A Finnish immigrant at the turn of the last century, Matti Halminen became one of the few people to experience the establishment of the Malcolm Island settlement from its earliest stages to its ultimate ideological demise. He was a true believer in the socialist ideals espoused by Matti Kurikka.
In 1936, Matti Halminen published in Finland, more than three decades after the initial founding of the settlement.Halminen believed he was qualified to write the account as “a member and worker of the Kalevan Kansa from the beginning right to the end.” He saw Sointula as “a unique collective social experiment by Finnish workers.”8