If you visit Australia’s external territory of Norfolk Island in July, you may be surprised to find the flag of the Isle of Man proudly flying outside its Centre for Democracy.

This picturesque island in the Pacific Ocean has been recognising the Isle of Man’s national day, Tynwald Day, on July 5th every year since 2011. The two islands share historical ties dating back to the mutiny on the Bounty.

The mutiny on the Bounty occurred in 1789 on the British Royal Navy vessel HMS Bounty, commanded by Lieutenant William Bligh. The ship was on a mission to transport breadfruit plants from Tahiti to the Caribbean. Led by Fletcher Christian, a group of mutineers seized control of the ship and set Bligh and 18 loyalists adrift in a small boat, after which the mutineers sailed back to Tahiti.

Fletcher Christian and a small group of mutineers, along with Tahitian men and women, then sailed to Pitcairn Island, chosen for its remoteness and inaccurate maps that would make it difficult for the British Navy to find them. The mutineers burned the Bounty to avoid detection, and their descendants still live on Pitcairn Island today.

In 1856, due to overpopulation on Pitcairn Island, the British government relocated residents to Norfolk Island, which had previously been used as a penal colony. Today, many of Norfolk Island’s inhabitants are direct descendants of the Bounty mutineers.

The Isle of Man connection comes from Fletcher Christian’s heritage. Fletcher Christian was born in Cumberland, England, but his family had Manx roots. His mother, Ann Dixon, was from the Isle of Man. Additionally, in 1781, William Bligh married Elizabeth “Betsy” Betham, whose family lived on the Isle of Man.

On July 5, 2011, a Cultural Agreement acknowledging the common ties of family and culture between the Isle of Man and Norfolk Island was signed on Tynwald Day by the then President of Tynwald and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Norfolk Island. A framed copy of the cultural agreement continues to be proudly displayed on Norfolk Island in the Centre for Democracy.

Every June 8th, Norfolk Island celebrates Bounty Day in memory of the arrival in 1856 of the Pitcairn Islanders. Central to the celebrations is the re-enactment of the landing of the 194 men, women, and children at the capital’s Kingston Pier. In 2013, links between the Isle of Man and Norfolk Island were strengthened when the then President of Tynwald, the Hon Clare Christian, was a guest of the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly for the Bounty Day celebrations.

In her speech, Hon Clare Christian referred to the “truly rich tapestries” of the two islands’ histories which were “interwoven through the fortunes of the Bounty mutineers.” She continued: “Our islands share not only those slender but powerful strands of DNA which bind us together but also those characteristics of community pride and resilience which come from being islanders.”

Every year on Tynwald Day, Norfolk Island’s Council of Elders sends a message to the President of Tynwald to recognise the ties between the two small islands. 

The message in 2023 stated: “The Isle of Man flag has been flying outside the Norfolk Island Centre for Democracy as a testament to the strong bonds forged between our two islands through our shared history. Warmest best wishes have been conveyed on behalf of the Council of Elders of Norfolk Island and the Norfolk Island People to the people of the Isle of Man as they commemorate their National Day this month.”

Pictures: Bounty Day on Norfolk Island, where the islanders give thanks for the arrival of the descendants of the HMS Bounty to their island, top. The Manx flag flying outside the Centre for Democracy on Norfolk Island, and, the Norfolk Island flag hanging outside the Legislative Buidlings in Douglas, Isle of Man. Pictures: Supplied/Norfolk Island Tourism, Tynwald.org.im and Facebook/BallasallaVillage