Life in the Colony

Revision

Why did England want to establish a penal colony in Australia?

Why was crime such a problem in England at the time?

What was one of the most common crimes for which transportation was ordered?

What were conditions like on the ships?

Conditions on the Second Fleet• Convicts were kept closely chained together so they could hardly

move. Chains were not taken off, even if the wearer was dying• One ship was leaky and convicts were at times up to their waists in

water• No bedding, no toilets, no fresh air, no exercise, no way of keeping

clean• Convicts not given full rations so the Captain could sell what

remained at the end of the voyage. Convicts sought to keep any deaths a secret so they could have the dead person’s rations

• The Governor was horrified by the condition of the convicts who arrived in Australia. He complained to England. The Captain was tried but not punished for his cruelty. Later, Captains were paid a bonus for every convict who arrived alive to ensure they cared for them properly.

Conditions on the Fleets

• Poor and rationed food• Diseases• Limited privacy• Boredom• Lack of water – Water was always rationed.

Often ships began with water from the Thames, which was badly polluted and smelt so bad they could barely choke it down.

Convict Men

• Convict men built bridges, courthouses and hospitals.

• Some worked as carpenters, brickmakers or shepherds, or tended cattle

• Educated men worked as record keepers

Convict Women

• Female convicts worked as servants, either farming or cleaning for soldiers or free settlers

• Sometimes they might help to build roads• Some convict women were sent to the Female

Factory where they were employed to make rope, sew, or spin wool for blankets

Freedom

• Convicts who finished their sentence or were pardoned by the governor were freed and given the same rights as free settlers.

• Ticket of Leave: Convicts who behaved well were given a ticket of leave or certificate of freedom. They were considered free, but their ticket could be cancelled if they misbehaved before their sentence would have ended.

For example, if a convict was sentenced to “transportation for seven years” and behaved well, he might be given a ticket of leave after only five of the seven years. While he would be considered free for the sixth and seventh year, if he committed a crime his freedom could be cancelled and he would have to serve out the last two years as a convict

Life in the Colony - Punishments

• A flogging (whipping) with a cat of nine tails was a common punishment

• Chaining convicts together• Giving convicts only bread and water

EscapeMany convicts attempted to escape.

Convict William Buckley had been given transportation for life for receiving a roll of cloth he knew was stolen. He escaped in 1803. He was found starving and near death by the Wathawarung people. They believed he was a warrior who had returned from the dead and they welcomed him into their group.

He lived with them for 32 years.

One day, he overheard some of his adopted people plotting to kill some Europeans. He made himself known to them to warn them. He was pardoned and rejoined European society and became an interpreter and peacemaker.

Secondary Colonies

• Some convicts were sent to “Secondary Colonies” such as Port Arthur in Tasmania

• Those who continued to commit crimes as convicts often sent to these colonies

• Conditions were very harsh and cruel – for example at Point Puer, boys as young as 8 were sometimes kept in underground cells

• Moreton Bay was considered one of the worst colonies. What do you learn from the song, “Moreton Bay”?

Moreton BayOne Sunday morning as I went walking By Brisbane waters I chanced to strayI heard a convict his fate bewailing As on the sunny river bank I layI am a native from Erin's islandBut banished now from my native shoreThey stole me from my aged parents And from the maiden I do adoreI've been a prisoner at Port MacquarieAt Norfolk Island and Emu PlainsAt Castle Hill and at cursed ToongabbieAt all these settlements I've been in chainsBut of all places of condemnationAnd penal stations in New South WalesTo Moreton Bay I have found no equalExcessive tyranny each day prevailsFor three long years I was beastly treated And heavy irons on my legs I woreMy back from flogging was laceratedAnd oft times

painted with my crimson goreAnd many a man from downright starvationLies mouldering now underneath the clayAnd Captain Logan he had us mangledAll at the triangles of Moreton BayLike the Egyptians and ancient HebrewsWe were oppressed under Logan's yokeTill a native black lying there in ambushDid deal this tyrant his mortal strokeMy fellow prisoners be exhilaratedThat all such monsters such a death may findAnd when from bondage we are liberatedOur former sufferings will fade from mind

Moreton Bay

• What happened at Moreton Bay?• What happened to Captain Logan?

What is happening in these images?How do you feel when you see them?

What might they tell you about early life in the colony?

Life as a Free Settler

• Free settlers faced many challenges in the foreign climate

• Growing enough food to feed themselves and families was difficult, as they had to clear dense bushland and plough hard rocky ground and were often affected by drought or flood

• Officers of the army were very powerful, particularly in NSW where they controlled most of the colony’s trade, particularly the trade in rum

What was the “Rum Rebellion?”

• Use your computers to find out:– When did the rum rebellion occur?– What happened?– Who was kept imprisoned for a year?– What happened to the ringleader?

The Rum Rebellion

• NSW officers very powerful• Gave themselves and their friends best land• Controlled trade, especially rum trade. Rum had

become main currency of colony.• Governor Bligh threatened to charge officers

with treason• 1808 – led by Macarthur the officers rebelled.

They kept the Governor prisoner for a year. • Macarthur expelled from army after rebellion

The end of transportation

• Convict transportation to Australia ended in 1868

• Since 1788, 162,000 men and women had been transported to Australia in 806 shipments.

Revision

• What was the dreamtime?

• How did Aboriginal families at the time of settlement differ from modern European families?

• Describe the relationship between Aboriginal people and the land.

Revision

• What were relations like between the Indigenous people and the European settlers in the first few years of settlement?

• What caused tension in the relationship?• Why did the settlers kidnap Indigenous

people?

Treaty – Yothu YindiWell I heard it on the radio And I saw it on the televisionBack in 1988, all those talking politiciansWords are easy, words are cheapMuch cheaper than our priceless landBut promises can disappearJust like writing in the sandTreaty yeah treaty now treaty yeah treaty now

Nhima djat’pangarri nhima walangwalangNhe djat’payatpa nhima gaya nheMatjini ... YakarrayNhe djat’pa nhe walang gumurrt jararrk gutjuk

This land was never given upThis land was never bought and soldThe planting of the union jackNever changed our law at allNow two rivers run their courseSeparated for so longI’m dreaming of a brighter dayWhen the waters will be oneTreaty yeah treaty now treaty yeah treaty now

Nhema gayakaya nhe gayanheNhe gayanhe matjini walangwalang nheyaNhimadjatpanhe walangGumurrtjararrk yawirrinyNhe gaya nhe matjiniGaya gaya nhe gaya nheMatjini walangwalangNhema djat’pa nhe walangNhe gumurrtjarrk nhe ya

Promises disappear - priceless land - destinyWell i heard it on the radioAnd i saw it on the televisionBut promises can be brokenJust like writing in the sand

Treaty yeah treaty now treaty yeah treaty nowTreaty yeah treaty now treaty yeah treaty nowTreaty yeah treaty ma treaty yeah treaty maTreaty yeah treaty ma treaty yeah treaty mahttp://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7cbkxn4G8U

Treaty

This song was written after Bob Hawke, in his famous response to the Barunga Statement (1988), said there would be a Treaty between Indigenous Australians and the Australian Government by 1990. The intention of this song was to raise public awareness about this so that the government would be encouraged hold to his promise. The song became a number-one hit, the first ever to be sung in a Yol\u language, and caught the public’s imagination.

Treaty

• Write down what the singers in this song wanted, and why

• What do the singers say about the land in this song?