015 N2 MA Y-JU
EXPERT GUIDE TO ASYLUM RECORDS
5 MUST-DO HISTORIC WALKS SIR TONY ROBINSON’S TOUR OF DUTY
EXPLORING THE TEA & SUGAR TRAIN
LIFE IN A WORKHOUSE
s r o t s nA ce 9 771838 504008
Printed on responsibly sourced paper
NOV–DEC MAY-JUN 2015 2014 $9.95 NZ$10.95
ISSN 1838-5044
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Mapping your
Discover where – and how – your family lived
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NEW ONLINE RECORD SETS TO HELP YOUR RESEARCH
This exhibition looks at life on the home front through personal stories and explores the pride, sorrow, joy, passion and wonder experienced by those far from the battlefields.
FREE ENTRY NOW SHOWING AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIA, CANBERRA
nma.gov.au Images from top left: Cocky, hospital mascot (Australian War Memorial, RELAWM08024); Tom Walsh and Adela Pankhurst, anti-war activists (Fairfax Syndication); Muriel McPhee, farmhand (National Museum of Australia (NMA)); Hans Overbeck, German internee (National Archives of Australia, D3597/4981); Phillip Schuler, war correspondent (Australian War Memorial, G01651); Florence Faithfull, fundraiser (NMA); Betty Anderson, Red Cross voluntary aid (State Library of Victoria, H83.94/371); Basil Watson, aviator (State Library of Victoria, H39292/1); Sir Colin MacKenzie, surgeon and anatomist (NMA); Prime Minister Billy Hughes (National Library of Australia, vn4831473); Alice Yoxon, nursing orderly (NMA); Alfred Spain, architect and army officer (National Library of Australia, MFM NX 928); Ann Fraser Bon, grazier and philanthropist; Frank Burge, rugby league player (State Library of New South Wales, a51301); Vincent Burns, soldier (NMA); Les Darcy, boxer (National Library of Australia, vn3775045); Daryl Lindsay, artist (State Library of New South Wales, a2005105); Robert Menzies, law student and barrister (The Menzies Foundation); May Gibbs, author (National Library of Australia, vn4583514); Lottie Lyell, actor and filmmaker (National Film and Sound Archive of Australia); Sidney Myer, businessman and philanthropist (Estate of the late Sidney B Myer); Daniel Mannix, Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne (Australian War Memorial, P01383.001)
contents
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Contents
Issue 28, May-Jun 2015 On the cover 16
Ask our experts Inside History’s resident genealogy expert, Shauna Hicks, helps a reader decode asylum records
26 What’s new online? 95 new genealogy resources to help further your family tree 30 From the front line to the homefront We join Sir Tony Robinson on his Tour of Duty around Australia 34 Mapping your ancestors Carole Riley looks at why land title documents are invaluable to your family history research
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44 The Tea and Sugar train Stephen Orr explores this lifeline to settlers of the outback
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54
The world of the workhouse So your ancestor spent time in a workhouse? Kirsty Gray shows what you can glean from the records
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These boots are made for walking Barry Stone’s top five historical walks around Australia
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contents
your family
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40
Law & Order: the Prosecution Project Why a project in Queensland is investigating the history of crime and making Supreme Court records more accessible to family historians
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Portraits of World War II Professional photographers around Australia are photographing our World War II servicemen and women before it’s too late. Find out how you can get involved 60 Serendipity and sunshine The winner of our cover competition reveals why a week on Norfolk Island is a history lover’s dream come true
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Join the Inside History community We take a look at what you’ve been talking about on our Facebook feed lately — including your famous ancestors!
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History apps The latest apps built for historians, from war graves to FamilySearch
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What we’re reading The latest history titles that we’re loving right now One picture… 1,000 memories Our image for this issue features a Launcestonborn bullock driver and his best mate
regulars 6
Editor’s letter
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Postie’s here! Your thoughts, your say
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Bob’s your uncle Network with other researchers and break down those genealogy brick walls
13 Platform Revisit your school days with Public Record Office Victoria’s new exhibition; plus the latest news from the genie and history world 18
History now Great events around Australia and New Zealand that you won’t want to miss
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Special offer 70
Win a book prize pack from the National Library of Australia! Subscribe or renew to Inside History for the opportunity to win one of five book prize packs valued at $89!
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our family
PO Box 406 Erskineville NSW 2043 Australia Editor Cassie Mercer cass@insidehistory.com.au Editorial Assistant and Features Writer Sarah Trevor sarah@insidehistory.com.au Designer Alison Williams Editorial Contributors Margaret Brown Paul De Serville Mark Finnane Kirsty Gray Barbara Hall Shauna Hicks Donna Lu Michelle McLaren Stephen Orr Carole Riley Jayne Shrimpton Barry Stone Advertising & Sponsorship Director Krissy Mander krissy@insidehistory.com.au Intern Madeleine Er Print Subscriptions See page 71 or subscribe online at www.insidehistory.com.au Digital Subscriptions For iPad, find us on Apple Newsstand For Android and PC, find us at zinio.com
COVER IMAGE
Our gorgeous covergirl Ethel Florence Chapman is the winning entry from our cover competition we ran last year. For details, turn to page 60. And to see our runner-up image, turn to page 74.
Inside History (ISSN 1838–5044) is published six times a year by Inside History (ABN 13 353 848 961) PO Box 406 Erskineville NSW 2043 Australia. Views expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Copyright 2015 by Cassie Mercer and Inside History. All rights reserved. Distributed by Gordon and Gotch Australia Printed by Ligare Pty Ltd 138 Bonds Road Riverwood NSW 2210
Inside History | May-Jun 2015 |
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editor’s letter
I do hope you like our covergirl this issue. This beautiful portrait was chosen as the winner of our cover competition that we ran last year. Turn to page 60 to hear from our lucky winner. This issue we’re featuring a special guide to reading and deciphering land title records, to help you map exactly where your family lived. Carole Riley’s tips will have you gleaning more information from these valuable documents; turn to page 34 for details. We were also lucky enough to meet Sir Tony Robinson when he was out here for his new television series, Tour of Duty. Hear his thoughts on the future of genealogy and why he loves filming in Australia on page 30. Two new projects had us intrigued this issue. The first, from Queensland, is looking at the history of crime in Australia, and helping to make Supreme Court records more widely available. See page 40 to read all about it. The second is an initiative by professional photographers around Australia to
photograph every living veteran from World War II. Given this number is
can imagine what a big undertaking it is. If you know a World War II veteran, you can register them to be part of the project. Learn how, and see some of the portraits already commissioned, on page 50. Was your ancestor one of the many who spent time in a workhouse? These refuges for the poor were certainly grim, and genealogist Kirsty Gray looks into life under their roof. Find out more on page 54. The cooler weather means it’s a perfect time to indulge in a walking tour. Barry Stone reveals some of his favourite Australian walks , from the bush to the goldfields, and city streets. See which ones he recommends on page 62. Oh, and for the record, what’s my ancestor’s claim to fame? My 3 x great uncle is Harry Readford, immortalised as Captain Starlight in Robbery Under Arms. In the late 1800s he was Australia’s most revered bushman and drover — and our most famous and successful cattle duffer! Happy researching,
estimated to be between 7,000 and 14,000, you
Congratulations
to our competition winners from issue 26! In issue 26 we were giving away 10 copies of A Forger’s Progress: The Life of Francis Greenway by Alasdair McGregor (NewSouth Books, $49.99). We’ve published the names of the lucky winners on our website. Check insidehistory.com.au/category/special-offers to see if your name is there!
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Image Courtesy State Library of Victoria, ID H12394.
On our Facebook page recently, we asked you to tell us your ancestor’s claim to fame. Your comments kept us fascinated and entertained as we learnt about your famous — and infamous — ancestors. Read more on page 66.
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contributors
This issue we ask our
CONTRIBUTORS Which recent historical or genealogical discovery has most excited you and why?
Carole Riley “Mapping your ancestors”, page 34 The new developments in DNA research are very exciting, giving all family historians another avenue to explore when the paper trail runs cold. I’m very keen to use DNA testing for my own family research; it’s not just for kings buried under carparks!
Mark Finnane “Law and order: The Prosecution Project”, page 40 A colleague sent me a link to the 19th-century Irish Petty Sessions Registers, indexed on findmypast. This vast reservoir of information about the lives of ordinary people confirmed for me the value of the kind of work we are doing for the Prosecution Project in retrieving the archives of our criminal past and increasing access to them.
Stephen Orr “The Tea and Sugar Train”, page 44 As a writer I was interested to hear that a recent discovery in Java, Indonesia, of a zigzag pattern drawn onto the side of a shell, was up to 540,000 years old (drawn by some Homo erectus ancestor). Just goes to show that hominids have always been creative.
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your family
Inside History | May-June 2015 |
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inbox
POSTIE’S HERE! Share your thoughts with the Inside History team. I was interested to read in issue 24 the New South Wales BDM Registry’s advertisement that their Family History Search records are now being updated daily. I have a question about the waiting time for such documents. Recently I received a historical certificate by post from Queensland BDM three days after ordering it. Yet my order from New South Wales’ BDM has taken more than six weeks to receive. Perhaps Inside History may be able to discover why the time difference, as I am sure many readers would be interested. — Chris Waller, Perth, WA (Ed: Good question, Chris! We asked our resident genealogy expert Shauna Hicks and this is what she had to say: Some states have systems that have been in place for ages and therefore their procedures are refined and speedy whereas New South Wales, for example, has recently changed its system and is still having some settling in issues. In addition, there is the question of supply and demand; some states receive more requests than others and this, with staffing resources, can also impact on response times. A simple bout of flu in the office may lead to a backlog of requests, which disappears once people come back to work.
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I personally like those BDM registries where you can search, order and download as you go with no waiting time. What we should remember is that what we have now is far better than what we had just a decade or so ago.)
FRESH LEADS TO PURSUE
Please pass on to Shauna and the team my thanks for answering my query (“Ask our Experts”, issue 27). No breakthroughs as yet but lots of leads to follow up. Thank you also for the wonderful magazine. — Elaine Alexander, Cowes, VIC
A DELIGHT FOR THE MAILBOX
I just love how I order my magazine and within five days it arrives in my mailbox. Thank you. — Corrinne Ryan, via Facebook
A BOON FOR BUILT HISTORY
I would like to suggest that Building magazine (1907–68) would be an excellent resource to add to Trove. It had articles on new buildings, architects and many other topics that make
it pretty much invaluable for heritage research. And it had national coverage. — Anne-Maree Whitaker, via Facebook
THE TURKISH PERSPECTIVE
I enjoyed reading Professor Mesut Uyar’s piece “Gallipoli: the other side of the hill” in your last issue (27). Gallipoli is so often told from the Australian or Allied perspective, it’s sometimes easy to forget that of the Turkish men who fought and lost lives too. Sefik Aker’s accounts were also interesting to read. As always, Inside History has provided quality stories! — Lisa Brown, Glebe, NSW
LINKS AND LATEST NEWS
This is the perfect magazine for people searching their family history in Australia and New Zealand. However, it does not stop there; the magazine contains a wealth of global information and links to useful websites. It also keeps up with the latest apps for family historians. — Gail, via iSubscribe
Each issue our star letter will receive a recently released history book for writing in! This issue, Elaine Alexander will receive Remarkable Men by David Jensen (Allen & Unwin, $35).
Want to have your say on “Postie’s here”? Write to us at contribute@insidehistory.com.au
Image Courtesy State Library of Victoria, ID H91.315/34.
AWAITING BDM CERTIFICATES
your family
BOB’S YOUR
UNCLE
Are you looking to connect with other descendants or historians? Each issue we’ll feature who and what people are researching.
Images Courtesy Douglas Stewart Fine Books, douglasstewart.com.au, State Library of Victoria, ID H12394.
HOBBS REUNION
Descendants of Robert Hobbs and Bridget Eslin are invited to gather for the 225th wedding anniversary and Hobbs reunion on 31 October 2015 at the Richmond School of Arts in Richmond, New South Wales. Robert was convicted of stealing a bundle of linen and transported per Active in 1791 while Bridget was also convicted of stealing linen and transported from Dublin per Sugar Cane in 1792. Together they raised nine children and were among the early pioneering families who farmed along the Hawkesbury River. They would now have some 66 grandchildren and at least 374 great grandchildren. Robert’s unique, gold legal seals will be on display at Windsor library for two weeks before and after the reunion. You can also visit other places of interest in the Hawkesbury area: St Matthew’s Church in Windsor where Robert and Bridget married; St James Church of England in Pitt Town from where you can look over the lagoon towards Robert’s land; their graves in the Pitt Town Church of England Cemetery. There is a full kitchen to provide light morning and afternoon teas and lunches. When accepting let me know if you would like to attend a dinner
on the Saturday night so we can plan further. Should you need help with finding accommodation, please email me. The doors will open at 10am until 3pm. There is a $5 entry fee to cover the cost of the room hire (children free). Entry will be via the car park entrance with a ramp for those with mobility problems or wheelchairs — the train station is within easy walking distance. Some of the associated families are Rose, Morris, Douglass, McKenzie, Wright, Smallwood, Jones, Myers, Stubbs, Walker, Greentree, Cross, Turner, Sullivan and Wilbow. Join us in this celebration and please assist by spreading word of the reunion. — Robyn McNamara, robbiemac53@bigpond.com
SEEKING CATHERINE WEATHERSTONE
Catherine Weatherstone was my 3 x grandmother. She first appears in the records through her marriage with John
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Weatherstone on 6 July 1837 in Molonglo, New South Wales. We cannot find her entry to Australia or where she was born. Her death certificate says she was born in Devon England and folklore has it that she was born in Ireland — both notoriously unreliable sources! They lived around the Goulburn area: John died in Parkesbourne in 1883 and Catherine in Goulburn in 1891. Any information would be happily received. — Elizabeth Ainsworth, eainsworth@fastmail.fm
GOULBURN COACH HOUSE
Photographs and family memories are sought of the stables, coach house and hay loft built c.1870s for Joseph Bull called St Clair, on 318 Sloane Street in Goulburn, New South Wales. Subsequent owners of the property were Edward Ball, Bridget Bruton, and Horace Pursehouse. — Linda Cooper, lindacooper2580@yahoo.com
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Lots of researchers have been linking up and knocking down their research brick walls via “Bob’s your uncle”. To place an ad, email: contribute@insidehistory.com.au. Adverts are free!
Inside History | May-Jun 2015 |
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CUP OF TEA with Kate Luciano, curator, Public Record Office Victoria
Curating a new exhibition about Victoria’s schooling history brought new discoveries and old memories, Kate Luciano tells Madeleine Er. What first drew you to the education system in Victoria during the 1800s? Victoria has a rich history when it comes to education. The 1872 Education Act heralded an unprecedented era of expansion in Victoria’s education system, unmatched since. We were the first state in the world to adopt free and secular education so there’s a lot of great, rich history there to explore. What was really interesting was seeing all the records related to the rural schools of Victoria. I myself went to a rural school in the western districts and it was fascinating to see the architecture plans of similar schools and be able to say, “My school looked like that, too!” The exhibition also features a huge collection of photos of school activities — it was really nostalgic to see all the games, classes and activities I experienced in primary school. They’ll certainly bring back a lot of memories for visitors. What are your favourite items from the exhibition? The needlework sample book by student Marie George, of State School 1075 in Kew, is one of my favourite items. Created more than 100 years ago, the book features a small dress Marie
made in needlework class which is absolutely exquisite and reflects the importance placed on sewing as part of a girl’s education. We also have a school strap on display for School Days, and as someone who never experienced the strap as part of my schooling, I found it really interesting to learn that it was an acceptable disciplinary tool up until 1983! In Victorian schools it was a badge of honour among young tearaways to get “six of the best”. What was your favourite personal story you discovered from the collection? The story of Private William James Gunn Murray is featured in the School Days exhibition alongside many other moving stories of Victorian schools during World War I. Almost as soon as war was declared, teachers began to enlist. A total of 753 Victorian teachers and Education Department staff enlisted in the armed services. Of these, 146 died serving their country. Private William Murray was a junior teacher at Horsham. Serving first in the 6th and then
the 58th Battalion, he was twice mentioned in dispatches for bravery as a runner, delivering messages from the front line to headquarters. It was on one of these missions, on 26 March 1917 at Lagnicourt in France, that Private Murray was killed. His name appears on the VillersBretonneux Memorial with those of 11,000 other Australian soldiers whose remains were not found. Was it difficult deciding which items or photographs got to go in the exhibition? Putting School Days together was a very tough process of selection. Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) received a transfer of all Victorian Education Department archives so there was an endless supply of materials to sort through for this exhibition. Once we found the themes that best told the story of the history of Victorian schooling, it was a matter of finding the records that fit into those themes. The rewarding part was finding so many great stories and being able to offer Victorians a trip down memory lane.
School Days: Education in Victoria is on show at the Old Treasury Building in Melbourne until 20 September
Inside History | May-Jun 2015 |
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your family
experts
Ask our
Here, our resident experts answer your queries. This issue, genealogist Shauna Hicks and dress historian Jayne Shrimpton look at two readers’ brick walls.
An asylum mystery I’d like to know of any opinions or possible scenarios indicated in the mental institution record from Rydalmere Asylum, New South Wales, of my great grandmother Leah Spiller. The record shows dates of her admissions, discharges, absconding
Q
(there were many) and eventual death, from 1914 to 1949. However, the record provides no information on the illness or treatments. The earliest year indicated, 1914, is nine years after she ‘left’ her husband and two children in 1905 and the only information we have in between is a shipping record of her coming from Western Australia to Sydney after her mother’s death in Western
Parramatta Hospital for the Insane, Rydalmere, c.1900. Courtesy State Records NSW, ID NRS5598..
Australia in 1909. The children were told she tried to kill them (we have information to indicate that this didn’t happen) and that she was dead. Her husband put her death notice in the local paper in 1909. Her children never saw her again after 1905 (they were aged four and eight). I’m hoping someone knows enough about psychiatric history to shed some light on the possible reasons for her admissions and possible treatments from that period. What I have established is it was too late for a diagnosis of ‘hysteria’, as this was out of favour by then, and before the time of induced comas, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or lobotomies. — Caitlin Spiller, Lemon Tree Passage, NSW
Have a query about DNA tests, immigration or a family tree mystery? Our experts can help! Email experts@insidehistory.com.au
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A
It looks like you have a copy of Leah’s ‘Admission card — record of hospitalisation’, which gives a basic outline of admission and discharge dates. It does not give any medical information; this is more likely to be contained in her medical file (series number 5150). Records for Rydalmere asylum are held by State Records New South Wales (records.nsw. gov.au). The agency record for Rydalmere Hospital for the Insane, later Rydalmere Mental Hospital, lists a number of series that might be relevant for Leah (agency number 67, see http://bit.ly/1IfZRNA). Access to these types of records in New South Wales is 110 years so the records you want are currently closed to public access. The process of how to obtain permission to access closed records is outlined
in ‘Archives in Brief 85 — Mental health facilities — patient records’ (http://bit.ly/1CQ8Z6F). There are a number of steps that need to be undertaken including contacting the agency currently responsible for the records to seek permission to view the records. In this case it is the New South Wales Ministry for Health and the contact details are included in the guide. If you are granted permission, you then need to give State Records New South Wales 10 days’ notice before visiting the Western Sydney Records Centre with proof of identity and the written permission. The requirements are all outlined in the guide. Applying to access her files, if successful, will tell you exactly why Leah was institutionalised so many times and this will be more efficient than trying to speculate what the reasons were. Good luck.
SHAUNA’S TIP You may be able to obtain permission to view records that are closed to public access. Follow the procedure outlined by whichever agency is responsible for the records.
✻
Shauna Hicks is the director of Shauna Hicks History Enterprises. Visit shaunahicks.com.au
A reader’s photo-dating request Q. A painting (right) is causing a friendly dispute among our family. We are endeavouring to date when it was likely to have been done. Opinion favours Richard Simmonds (1832–1908), who married my great great grandmother in 1866 in West Bromwich, England, and migrated to Maitland, New South Wales in 1879. He was described as a miner on his death certificate on 17 March 1908. The other candidate, Isaac Blewitt (1819–1884), was born in Staffordshire, England. He held various labouring occupations and was a railway truck loader at the time of his death. I enjoyed Jayne Shrimpton’s recent article “Hair apparent: A hundred years of hairstyles” (issue 25). It was most enlightening and an excellent guide to dating photographs of females. It would be great if Jayne could help solve the mystery of my male portrait. — Christine Ruffle, Annandale, QLD
Ed: Hi Christine, we received your letter just after we sent issue 27 to the printers, but we hope you enjoyed Jayne’s guide to photo-dating images of
men (“Call the valet”)! We asked Jayne to take a look at your ancestor’s portrait. A. This gentleman is formally dressed in what looks to be a black frock coat and velvet waistcoat. There are two key fashion-dating clues here. His beard is the early style of beard, grown continuously from the sideburns beneath the chin: introduced c.mid-1850s, elderly men often retained this beard for the rest of their lives. More helpful is the form of his wide-knotted tie: called the ‘four-in-hand’, this came into vogue in the late 1860s and this was fashionable chiefly during the 1870s. So the 1870s is the most likely date for this portrait.
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your family
Portraits of World War II This year marks 70 years since the end of the Second World War. An ambitious Australian project is honouring the surviving veterans — and they’re hoping you’ll get involved.
A
LMOST ONE million Australian men and women served in World War II. Today, there is believed to be between 7,000 and 14,000 surviving veterans. A new project by members of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) will see these men and women honoured in one of the most ambitious and important photographic projects ever undertaken in the country. ‘Reflections’ aims to provide a professionally produced portrait of all the remaining Australian veterans of World War II to create a significant archive for the nation. It will reflect a sensitive portrayal of their elderly state and provide a cognisant comparison to the wartime images of young active men and women. Veterans who take part in this project will receive a commemorative print in an embossed presentation folder to honour their participation in Reflections. Ultimately, the images will be archived at the Australian War Memorial. Peter Myers, the executive officer of the AIPP, says the idea for this project came from a similar initiative in New Zealand last year. “The New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography ended up photographing about 3,000 veterans,” he explains. “Obviously the scope and logistics of such an operation are much larger here in Australia. We will only be using accredited professional photographers to take the portraits, to ensure all the portraits
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are taken to a consistent standard. Fortunately, the AIPP has almost 2,000 members throughout Australia, so we certainly have enough photographers!” “Our biggest challenge is raising awareness of the project and getting the families and friends of veterans to register their details. There is no central database of our surviving veterans, so we are having to rely on word of mouth and social networking to get the word out.” The photographers are donating their time and resources to support this project. The RSL has made local branches available to facilitate the shoots, although photographers will also travel to retirement villages, nursing homes and
Below Veteran Watson Dingwall with photographer Vivian Hayles. Courtesy Graham Hynds. Opposite Dennis Williams, a retired major from the Army, is now 97. Courtesy Vivian Hayles.
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even the personal homes of any veteran who cannot get to an RSL branch. “We are currently trying to get one of our photographers to a remote island of Papua New Guinea to photograph one of only three survivors of the Papua New Guinea Light Infantry, so no location is too remote for us!” Peter says. “One of our first group shots took place in the Newcastle region. A great example of the power of this project was when photographer Vivian Hayles met 96-year-old Watson Dingwall. Watson recounted the story of how he was an apprentice fitter at BHP, but enlisted in the RAAF and served as a fitter, mainly in the Pacific region at Goodenough Island in the Solomon Sea. Watson, like many people at that time, married just before he was deployed overseas. He and his wife had three children, and he subsequently became a very keen ballroom dancer. He only gave up dancing when he was 91!” says Peter. Also photographed was Betty Brandt, who had a twinkle in her eyes as she fondly remembered her three years as a transport driver based at Rathmines. She just loved driving; trucks, ambulances,
anything that moved! “My father would have skinned me alive if he’d known what we were up to,” she muses. Vivian says it’s a privilege to be involved in the project. “These wonderful men and women are an important part of our history and the stories they have are fabulous. I like to think I’ve captured a bit of history.” Peter Myers says the bulk of the photo shoots will be between May and August 2015. “Although we do understand that as people continue to register for this project, we’ll need to keep taking photographs for several months,” he says. Peter hopes the final prints they send to the veterans will be cherished for years to come. The AIPP will also provide a facility for the families of veterans to order additional prints, with any profits being donated to Legacy and the RSL. “This is a huge undertaking, and we need everyone to help by raising awareness,” Peter says.
*
Do you know a World War II veteran interested in receiving a portrait? Register their details at aipp.com.au/ reflections or call AIPP on 03 9888 4111
Opposite, clockwise from top left George Mallam, Electrical Artificer with the RAN; Betty Brandt, now 91, was a transport driver at Rathmines, New South Wales; Edgar Davies, a retired corporal with the RAAF; Alwyn Fripp flew Halifax bombers and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. All courtesy Vivian Hayles.
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1 of 5
Image Courtesy State Library of Victoria, ID H9277.
Learn about life on a convict ship through the eyes of First Fleet surgeon, Arthur Bowes Smyth. Aboard the Lady Penrhyn for the voyage from Portsmouth to Australia, Smyth’s account details this tumultuous journey, including some of the horrific conditions and illnesses suffered by more than 100 convict women — and, at times, himself! As a frank observer, Smyth provides a new voice and perspective on life aboard a convict ship and Australia’s fledgling colony. Published by the National Library of Australia, $44.99.
June Slee’s Crime, Punishment and Redemption also offers a first-hand account of convict life — but from the perspective of a convict himself. John Ward was transported to Australia on the Mangles, and imprisoned on Norfolk Island. His diary is the only known source written by a convict during incarceration, and provides a vivid, personal account not just of convict life and imprisonment, but the socio-political context of the time. Slee’s analysis provides some fascinating insights into this aspect of colonial history. Published by the National Library of Australia, $44.99.
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