Anniversary (Bounty) Day in Norfolk Island

A holiday set by Norfolk Island law

The Norfolk Island Continued Laws Ordinance 2015 lists Bounty Day as a public holiday on 8 June. If 8 June falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the holiday is observed the following Monday; this is the rule for the holiday, rather than a separate substitute day.[3]

The Fair Work Ombudsman says employees have a right to be absent from work on a public holiday. Whether a particular person is entitled to that public holiday depends on where their job is based and the relevant workplace rules.[4]

The arrival remembered on 8 June

The date recalls the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders on Norfolk Island on 8 June 1856. They were descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives, and made the island their new home. Kingston and Arthur’s Vale Historic Area identifies the arrival as the event Anniversary (Bounty) Day commemorates.[1][2]

Norfolk Island’s earlier British penal settlement is part of the setting for this history: Parks Australia records that the settlement was being wound down by 1855, before the Pitcairn Islanders arrived the following year.[2]

Ceremonies and a shared picnic

The commemorations take place in Kingston, in the island’s World Heritage area. The programme described by Norfolk Island’s heritage authority includes a re-enactment of the landing at Kingston Pier, a picnic featuring traditional food and other activities.[1]

Norfolk Island Tourism describes a parade, wreath laying, hymn singing and a community picnic. Visitors are welcome to observe.[5]

Planning around the public holiday

Anniversary (Bounty) Day is a public holiday. Visitors should check holiday hours directly with individual banks, shops and transport operators.[1][3]