I think the article was most likely deleted for being a "sub-stub" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Stub#Basic_information , in that it didn't provide even the most basic information about the subject. In particular, the first line mixes present ("is") and past (a colony disbanded decades ago) making it impossible for the reader to reliably place the subject in time. Context was not misunderstood; it was simply not provided.
John Jackson, 13/09/2016 19:04:
Wikipedia seems to be a gang of ignorant youngster "editors"
FYI this stereotype has already been disproved in 2011. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Editor_Survey_2011/Executive_Summary#PROFILE
Nemo