_,,, _ _ PATRON: Her Excellency, Professor Marie Bashir, AC, CVO, Governor of New South Wales Volume 39 Issue Jan/Feb 2008 'Resolutions', what do they say? 'are made to be broken'; why do we think like that? Inside this issue: If we were serious about doing something positive, or on the other hand to give up doing something that is affecting us, .either way we have shown that we want to do 'ews of Members 2 things differently, or at least attempt to improve what we do, or how we say it. The service we provide for example is one of the improvements we can make, the goods or articles we produce, the information we give to others and the way we give it, can Hulks Exhibition 3 always be improved. Nance Irvine Tribute 4 So, this year having reached in human terms, the prime of life, ie, being 40 years old, should mean that we have got it all together. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Fellowship of First Fleeters. Our anniversary is on the 27 March 2008. See the invitation on page 10. Australia Day Lunch 5 Returning to my topic of 'resolutions', having digressed slightly, being responsible Photos 6-7 adults we should put our heads together and think about ways that we can improve what we do within the Fellowship and how we perform in the estimation of others. Raffle Winners 8 Can I call upon you each one for help? Please consider the way you feel about the Australia's First Constable Fellowship, and if you have some helpful suggestions about things we do or don't do, (continued) 9-10 put pen to paper, or fingers to the key-board, and let me know. A good resolution!!! Australia Day was the 220th Anniversary of the establishment of the colony. We were From the Chapters 11 delighted that the Perth Mint was preparing to recognize this event with the issue of a Commemorative Coin and Medallion Set. At the Luncheon held on 19 January, Her Chapter Liaison News 12 Excellency, the Governor of NSW, Professor Marie Bashir, unveiled the silver commemoratives to us. I presented Her Excellency with one of the sets donated to us by the Perth Mint. Lola Murray being the winner of the lucky door prize received one of the sets. See Grand Raffle prize winners list. One set will be kept by the Fellowship Dates to for historical purposes. The last set may be used at the 40th Anniversary celebration Remember on 27 March. The Medallion set has already sold out at the Perth Mint, as at 21 January. • Daytime Most of our members participated in our fund raising raffle, and others have made Fellowship donations. We thank you for your continued support. Wed 19 March A number of our previous serving directors did not seek re-election at the Annual General Meeting in November last. We wish to acknowledge their many years of • 40th Anniversary service to the Fellowship. They are: William Hempel, Zona and Ron Maguire and Joy Thursday 27 Pankhurst. This leaves some vacancies on the Board. If you can help by using your March expertise in this regard we would welcome your service. During 2008 we will see some changes in the Founders publications. This is ari • Tour to opportunity for you to publish articles about your ancestor, or historical informa1ion you Camperdown have gathered in researching your family tree etc. If you ~have hard copy already Sun 6 April prepared please send it to The Editor cl- the Fellowship, or e-mail to [email protected] or [email protected] Price 50c I would like to introduce Ron Withington #5527 to you. Ron will be a roving reporter Registered by Australia Post for us and with his experience in writing articles for magazines, we look forward to a Publication No. NBH 1271 different style of 'Founders'. · In Fellowship, John Haxton Page 2 News of Members Membership Report for January 2008 Births Welcome to First F/eeters' Descendants: Robert E Cuthbert, Husband of Elsie Cuthbert # 3956 William John Parker (FF John Gowen) born Late of North Ryde. Died 31 October 12 December 2007 FFF Office Bearers 2008 2007. To Sarah and Tony Parker. In Tasmania; 7th Grandchild Rhondda Tomlinson #7287. ta Mrs Hazel D Chivers #2619 President (FF Edward Goodin) Passed away on John HAXTON, JP, Dip Chem Eng; Deaths 11 January 2008 Aged 83 Dip Corp Mgmt; Dip R.E Mgmt Deepest sympathy is extended to the families of the following: Vice-Presidents Phyllis Joyce Gore. #5708 Roderick BEST BA. LLM (FF Anthony Rope, Elizabeth Pulley) Valerie Spence #6129 (FF William Nash, Peter CHRISTIAN OAM, JP, Ph.C Late of Bankstown. NSW Maria Haynes) Died 27 October 2007. Secretary Late of Baulkam Hills. Died November 2006 Elaine BENNET Susette Crowe #7131 David Murray Garland #2419 (FF William Assistant Secretary (FF William Nash, Maria Haynes). Broughton) Bruce ARNETT Late of Penrith. Died 1 October 2007. Late of Mudgee. Died 30 September 2007. Treasurer Roy MORRIS AO, JP, B Com Ronald Noonan Spouse of Lilian #5409 Daytime (Melb), FCIS, FCPA, Brigadier Late of Narrabeen. Died 19 May 2007. (Ret'd) .Auxiliary Laurel Riddler #2393 (FF John Ryan) Directors Late of Ermington. Wednesday 19 March Bruce ARNETT, Mech Eng Certificate; Electronics & Comms 11.00am Certificate. Elaine BENNETT, Membership Convenor 40th Anniversary Celebration John BOYD, JP, PR Officer Thursday 27 March 2.00 to 4.30pm George GRIFFITHS, JP, IT Parliament House, Macquarie Street Sydney Manager Jean MORTIMER, Chapter Liaison Join us for a cocktail party to be held at the above location. Officer We have enclosed an application form for you to complete and Ian PALMER, FF House forward to FF House by 29 February 2008. Maintenance Invitations have been extended to Vice Regal, Parliamentary, and appropriate historical association representatives to join us. Our Special Speakers will be from among some of our more senior members. Cost is $25. This will include finger food and selected drinks, provided by the Fellowship. The wearing of name badges is encouraged. Maintain-a-Brick Donations We have gratefully received donations from the following people: J Hanson-Acason, J A Carroll, M Coughlan, in memory of RE Cuthbert, D Endicott, Y Frost, K Kates, S Keough, M Knight, ES King-Sloan, C McCabe, JE & SD Mills, ML Nelson, J Nolan, J Peak, N Potter, L Potts for S & S Murray, JF Tarlington. Source of Image: And So We Graft from Six to Six: Brickmakers of NSW, Warwick Gemmell, p42 Page 3 Review of an Exhibition THE INCREDIBLE HULKS In 1784 the British Government passed Life on the Prison Ships legislation allowi~ convicts from the hu.lks For any member of the Fellowship who is to be transported descended from a FF convict it is more than overseas. And so it likely that his or her ancestor spent some time, was that our ancestors prior to transportation, in chains and underfed, on board a disease-ridden prison hulk. left their dungeons-at­ anchor to embark on one of Governor Phillip's The American Revolution (1775-1783) put an six FF transports for the voyage to NSW. end to the common sentence of transportation of British offenders to the American colonies. This notion of using hulks as floating prisons was exported along with the convicts. ,., Convicts were sent instead to the "hulks". Hulks were old or unseaworthy ships moored Eventually convict hulks were established in in rivers and harbours close enough to the such colonies as Gibraltar, NSW, Van Diemens land for inmates to be taken ashore each day Land and Bermuda. It wasn't until after 1847 to work on projects such as collecting stone, that more land prisons were built and the hulks cutting timber, cleaning rivers and building were slowly decommissioned. dockyards. The first hulks were established on The Hyde Park Barracks Museum has mounted the Thames in 1776. an exhibition to record and explore life on the Prison Ships. It is the first comprehensive From that time until 1802 all English hulks exhibition recalling the harsh history of convict were operated by men such as Duncan hulks in Britain and its colonies. It features Campbell and Henry Bradley under contract to original mustering documents, some signed by the British Government. The Justitia, Censor Duncan Campbell himself. There are images and Stanislaus were moored on the Thames at and stories that evoke the daily lives of the Woolwich, the Chatham and Dunkirk at hulks' wretched human cargo, accompanied by Plymouth, the Leon at Godport and La a background soundtrack that no modern Fortunee at Langstone Harbour near exhibitor seems able to resist. Strongly featured Portsmouth. are more than 600 rare artefacts recovered from beneath the mooring site of the Dromedary hulk in Bermuda and brought to Australia just for this exhibition. Life on the hulks often represents to us an intolerable but somewhat mundane phase of the transportation sequence, when compared with the dramas of the crime, trial, sentencing, voyage and arrival, but this exhibition goes a long way towards redressing the balance. And the food at the Museum cafe is much more inviting than boiled ox-cheek, weevil biscuit and pease! Ron Withington Hyde Park Barracks Museum, Sydney Throughout 2008 9.30am - 5.00pm daily Not exactly sea~ing either! A full­ Free with museum entry of $10 height representation of the bow of a hulk at the entry to the Exhibition. Page 4 A Tribute to Nance Irvine the Bicentenary, putting them in the context of the history of the First Fleet. The Sirius Letter~ contains the full text of the letters, as edited and • annotated by Irvine with the assistance of Paul Brunton, of the State Library, and Victor Crittenden.