Two First Fleet Monuments

"Bonds of Friendship" Sculptures

Sydney, Australia (at left)
Portsmouth, U.K. (at right)

On a visit to Portsmouth in the United Kingdom in 2004, I came across a "Bonds of Friendship" sculpture at the gates of Sally Port in Portsmouth Harbour. This commemorated the departure of the First Fleet, from Portsmouth, bound for Sydney Cove on 13 May 1787.

I had seen a twin monument outside the Customs House at Circular Quay in Sydney prior to my UK visit but could not subsequently locate it. The question was where it it now?

On a visit to the City last week, I came upon Sydney "Bonds of Friendship" sculpture in the Jessie Gardens in Reiby Place off Loftus Street. [Apparently the sculpture was removed from Circular Quay in 1997 prior to the upgrading of Alfred Street, and after much deliberations was replaced in this location circa 2008].

The plinth of the Portsmouth monument was unveiled on 13 May 1976 by Sir Davis Hughes, the Agent General for New South Wales. The granite block was quarried in New South Wales and donated by the Citizens of Sydney.

In Sydney, the plinth of the monument was donated by the Fellowship pf First Fleeters. The granite block was quarried in Dartmoor, England and was donated to the City of Sydney by the City of Portsmouth as a return gift. It was set in place at Circular Quay by the Lord Mayor of Sydney on 2 July 1980.

The actual sculpture, "Bonds of Friendship" (1979) was the work of the sculptor, John Robinson. It is a chain with only two links, locked tightly together, representing the gift of trust between friends.

It was thus adopted by the Britain Australia Society as an addition to the original monuments to celebrate the journey of the First Fleet from Portsmouth to Sydney. The rings of the Portsmouth sculpture were made dull in appearance, while the ones in Sydney were shiny, signifying a new beginning.

The Portsmouth Sculpture was unveiled by the Queen on 11 July 1980. The Sydney Sculpture was dedicated by the Governor-General, Sir Zelman Cowan on 17 September 1980 and was donated by the Bank of New South Wales (now Westpac).

If you researching a convict ancestor who came to Australia go to our website at:

http://www.historyservices.com.au/

Convict Constables

Yesterday we visited the Justice and Police Museum at Circular Quay in Sydney.

Two items of interest were a "Convict Constable's Rattle" (above left) and a "Convict Constable's Lamp" (above right) from the early 1800's.

What then was a "Convict Constable"?

Although the Colony of New South Wales was established as a penal settlement under military guard, little was planning was made for its civil policing. A Provost Marshal was appointed and the Governor was empowered to create constables.

In 1789, due to the lack of any available free men, Governor Phillip appointed twelve of the best behaved convicts to serve on the Night Watch which was the colony's first civilian police unit.

History Services NSW has 1190 records of convicts who subsequently became constables at some time in the Colony of New South Wales. One of the more celebrated being William (Billy) Blue, ferryman, of Blues Point.

"Billy Blue" arrived in Sydney on 14 December 1801 in the convict ship Minorca. Our records show that on 17 August 1811 he was appointed a water bailiff - "Watchman of the Heaving Down Place in Sydney Cove".

In 1814, he is recorded as being a "Constable of Sydney, on government stores".

On 17 November 1818, he was "dismissed as constable and Watchman of the Heaving Down Place in Sydney for improper conduct" on suspicion of smuggling.

"Billy Blue" continued to run his ferry services on Port Jackson and wasone of the colourful characters in the early days of the Colony.

If you are researching a convict ancestor, you should go to our website at:http://www.historyservices.com.au/convicts.htm

Convicts in Singapore

The Asian Civilizations Museum building in Singapore is strategically located on the waterfront near the mouth of the Singapore River. In its previous life as the Empress Palace Building, it was the home of the Government Offices from the colonial days.

We visited the Museum on a recent trip to Singapore and discovered that it was one of the last buildings in Singapore to be constructed using convict labour in the 1860's.

On researching this, we discovered that the British government transported Indian convicts to Singapore from 1826 to 1867. They were and employed in public works and contributed much towards the early development of Singapore - building roads and bridges and many old colonial buildings some of which are still standing such as the Asian Civilizations Museum building, the Istana and the St Andrew's Cathedral. They were stone cutters for the Horsburgh and Raffles Lighthouses and labourers for construction work in early Singapore's defence works.

So another piece of the jigsaw of the history of British penal system has fallen into place.

If you are interested in researching convicts who were transported to Australia, you can go to the

website:http://www.historyservices.com.au/convicts.htm

Initials in History

It is a time honoured thing that you carve your initials on a rock if you visit a new place, leaving your mark to say "I was here".

When we visited Garden Island in Sydney recently, we found some such initials on a sandstone outcrop that are thought to have been carved in 1788 by some First Fleet colonists from HMS Sirius.

Crew members from the Sirius first planted a vegetable garden in January 1788 on the small island in Sydney Harbour which was thus named Garden Island.

The initials read "F M ", "I R" and "W B" and are all dated 1788. Much research has been done to ascertain to whom the initials belonged.

It is thought that "F M" was Frederick Meredith an able seaman on the Sirius. He was one of three persons on the First Fleet to have the initials "F M" and was the only one on the Sirius .

The Initials "W B" account for 26 known persons on the First Fleet. Four of these - First Lieutenant William Bradley; William Beard, able seaman; Walter Brodie, Master blacksmith; and William Bryant , master's mate) were crew of the Sirius.

The "I R" initials are a bit more of a problem. The only person on the First Fleet with these initials was a convict woman , Isabella Rosson, who was transported for seven years for stealing two shillings worth of clothing. It is not likely that she would have been on Garden Island. [History Services NSW records that Rosson had arrived on the Lady Penrhyn and had delivered a baby girl on the ship].

It is likely that the letter "I" should be read as a "J". This would open up more possibilities. There were two crewman on the Sirius - John Rowley, able seaman; and James Russell, armour's mate/able seaman.

We found this a really exciting piece of history as it establishes a first tangible link to real people of the First Fleet.

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If you are in interested in early Australian History or are researching a convict ancestor go to our website at:

http://www.historyservices.com.au/

Parramatta Female Factory Precinct

Exterior and Interior of of Building 105

Yesterday I attended a meeting of the Female Factory Precinct Action Group.

This is a community group that aims to have the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct returned to the people of Australia.

It was formed in response to the December 2010 proposal by the South West Area Health Service to seek approval for alterations to Building 105 in the Cumberland Hospital complex to install IT equipment, condensers and cooling fans.

This building is the 1823 convict Female Factory 3rd class penitentiary sleeping quarters and is part of the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct.

The aim of the Action Group is to gather at least 5000 petition entries so that there is a least one for each woman who went through the Parramatta Female Factory.

If you would like to sign the petition go to:

http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/savethefemalefactory

If you are in interested in early Australian History or are researching a convict ancestor go to our website at:

http://www.historyservices.com.au/

Como Pleasure Grounds

On Saturday we had occasion to visit the Como Pleasure Grounds with an old photo in hand.

Como is a suburb in southern Sydney located some 27 kilometres south of the central business district in the Sutherland Shire.

It was named by one James Murphy in1888 because the scenery reminded him of Lake Como In Italy.

The Como Pleasure Grounds were established in 1895 to celebrate the rail line reaching southern Sydney. They provided entertainment to visitors who came in their droves by steam train.

The old photos is dated to the 1920's and shows my grandparents who obviously enjoyed a day's outing at Como.

I endeavored to match up the original site for the photograph as it now exists almost a century later. The Pleasure Grounds are still a perfect place for a picnic celebration or birthday party overlooking the beautiful Georges River.

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If you are in interested in early Australian History or are researching a convict ancestor go to our website at:

http://www.historyservices.com.au/

Depression Era Housing on Sydney Harbour.

Today we went on a very pleasant bush walk in the Balls Head Reserve at Waverton. This sandstone headland in Sydney Harbour has panoramic views across to the Sydney CBD and Barangaroo; Goat island, Mort Bay, Birchgrove and Balmain; and on the eastern side to North Sydney and McMahons Point.

There are several walking tracks, including the Middens Walk, and it is easy to forget that this very peaceful place is just some 1.5 kilometres from the heart of the City.

One point of interest is the various caves such as Tom's Cabin that we came across. During the Depression years, people came to live in the caves and shelters on the headland. To provide income, they cut timber to sell for firewood and clothes props. By 1931, most of the trees across the top of Balls Head were gone.

Toms Cabin (above left)

After the Depression, a Beautification Scheme was organised and due to the cooperative efforts of residents, naturalists and forest league groups in conjunction with North Sydney Council, some 2350 trees had been planted in 17 annual tree planing days up to 1948.

Bush regeneration began again in 1979 and Balls Head is now managed as a bushland reserve. It is an important refuge and habitat for wildlife including possums, bats, gheckos, blue-tongued lizards and many species of birds.

I couldn't resist a little history:

• Balls Head is originally home of the Cammeraygal people;
• It is named after Lieutenant Lidgbird Ball who was the Commander of HMS Supply of the First Fleet.
• In 1825, Edward Wollstonecraft received a land grant of 212 hectares from Crows Nest down to the Harbour and including Berry Island and Balls Head.

Edward Wollstonecraft and his brother-in-law and business partner, Alexander Berry were significant landowners in the early days of New South Wales.

History Services NSW has some 447 records of convicts assigned to Wollstonecraft and Berry.

If you are researching a convict ancestor , you should go to our website at:http://www.historyservices.com.au/convicts.htm