Come unto these yellow sands,
And then take hands:
Courtsied when you have, and kiss’d
The wild waves whist.
The Tempest. Act i. Sc. 2
Bougainville Island in the South Pacific has an extensive history with Australia due to intensive mining operations conducted by PNG and Rio Tinto. The mining caused major ecological damage to the island, and there are ongoing problems with cyanide.
During an uprising by the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA), power
pylons which carried electricity from the coast to the interior (where
the mining project was) were blown up with explosives. The mention of
the power pylons reminded me of the cable that Hurley followed to find
Danielle and of the explosion he and Charlie heard.
I did a web search on the town of Kalgoorlie where Sam and Lenny were
stationed. It turned up numerous references to mining operations.
The island also has a WWII history as it was invaded by the Japanese in
1942.
Finally, the island was host to Marist missionaries (Society of Mary).
A possible connection to the Mary statues in the last episode?
I am not sure how the island would tie in with the other aspects of the
show, though.
I did not see any other references to this island on the message board,
but I am a new poster, so if I am duplicating something, I apologize.
bookworm831