Australian Pioneers
You have to "take your hat off" to Captain Arthur Phillip, (became Governor later) he was and still is the only man to start out in a new land where no civilization had been before. England through it's sheer stupidity was sending convicts down to here with little in the ways of a learnt trade and poor Arthur had to deal with these stupid and lazy people, otherwise they would have surely starved or dehydrated to death. He wrote back to England, that while it is good you are sending the overflow of the prisons down here you are not improving the situation back home but in fact burdening England further. Eventually convicted trades people which also included free settlers were shipped out to Australia to help bring about this new nation's birth. One of the biggest difficulties of this time was the colony was very dependent on the ships arriving, if one ship sunk it meant starvation would arrive. With no new supplies arriving for the building of the new colony it was therefore in jeopardy, as they were very Dependant on many tools (seeds, tool implements, cattle, etc) being shipped from the Mother Country. At other times drought was very hard to take, conflicts with savages, illness among the colony, and even an earthquake took place, the escape of convicts, none of this deterred Phillip. Phillip had a very hard and dangerous job to do down here, besides the settling of a harsh land he also had to contend with the convicts and soldiers who often found this life very hard going. If it hadn't been for Phillips strong character and determination Australia may never have flourished to what it is today. Late in 1792, just as he saw the colony approaching to a state of self-dependence he suffered ill-health and had no choice but to resign his governor-ship and return to England. He died in 1814 and never returned to see how far this new civilisation Sydney Cove and Parramatta had prospered and grown with a unique favourable character .
Joseph Banks born in 1743 came from a wealthy background and chose his passion for natural history and botany and studied the second to the fullest. Banks after obtaining permission to join Cook's expedition was delighted as for the first time he was to be the first ever to study plants unknown to the northern hemisphere. He was sad to say one of the first to barrack that "downunder" be used as a new "convict dumping ground".
Captain Mathew Flinders (1774) was another Englishmen who mapped much of Australia's coastline. He and George Bass (surgeon) were the first Europeans to realise that Tasmania was an island they sailed right round it. In 1803 Flinders was the first person to sail around Australia in a leaky boat. George Bass also made several excursions inland and mapped out new areas of New South Wales. Flinders was travelling home to England on a ship called "Cumberland" when it had to stop at the now called "Mauritius" to have repairs done to the ship. The French thinking he was a spy kept him in gaol for six and half years and stole all his charts and papers. He arrived home a sick and forgotten man and died the day after his book was published. Bass is said to have died in 1798 in South America after his and Flinders discovery of a number of capes and islands along the north coast, and proved beyond doubt the existence of a strait between the mainland and Tasmania.
Mathew Flinders was the first to call New Holland, Australia as the name "Terra Australis" originally was a project taken on by more than one country so Australia it became. Governor Lachlan Macquarie of New South Wales was the instigator of changing the name of New Holland to Australia even to the extent by using it in official letters back home to England. It wasn't until much later that this finally came to pass. Another interesting tidbit, if Captain Arthur Phillip had found what is now Parramatta a few years before Sydney Cove was established, he would have shifted camp to here. Parramatta then would have been the capital of New South Wales instead of Sydney. *wonders* Where the airport would have been situated then?
Elizabeth MacArthur was born in England in 1766 then when she was 22 she married John MacArthur who then took them to New South Wales. Elizabeth alongside her husband sailed with 500 convicts and this poor "toffee nose" couldn't stand the way the female convicts behaved and hadn't much time for them. The then Governor gave them land at Parramatta and John called this "Elizabeth Farm". Being rich they could afford to import Merino sheep from Spain as the climate here was very similar to Spains being hot and dry. And this was the very start of Australia's exporting of excellent wool to overseas. Elizabeth bred 6 children and not long after her husband was jailed and for many years Elizabeth managed this industry on her own. John spent many years back in England after his jail term was up working the business from that end and often wrote to Elizabeth what a wonderful time he was having. Meanwhile Elizabeth had learnt to run a professional sheep property.
John MacArthur quarrelled with many a governor and most of his neighbours and in 1801 was sent home to England to face a court martial for being involved in a duel. He charmed his way with Colonial Secretary, Lord Camden and returned to Sydney to establish a large sheep station just outside of Camden. In January 1808 he was the leading person in the Rum Rebellion against Governor William Bligh. Bligh believed strongly that the spirits was ruining the colony. When the rebellion was over MacArthur resigned his commission and returned to London he remained there till 1817. He returned to the colony and continued with the farming. He died at Camden in 1834 leaving behind the first commercial wine-making industry, was also a founder investor of the Australian Agriculture Company and the then Bank of Australia. The MacArthurs were once very influential and wealthy in New South Wales but now as the MacArthur-Onslows they are no longer in the public eye. Hence why his wife takes predence here as she was the one that got the wool industry off the ground not John.
10th March 1794 Samuel Marsden "The Flogging Parson" was brought into this world. Many a convict who came into contact with this detestable character in the Colony wishes he had died at birth as they suffered such cruelty and harshness at his hands. Yet across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand he was quite the opposite he is referred to as the "Apostle of New Zealand" in the "New Zealand Prayer Book" and earned their eternal respect and admiration. Mr Marsden was ordained a priest in 1793 became the Assistant Chaplain of New South Wales and settled in Parramatta. Marsden for life hated Roman Catholicism and many of the Irish convicts sent to Australia had been part of the Catholic uprising back in 1798.
William Wentworth, Gregory Blaxland and William Lawson (1813) were given permission by Governor Lachlan Macquarie to find a route across the now called Blue Mountains as land was becoming scarce for more farming and grazing. The party left behind them a place called St Mary's with 4 servants, 5 dogs, and 4 horses laden with provisions and ammunition and set out on this journey that many before them had failed to find a path. These 3 characters found a path and having the insight to mark the trees as they went and on returning (June 6) using these marked trees (knives were used to scar the tree trunks) the convicts were laboured into building a road along this mapped new discovery that soon became a new settlement called Bathurst. This was no easy task as this area was covered in thick scrub, and a lot of steep country to climb. Six months later a chap called George Evans led a team that followed the previous three's track he was the first to reach the Western Slopes and Plains. Bathurst was the first inland city to be built eventually as at this stage it would have been tent city.
William Bligh was born 9th September, 1754 in Plymouth, England. He was a highly qualified nautical astronomer, an excellent navigator and hydrographer just to name a few but his people skills were very lacking. He was selected by Captain James Cook to sail on the Resolution. Then soon after this trip he had command of that ill fated ship the "Bounty". The task set for him was to collect botanical samples from Tahiti. Fletcher Christian led the mutiny on 28th April 1789 where Bligh and 19 others were lowered to a small boat. Due to Bligh's masterful navigation skills he managed to arrive at Timor 4,000 miles away. Bligh then went on to serve under Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen. In 1805 he became Governor of New South Wales, there the poor fellow suffered another mutiny, The Rum Rebellion. A series of charges were brought against him by the New South Wales Corps led by Major George Johnston. He arrested Bligh on the charge of "unfit for office". He was held in custody till 1809 he then returned to England where he was promoted to Rear Admiral (1811) then Vice Admiral in London.
(Colonel Lachlan Macquarie arrived soon after (aprox.1809) to replace Bligh and eventually the New South Wales Corps was disbanded.)
Bligh died December 7th 1817 and is buried in his family's plot at Lambeth.
Lachlan Macquarie born in Scotland, 31st January, 1761. Before taking up life in the colony he had a busy life in the Military. His service included America, India and Egypt. He arrived in the colony on 1st January 1810 and that was the end of the Rum Rebellion and the NSW Corps. Macquarie being open minded soon won respect amongst the people with his vision of freedom and democracy if a person showed (convict or otherwise) hard work or new enterprise they had Lachlan backing them all the way. Very much is Lachlan remembered for the "rights of the aboriginal", his easy going manner never stopped. It wasn't all plain sailing he was under stress continuously as he did have enemies the local conservatives did not want change they wanted things to stay the way they were. He showed no favouritism to any one religion they all were welcomed as they stepped on Australian soil, he had no qualms either when it came to St. Patrick's Day which is still celebrated today with many another nationality joining in. It is a real pity Lachlan was only allowed to stay as Governor in the colony for twelve years as I feel he would have indeed made great changes to the Aboriginal plight as he could see what the white man was doing to this culture. No wonder he is known affectionately as "The Father of Australia".
Caroline Chisholm was born in England in 1808 and throughout her childhood was brought up by kind parents who always left their doors wide open to all, no matter how rich or how poor. Maybe through her fathers actions with saving a Catholic priest from being stoned by the village people put Caroline on the path to helping the poor during her life. Perhaps after hearing the priests tale of fleeing the French Revolution Caroline became a Catholic and relied upon her new religion for help for what she undertook when she arrived in Australia. Caroline married Archibald a British Officer and they had nine children. Caroline made Archibald promise before they were married that he would endeavor to support her in whatever task she undertook, as she wanted to continue on from her parents footseps and that was to help people.
When Caroline was out walking the streets of Sydney (mainly The Rocks area) she was shocked to see how all the young women who had recently stepped off ships from overseas were automatically made "homeless". Most of these women came to Australia looking for a better life but tragically their lives from here on were unfairly "tagged" prostitutes as some had become so desperate that this was the only road they could take. Caroline's life from here was one continual battle with the Governments and the high ranking officials to get a better deal for these women. While fighting these officials for a building to house them (which eventually did become a reality) Caroline was very busy trying to find them employment. In one year alone Caroline found one thousand jobs for these women but more were stepping off the ships each day. In the meantime she was juggling all this as well as trying to bring up nine children and was often criticised for neglecting them. Caroline was very involved in having the conditions in the immigration system changed testifying to the "House of Lords" that a more rational system had to be found than the one of the "unwanted dumping ground" into Australia. Caroline also "voiced" strongly something had to be done about the dreadful conditions these people had to live with on board these ships with some of these voyages lasting for months. This incredible female of her time also introduced work contracts and better working conditions and pay. Caroline died in 1877 from a bad heart and at this time was almost an "non-entity" with only a note paid for by her children in the Australian newspapers, acknowledging her death at least the English Times gave her a few lines.
The Burke & Wills expedition (1861) would have to be one of the most famous explorations ever undertaken and very expensive (fifty thousand pounds) but even though it was well equipped it still ended in tragedy. The project in hand was to find out if the interior had pastoral land or not. This expedition did have great success though, as they were the first to cross the continent from south to north. They stupidly left 2 others behind with the pack horses that had the food and water and made a dash for the coast. There was a search put in progress when word filtered through as to what had happened but it was too late as the pair were already dead from sheer exhaustion and dehydration.
There are many more stories like the above but unfortunately they are buried with the dead. Many a convict who were eventually given their freedom could not write so their amazing story of survival in this harsh land were never recorded. Then there are the cattle graziers, the gold rush, bush-rangers, and many more exciting and noteworthy events that were never recorded.
