray Stone (acting)
 1 Nov 2003 - 31 Oct 2005  Evan John Williams                 (b. 1949)
30 Jan 2006 - 2008         Neil Lucas                         (b. 1945)
2008 -  5 Oct 2009         Stephen Clay (acting) 
 5 Oct 2009 -              Brian James Lacy                   (b. 1943)

Chairmen of the Christmas Island Assembly
 6 Oct 1985 - 1988         Gordon Bennett (1st time)
1989 - 1990                Alexander Donald Taylor            (s.a.)
1990 - 1991                Gordon Bennett (1st time)
1991 - 1992                P. Goh
Presidents of the Christmas Island Shire Council
(from 2004, Presidents of Shire of Christmas Island)
 1 Jul 1992 - 1995         Lillian Oh (f)
1995 - 1997                Jeffery Tan (acting)
1998 - 1999                Andrew Smolders (1st time)
1999 - 2001                Dave McLane
2001 - 2003                Andrew Smolders (2nd time)
2003 -                     Gordon Thomson

Christmas Island Phosphate Commissioners
- Australia -
1952 - 1962                J.R. Halligan
1962 - 1970                Sir William Dunk                   (b. 1897 - d. 1984)
1970 - 1976                Sir Allen Stanley Brown            (b. 1911 - d. 1990)
1976 - 1984                M.C. Timbs
- New Zealand -
1951 - 1958                C.M. Richwhite
1958 - 1971                R.B. Tennent
1971 - 1973                R.H. Bevin
1973 - 1975                S.C. Gainey
1975                       A.T. Johns (acting)
1975 - 1984                W.D.M. Bremmer
- United Kingdom -
1952 - 1954                A. Harold Gaze                     (b. 18.. - d. 1954)
1954 - 1975                J.A. Bissett
1975 - 1984                W.B. Marston
- Managers on Christmas Island -
1949                       J.R. Paris
1949 - 1951                L.E. Cameron
1951 - 1960                N.L. Nevile
1960 - 1966                N.H. Cooke
1966 - 1969                K. Lourey
1969 - 1971                R.F. Cox
1971 - 1974                A.P. Kershaw
1974 - 1977                N.D. Duke
1977 - 1979                D.A. Rob
1979 - 1981                R. Elliott

No Political Parties Exist; Administered by Australian Department of Transportation and Regional Services (from 29 Nov 2007, by the Attorney-General's Department).