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1788 AD Magazine of the Fellowship of First Fleeters Inc. ACN 003 223 425 PATRON: Her Excellency, Professor Marie Bashir, AC, CVO, Governor of New South Wales Volume 44, Issue 5 45th Year of Publication October/November, 2013 To live on in the hearts and minds of descendants is never to die THE DERWENT CHAPTER SETS SAIL ... and what better place She then called on President Ian to do so than at the Royal Palmer to address the gathering. Yacht Club of Tasmania at In talking about First Fleet House, Sandy Bay, Hobart and he briefly outlined the 45 year from the Board Room of history of the Fellowship and that august and explained how important it was for distinguished institution, members all round Australia to feel no less. connected by forming and belonging to chapters. In this way After careful preparation, the vision and purposes of the organisation and publicity Fellowship could be spread across by #7854 Judith Wood (FF the nation and our founding Elizabeth Cole) and her fathers and mothers honoured husband Kyle (FF Nathaniel further afield than just from their Lucas and Olivia Sydney heartland. Gascoigne) twenty-three members, friends and As director of Chapter associates answered the Development, Jon Fearon was then call to launch the 16th asked to explain some specific chapter of the Fellowship roles to be undertaken by the new on 3rd August, 2013. committee and the chapter’s connections with the wider No champagne bottle Fellowship. Before doing so he had was smashed across the called on those present to give the bows but all in attendance names of their First Fleet Derwent - a new Chapter is formed agreed that the morning ancestors. Twenty-five Fleeters meeting was well worth and seven ships were represented celebrating. as the names were shared around the room. It quickly Outside, pennants on masts of moored yachts were flying became obvious that the focus had fallen on those who had in a moderate westerly breeze, while inside the crew come to Van Diemen’s Land via Norfolk Island by the time it warmly welcomed the Admiral of the Fleet, alias had closed down in 1814. Continued Page 3 Fellowship President Ian Palmer and his daughter Liz, representing her mother Robin who had remained on Eastern Farms chapter duty in Sydney. The visitors, while not actually piped aboard, felt honoured to be present on the occasion as did the accompanying directors, Chapter Development Officer and Chapter Liaison Officer, Jon and Karys Fearon. From the Chair, Judith ran the shipboard meeting in a manner worthy of its location and after opening remarks, oversaw the listing of the nine apologies before ratifying the minutes of a preliminary planning meeting that had been held the month before. President Ian Palmer presents certificate to Derwent Chapter President, Judith Wood Registered by Australia Post Publication No. 100002063 PRICE $2.50 Phone 02 9360 3788 Story writing Fellowship of First Fleeters, 105 Cathedral Street, Woolloomooloo, NSW 2011 Email:[email protected] guidelines - see First Fleeters on Facebook: www.facebook.com/FirstFleeters page 6 Membership Enquiries:[email protected] WEBSITE: www.fellowshipfirstfleeters.org.au Founders October/November, 2013 Founders The magazine of the President’s Desk Fellowship of First Fleeters Ian Palmer Editor , Layout and Artwork Jon & Karys Fearon GREAT NEWS – The Fellowship of First Fleeters has Ph. 02 4323 1849 rd E-mail: [email protected] been able to establish a Chapter in Tasmania. On Saturday the 3 August, twenty-seven enthusiastic FFF Members and potential Office Bearers 2012-2013 Members met at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, in Hobart, and President under the guidance of President Judith Wood the Derwent Chapter Ian PALMER was founded. Of course, events like this don’t just happen. Many members have been Vice-President working tirelessly behind the scene to bring all the plans together for this day. Thank Denis SMITH you to all those hard working folk for a job well done. Treasurer Accompanying this issue of Founders is the notice about the Annual General Meeting. Kevin THOMAS, FCA,FCPA,FCIS This year the Southern Highland Chapter is hosting the event at Mittagong. Any Secretary organisation is only as strong as the members make it and I would encourage more Therese LUCK members to get involved in the administration of the Fellowship. A nomination form is enclosed with this issue of Founders for your convenience. I look forward to seeing OTHER DIRECTORS many of you on the 26th October in Mittagong. Research/Plaques/Web Site Co-ordinator John BOYD JP. OUR FIRST BURIAL GROUND - A CALL TO ACTION Chapter Development/Founders A recent Sydney Daily Telegraph feature article and editorial on Arthur Phillip prompted # 7154 Alan Jarman to write to that newspaper’s editor seeking support for a more sig- Jon FEARON, BA. Dip Ed. Stud (TESOL), nificant site for a memorial to our First Fleeters. His letter appears below: T. CERT. Chapter Liaison Dear Editor, Karys FEARON, BN., RN., RM. While the exact location of “Australia’s Ground Zero”, Archives Arthur Phillip’s landing spot (Editorial, September 11), may Robert LAMB. Mech Eng. Cert. still be in question, Sydney boasts an equally-important historical site whose location is not in doubt: Australia’s & Machinist Cert. first cemetery, established by Arthur Phillip and Rev Rich- Archivist/Events ard Johnson at what is presently the forecourt of the Syd- Sharon LAMB. Assoc. Dip Land & eng ney Town Hall. “Boasts”, however, is hardly the right word; Survey Drafting in spite of its significance to the history of our city and our Minute Secretary nation, the site has been totally overlooked, except for a Karen LOVETT, BA. Dip Ed tiny plaque, so inconspicuous and poorly-placed that virtu- Librarian/Office Manager/Events ally no one – not the thousands of Sydneysiders and visi- Robin PALMER tors who congregate there daily nor even the Sydney City Family Trees/Computer Council officials who work in Town Hall Square and are, Management presumably, responsible for its preservation – is able to Sydney Town Hall side doors with find it (presuming, of course, that they were even aware of FF small plaque above Tony HOLDEN its existence). CONTENTS Yet, on this site, no less than seventy-four first-fleet convicts were interred, the an- 1. Derwent Chapter Sets Sail cestors of countless thousands of Sydneysiders who know the forecourt only as a place 2. President’s Desk; Call to Action on to meet, or to have lunch, or to pause and listen to the clock chime. Surely the final Burial Ground Memorial resting place of our first citizens deserves a prominently-placed and appropriately- 3. Derwent Chapter Sets Sail, cont. designed memorial which could become a major feature in the forecourt, a spot to be 4. Hannah Smith story visited by school excursions and tour groups, and the increasing number of Australians who, to quote your editorial, are suddenly “intrigued by their nation’s foundation”. 5. Hannah Smith, continued; Joint Meeting Northern Rivers & Moreton The Town Hall area is currently undergoing the latest of its refurbishments. If the 6. Celebrating our Beginnings, 1988 Daily Telegraph and its vast readership were to actively campaign for a monument to 7. Where is This? Celebrating our Be- our founders to be erected on the site as part of this re-design, with each convict’s ginnings cont. Story writing guidelines. name inscribed as a tribute to the part they played in the building of our nation, then the “increasing passion for knowledge about Australia’s history and the people who 8. Charles Peat, Hannah Mullins story shaped that history” which the Telegraph has rightly identified may, for once, be ac- 9. Charles Peat etc continued; New knowledged, and, at least in part, satisfied, by the cemetery’s present custodians. England and the First Fleeters; 10. The Price Paid. Chapter Officers The people of the First Fleet may have come here unwillingly, but they stayed on to build a country; their descendants today include many of our most prominent citizens, 11. Chapters in Action people who have promoted our country to every corner of the world (Helen Reddy 12. New Members; Births & Deaths; At being a prime example). The Daily Telegraph’s support for such an important project The Helm; Maintain a Brick; Citizenship would be of lasting benefit to the people of Sydney, and of all Australia. Ceremonies Alan Jarman 2 October/November, 2013 Founders Continued from page 1 - Membership Officer: # 7778 Diane Golden Special Events Coordinator: # Jacqui Noonan A Keen sense of excitement could be felt as Judith called for nominations for the office bearers of the new chapter. How One major task that had to be completed was the selection of encouraging it is to report that there was no shortage of a name for the chapter. The earlier meeting had put forward two options for this – Collins and Derwent. Several of the mem- bers present were happy to say which they preferred and why. When the vote was taken by a show of hands, after Collins had been modified to David Collins, the popular and almost unani- mous choice was Derwent. Several questions were then put to President Ian, most of them to do with the mechanics of successfully applying for membership. Judith was able to refer to the selection of forms that had been on display for prospective members to take and complete. Ian encouraged all to actively pursue membership and he gave helpful suggestions as to how this could be done. In congratulating the new committee, Jon mentioned the steps that needed to be taken immediately to ensure a smooth start to the voyage.

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