Australia at the time of Godfrey’s arrival and later when Alfred went with his father and brother, Australia was receiving convicts, and did so for many years to come.
The practice of sending felons to Australia started after the American colonies had become independent. King George had lost the American colonies, he could no longer tell that country what it had to do. America was so far away, it took a long time to communicate with London, so the American people were now making the decisions for themselves. The only difference really was, that the American people would not get into trouble for what they did, and they would no longer pay taxes to London, only to themselves.
The Antipodes was the next, so thought the English Government. Australia was a long way away, and the convicts would not be able to get back to England with out money for the fare. Those convicts suffered during their journey to Australia, in the same way the slaves had done. They were being packed tightly in cages within the holds of the ships. It was considered risky to mix people, because of the likelihood of spreading disease.
Initially the idea was to have been to deposit this cargo at Botany Bay and then later in Van Dieman’s Land, now called Tasmania, accompanied by their complement of soldiers, marines and officers, who were expected to start a settlement and flourish. This social experiment was unparalleled before or since.
On the swampy shores of Botany Bay, by the sandstone coves of Sydney Harbour, the clash of civilizations was inevitable, intense and often tragic. From this improbable beginning, through famine, drought, escapes and floggings, the glory of modern Sydney was born. The fledgling colony refused to crumble. Britain’s penal experiment succeeded against all odds. Some, who had served their time, were free to roam.
The first ships, which had left England eight months previously, two were naval vessels, the rest were converted merchantmen. Convicts had been selected for work based on their previous trade or useful occupation, but it was no proof of their capabilities. Captain Cook’s reports on Australia were inaccurate in many respects, one being the type of land where they were to settle. He had not put his foot ashore, his comments were only visual, made from the sea. The area was mosquito ridden, wet and boggy, not the place to build a settlement.
The officers, in red uniforms, had frightened the local inhabitants, but after a few weeks, they had built up a peaceful relationship with the local tribes, exchanging gifts of beads and mirrors. Still this was no place to settle, so it was decided to sail up the coast until they came to another inlet, now called Port Jackson, and it was here they decided to make the new settlement.
Not everything would go well for them in that area either. The officers got off the ship first, then the naval men. They landed in a beautiful wooded landscape, but the land was spongy despite growing fine cabbage trees, but unknown to the men, cabbage trees are shallow rooted. They had brought seed to plant, but the soil was shallow, only reaching a depth of around six inches. So the seed failed, some due to the torrential rains washing it away, other was lost due to being blown away in a dry spell.
Another ship from England was supposed to follow with more supplies, but it did not arrive. The first night the female convicts were released from their ship and were allowed ashore, there was bedlam. There was a big orgy as the women were chased by the men, by the convicts and the crew. Women could not escape being raped. The man, who was to be in charge of this colony, had to implement strong measures to restore civility. The men were allocated areas where they were to prepare the fields for the crops, but most were city dwellers, and had no idea what to do, nor did they have any tools. They had to make their own, from the natural materials around them. One of the things the natives did, was to make tools, which were they discarded when no longer of use. It was these the convicts made use of, and copied, to make their own.
No supply ship arrived, but other convict ships did arrive. One ship loaded with convicts, was sent up the river, from this beautiful secluded harbour, to grow food on an island, Norfolk Island. Nothing was heard of them or from anyone else, so those people still in Port Jackson were living on reduced rations. Eventually those from Norfolk Island managed to join their colleagues, only to explain their ship had got stuck, running aground in the river. The first crops were destroyed by wind and salt from the sea.
Food was getting in very short supply. People were beginning to starve; farming had not been successful, the crops were poor or nonexistent, so the man in charge, Captain Arthur Philip had a very difficult job to control the hungry and rebellious rabble. It was only through his rough justice that he was able to keep control.
Starving people steal food, so he hung anyone who did just that. He cut their rations, time and time again as necessary, not as a punishment, but hoping to eke out the food until the next supply ship arrived.
He decided to send another ship to Cape Town. This would normally have taken five months, however, by changing route to one considered dangerous, it returned in three.
When the ship returned from Cape Town, the sailors were then able to inform Captain Philip that the first supply ship had sunk with all hands, and that had happened two or three years beforehand.
Some members of the camp had found corpses of some black people in the undergrowth. Had they been killed by the white man? People were afraid of what the Captain would do, should he decide they had killed the native people but no-one admitted killing them, and on examination, it was found they had not been killed. Had the poor motley group brought European diseases with them from England, to which the natives had no immunity? That was the final conclusion.
Whenever men are short of food, there is friction between them, each for their own survival. Most of convicts were used to hunger because of the poor living conditions several of them had had in England. Many had been sleeping on the streets. As they neared their destination, and even the ships rations ran out, even the crew were hungry, so possibly they were more congenial to the hungry convicts, all in the same boat so to speak.
With the lack of fresh food, scurvy existed amongst the poor, thin weak residents of Port Jackson who were no longer capable of trying to farm. Starving people get hallucinations and men thought they could see ship sails coming. It was three years later before another ship arrived, and that was full of convicts, not food. There had been a heavy death toll amongst them too, however these people were a little fitter than the men who had stayed at Port Jackson.
During the early period some of the convicts managed to escape. How many gained freedom this way, and how many left after serving their term, can only be guessed at, but some certainly did leave the colony. Eventually this motley group of men and women were to form the new settlement, which prospered, and became the vibrant city of Sydney we know today.
Chapter 11 – Goodbye to family
William felt he had to visit both Van Dieman’s land and Sydney, something, which he did following both their expeditions into the gold fields. He liked the island, and loved the exciting city of Sydney, so superior to Melbourne, he felt. He described Sydney’s main street, as being like Regent Street in London.
Even when William visited Van Dieman’s Land, fifteen years after convicts had been sent there, they were still being sent. Even so William still had to be examined by prison officers before he was allowed to leave the island or even allowed to board a ship back to Australia proper. Some prisoners did escape, to continue their crimes on the mainland. However, Godfrey’s medical practice was to flourish in Melbourne, where he also helped in the hospital, and by the time of William’s visit, he had acquired a large amount of farmland.
The pair, Alfred and Joe, struggled up tall hills, reaching quite high altitudes. The views had been fantastic, and it was getting towards evening, so they were thinking of where to spend the night. They sat down on the ground taking the last long look of the day with the lowering sun.
“How beautiful”, remarked Joe,
“Yes”