Article written by member Geoffrey Humphries.Ref; ‘Narrative of a Voyage to Port Phillip and Van Diemen’s Land with Lieutenant Governor Collins.’ by AW Humphrey (1984) In late 1803 Lt. Governor David Collins decided to abandon the camp at Sullivan Bay (near present day Sorrento) and proceed to Van Diemen’s Land. Before leaving he dispatched a party under William Collins to explore and report back on the Port Dalrymple area of Northern Van Diemen’s Land. The only ship available Continue Reading »
First Fleet Scribes
How fortunate we are to have journals, diaries, letters, reports and logbooks written by officers who arrived with Captain Arthur Phillip in 1788. Without these scribes our knowledge of the voyage, the settlement, and its people would have passed into history unknown. David Blackburn (1753–1795) HMS Supply, Master A party of gentlemen with their servants and 4 soldiers were walking to Botany Bay … met with a body of 300 natives all armed with spears and targets. They did not seem too Continue Reading »
Thomas Lucas : Zachary Clark
On the First Fleet was Zachary Clark (sometimes Zacharia and sometimes Clarke). He embarked on the Scarborough and transferred to the Alexander during the voyage. He was engaged by the agent who provisioned the First Fleet to represent that agent’s interests. At Port Jackson he was made responsible for the weekly issue of provisions. Later he went to Norfolk Island. Clark had a daughter named Ann who married Thomas Hibbins on Norfolk Island on 9 October 1803. The previous wife of Hibbins Continue Reading »
John Palmer
The Colony’s First Principal Commissary John Palmer (1760 – 1833) the first Commissary-General of New South Wales, was born in England. Entering the navy, he had experience in the War of American Independence, during which he was for some time a prisoner, and while in New York in 1783 he married an American. In October 1786 he joined HMS Sirius as purser, voyaged in her to New South Wales with the First Fleet, and continued to serve in her until she was wrecked on Norfolk Island in 1790. Continue Reading »
Shortland Naval Family
members, of which served in Australasia in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries John Shortland (1739 – 1803) was born near Plymouth, son of John Shortland, senior member of a Devonshire family, six members of whom were associated with colonisation of Australia and New Zealand. In 1755 he entered the Navy as Midshipman and served under Admiral Edward Boscawen off Newfoundland, under Admiral John Byng off Minorca and under Admiral Sir George Rodney in the West Indies, being Continue Reading »
Broughton Family
Public servant and settler William Broughton arrived in the transport Charlotte accompanying Surgeon White as a servant. Son of Sarah and Henry Broughton, he was born in Chatham, Kent in the year 1768. On arrival in Sydney Cove, William became a storekeeper at Rose Hill (Parramatta) and in 1800 was appointed Acting Deputy Commissary of Norfolk Island and later Deputy Commissary of stores in Sydney Town. He worked diligently in these positions and was praised by Governor Continue Reading »