Boomerang Bags

In 2014 Gabrielle Beaumont (Margaret Kiernan’s daughter) noticed the use of Boomerang Bags in Burleigh Heads where she shopped and then connected with EcoNorfolk Foundation Inc Limited for support. EcoNorfolk was an environmental organisation on Norfolk Island and they facilitated a meeting of people interested in the making the Boomerang Bags – a ‘Borrow and Bring Back’ bag. A grant was provided by the Norfolk Island Regional Council to support this sustainable commitment. 

In July 2015, two young people Tania and Jordyn, who created the first Boomerang Bag, arrived on Norfolk Island to advise the making of “Boomerang Bag - Norfolk Island”. This was founded from their passion to stop the spread of single use plastic bags and bring about a sustainable alternative. Awareness over the years has confirmed how dangerous plastics are in the oceans of the world and the millions of discarded plastic bags that are also thrown into land fill.

From July through to October 2015, an enthusiastic community group of 8-10 volunteers gathered supplies, purchased the logo stamps, sourced the use of sewing machines and found a location in which to meet and start sewing!

This community group started making the Boomerang Bags on 24 October 2015 with many meeting venues since that time. First there was the transit lounge at Aloha, Rob Ryan’s space in the Village for five years, Suzy Hale’s place, then Boc and Carol’s place in Mitchell’s Lane for four years until the last relocation in September 2024. This was to under the premises of Care Norfolk Inc offices at 106 Taylors Road.

Boomerang Bags is a not-for-profit organisation, under the umbrella of Care Norfolk Inc.

A driving philosophy of Boomerang Bags Norfolk Island is:

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.”

Attributed to Gandhi and Dr. Seuss

From 2015 to the end of 2024, “Boomerang Bags” – Borrow & Bring Back - had made:

- In the vicinity of 30,000 shopping bags 

- Book bags for the young children starting at Norfolk Island Central School (NICS)

- Specially shaped pillow slips made for the elderly on ‘dar randa’ at the Residential Aged Care facility, and 

- Vegetable bags made from light weight curtain material.

Specially designed bags: 

- Pharmacy bags are made weekly to protect the privacy of purchases

- Are sold at the airport

- 200 bags were made for the Health and Wellbeing Expo in 2021

- A younger style shoulder bag was made in 2023 to give to the year 12 students as a thank you for the money raised during their Muck Up Day

- Smaller bags that are used by Care Norfolk for their Wetls (Meals) on Wheels purchased food servings.

Norfolk Island Boomerang Bags are distributed to the following outlets:

- Foodland Supermarket

- P & R Groceries

- Liquor bond store

- Prinke eco store

- Burnt Pine Pharmacy

- Vegetable bags made from light weight curtains are sold at Foodland.

Boomerang Bags is about connecting communities, making bags, diverting waste, starting conversations, fostering sustainable behaviour, and having fun. The international website of Boomerang Bags – Sew Sustainable highlights the camaraderie as well as the diversion to landfill as of 2022 amounted to 182,000 kilograms worldwide.

Norfolk Island is one of over 1145 communities around the world making the environmentally friendly boomerang bag. On average, the Norfolk Island Boomerang Bags team makes between 40 – 50 bags each afternoon, amounting to between 320-400 bags per month.

Boomerang Bags meet every Wednesday and Saturday from 12.30 to 3.00pm and if you would like to help, call in any Saturday afternoon between 12.30 and 3 pm, we would love to see you at 2pm - ‘cuppa time’.

Materials used to make the environmentally friendly shopping bags are repurposed from sheets, doona covers, drapes, pillow slips and curtains, all of which are donated by the Norfolk Island community.

A big ‘Thank You’ goes to the Norfolk Island Community for their support in the cycle of reduce-re-use-recycle and re-purpose and making this type of environmentally friendly bag. 

Early in 2024 two young people, both students at the Norfolk Island Central School, took on the week-day distribution of the Boomerang Bags around the town. Welcome and thankyou to Jeremiah Bender-Christian and A.J Unkles.

Information provided by Margaret Kiernan, Coordinator (on behalf of the Boomerang Bags Team).

Introducing our latest volunteers, Jeremiah Bender-Christian and A.J Unkles.  These two young people, both students at the Norfolk Island Central School, are in charge of the  distribution of our bags around the town.  Welcome and thank you, Jeremiah and AJ.