Early Australian History

In Term 2, we had to take on the persona of a First Fleet convict. We reserached what life was like back then and wrote an historical narrative based on their life and experience coming to Australia as part of the First Fleet. Read one of my journal entries below.

Diary 1, 10 May 1787

Ouch, smack, whack!

‘stick em up’ I yelled as I jumped into flash horse carriage holding my gun up to snatch the purse.

The lady screamed to the bow street runners for help.

‘Shush your gob up or otherwise I’ll shoot ya!” Now give me ya purse before I change me mind!’

As the lady gave me the purse, I could hear the bow street runners already at the side of the carriage.

‘Shoot, they’re here!’ As they were dragging me to court, I yelled at them to let me go! ‘I didn’t ‘ave a job because those blasted machines took ‘em from me. You try being poor an ‘ave nothing to eat.  I ‘ave been wearin’ the same nickers since I was born and I’m 31 already, they’re gettin’ a bit tight now’.

Diary 2, 11 May 1787

‘John Hadon, you stole 30 shillings from a moving carriage and pointed a gun up at the lady’s face, because of that you’ll get 50 lashes”

“Actually it was 39 shillings if you please’.

‘Hey, I’m the judge here and that just earned you 100 lashes’.

‘What for, just an extra nine shillings?’.

‘And that just earned a sentence to death by hanging, anymore backchat now’?

‘Ok ok, whatever you want sir, me and my blasted big mouth’!

‘However, I am going to spare you with seven years transportation’!

The men took me to the lock-up in manacles.

Diary 3, 13 Oct 1787

I’ve lost track of how many days we’ve been on this rotten ship, however I am grateful for the new nickers I was given in Rio when we stopped to fix our sails, now they are not as tight anymore, however it was boiling to be in that country!

The conditions on this god forsaken boat are dreadful. I can hardly sleep because of cockroaches gettin’ into me bed with the lice and rats. At least I’m not as sick as Simon burn, me partner in crime.

I really hope we both can be freed, god knows how and maybe live a life were we don’t have to steal to be rich or not hungry. Endless days on this ship make me think of the days that will come, but right now it’s me and

The cockroaches. I miss me ma and I miss me friends, the only friend I’ve got is Simon burn, however the problem is that I don’t want to get his dysentery from him.

Diary 4, 18 Jan 1788

I have just landed in Australia and I fell on me first step on the sand of the beach, probably because I’ve been on a moving ship inside a hull for 262 days travelling wherever and going back on to sail even more. I’m not used to this environment at all! ‘oh me gosh is that a gigantic brown rabbit’ I yelled to the bow street runners.’No, there called kangaroos’. They yelled back to me all at once. But as soon as I stood up on the ground, I stumbled even more and then was dying of the dreadful, humid country, there was brown and red mixed together on mountains making it even more unused to be in. But then I realised I Finally I wouldn’t ‘ave to be a highway robber to be a rich and not poor person like I used to be. But sadly I knew I had to be imprisoned for seven years In this new, boiling and colourful land when the judge said I would be sent to seven years transportation. That means more hard work for me and Simon, luckily he was sent to the hospital for medical help, now I can talk to him without getting dysentery from him.’Ay, so am I going to be in prison for seven years now’. I said to one of the bow street runners.’Yes’! He snapped back to me. It was going to be hard labour for seven years, but luckily it was better then being hanged.

 

What do you think it would have been like to live back then?