Sunday, April 21, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Dear Aunt Polly
C/- Sydney post office
N.S.W
30th May 1788
Dear Aunt Polly,
I miss you all so much and I wish I never got caught pickpocketing but you know how hungry we were. I only did it so we could have some food to eat.
After I was caught, I was sent to the Old Baily but the Judges weren't very nice and nobody listened to what I had to say. They chained me to the other prisoners and sent us to New Gate Prison.
New Gate was horrible, because when I got there they sent me and the other women to a dirty cell and there were rats everywhere and it stunk really bad. I didn't get very much food and water and when I did, it tasted horrible. All of my stuff was stolen from me by the other prisoners.
After a while I was sent to the hulks because all I had stolen was a broken watch. I was also told that we were going to a strange new land. When I got to the hulks me and the other convicts were sent to the bottom of the ship and as soon as everybody was on board we set sail to the new land.
The only food we got was maggoty bread and rotten meat and it didn't taste good. After a couple of weeks at sea, we ran into a storm and I felt so seasick. After the storm we were allowed on deck for some fresh air and I felt much better. When we reached Botany Bay there wasn't very much fresh water and not enough land for farming so we set sail for Port Jackson.
When we reached Sydney everyone was happy to see land again. Sydney was beautiful because of the green trees and clear blue sky but all the animals are strange, like the little bears in the trees, big red rabbits and colourful birds but it was very hot and we don't get very much rain.
When I got here I was chosen to be a slave girl but my master is kind. I cook and clean and I have made a friend with one of the other convicts, her name is Ariella and hopefully in seven years I'll be able to come home.
Much love from Chloe.
N.S.W
30th May 1788
Dear Aunt Polly,
I miss you all so much and I wish I never got caught pickpocketing but you know how hungry we were. I only did it so we could have some food to eat.
After I was caught, I was sent to the Old Baily but the Judges weren't very nice and nobody listened to what I had to say. They chained me to the other prisoners and sent us to New Gate Prison.
New Gate was horrible, because when I got there they sent me and the other women to a dirty cell and there were rats everywhere and it stunk really bad. I didn't get very much food and water and when I did, it tasted horrible. All of my stuff was stolen from me by the other prisoners.
After a while I was sent to the hulks because all I had stolen was a broken watch. I was also told that we were going to a strange new land. When I got to the hulks me and the other convicts were sent to the bottom of the ship and as soon as everybody was on board we set sail to the new land.
The only food we got was maggoty bread and rotten meat and it didn't taste good. After a couple of weeks at sea, we ran into a storm and I felt so seasick. After the storm we were allowed on deck for some fresh air and I felt much better. When we reached Botany Bay there wasn't very much fresh water and not enough land for farming so we set sail for Port Jackson.
When we reached Sydney everyone was happy to see land again. Sydney was beautiful because of the green trees and clear blue sky but all the animals are strange, like the little bears in the trees, big red rabbits and colourful birds but it was very hot and we don't get very much rain.
When I got here I was chosen to be a slave girl but my master is kind. I cook and clean and I have made a friend with one of the other convicts, her name is Ariella and hopefully in seven years I'll be able to come home.
Much love from Chloe.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
My Journal
Bow Street Court and Newgate Prison 1786
Today I was caught stealing a handkerchief and some silver spoons. I was sent to Newgate prison to wait for my court trial. I was bound with the other prisoners with iron collars and they cut into my wrists. It was terrifying. I slept on the bare boards in the men's charity room in the corner which they used as a toilet and it smelt so awful I thought I'd be sick. I picked pockets to get extra food. The only food that I got was mouldy bread and it was usually stolen from me.
Old Bailey February 1787
They came for me and the other prisoners in the morning and chained us together. I felt like I could cry but I was to frightened for tears. It was raining so I tried to lick my face because it was the freshest water I had tasted since I got here. The Judge asked me what I had to say for my self and in the smallest and most honest voice I said "guilty sir" and then Milord said "are you sorry for what you did" and I said "yes sir". Then Milord sent me to the hulks.
London February 1787
I was chained to the other prisoners and put in a cart for three days and three nights while we travelled to Plymouth, we were hungry, wet, cold and miserable. When we got there we were told to take off our clothing and hop into a barrel of water and were given a bar of soap to wash our selves and then given new clothing. We were told to go down to the bottom of the ship. There were long benches for us to sleep on, there was no port holes and no fresh air or light and it stank. I've got a bench with sailor Sam an old convict with plenty of stories to pass the time. I didn't really want to listen to them but it was the only thing to keep away the boredom and darkness. Sam told me about the strange new land and we were sailing to. He told me about the native Indians and that they were all naked and about the strange animals like the six foot rabbits that jumped on it's hind legs and I didn't think any of it was true but I still listened.
The Scarborough 1787
On the evening of May 12th, Captain Arthur Philip ordered the fleet to weigh anchor and set sail for the new land, but the sailors were on strike because they hadn't been paid for seven months. In the fleet there was three store ships and six transports with 736 convicts aboard and there were about 1450 people in all. I was glad to finally get away from all the horrors of England and have a chance to start a new life. We were all allowed to stretch our legs up on deck but were still chained up. One time when we were up on the deck I saw a boy about my age but he wasn't a convict. He was with the passengers and I wanted to meet him but I knew I couldn't.
At Sea 1787
I listened to the same stories over and over but at least it passed the time and kept the darkness away and in return I got Sam what ever he needs because he is to old to get it himself. I am small and used to the small dark places from the chimney sweeping in England. After three weeks we dropped anchor at Santa Cruz to reload with fresh meat, pumpkins and water. The meat was dark and stringy but the servings were generous and the stews had real veggies in them. It was much better than Newgate. Sam told me that we were headed to Rio then to Cape Town and then to Botany Bay. We saw Porpoises which meant good luck and I also learnt that the boy that I saw before is named is Rob.
Cape of Good Hope 1788
There was a big storm and I thought we were going to sink. I tied Sam and myself to our bench and held on as tight as I could and Sam told me another story to pass the time. Sam promised to stay with me and when we got to Botany Bay he would teach me to fish and anything else I wanted to know. After the storm Sam got up and started walking and muttering in his sleep and he said "Starving, all be starving to death." Sam died just before we got to Botany Bay and I was so sad I just lost another friend.
Botany Bay and the New Land 19 January 1788
When I arrived I was surprised to see all the strange things of this new land and wasn't expecting it to be like this at all. Everything was the wrong colour, the trees, the sky and the land they were to washed out and pale compared to England. I was shocked. I hoped that somehow this new land would be like the country I had left. Captain Phillip decided that we would set sail to Port Jackson because the land was to sandy and there was no fresh water.
I had a chance to escape but I didn't and was rewarded and got to go work with the boy I saw on the ship and he and father are more like my family than my masters. I love life here and its much better than a life in England.
Aboriginal sacred sites
Land3 is fundamental to the wellbeing of Aboriginal people. The land is not just soil or rocks or minerals, but a whole environment that sustains and is sustained by people and culture. For Indigenous Australians, the land is the core of all spirituality and this relationship and the spirit of 'country' is central to the issues that are important to Indigenous people today.
All of Australia's Aboriginals were semi-nomadic hunters and gatherers4, with each clan having its own territory from which they 'made their living'. These territories or 'traditional lands' were defined by geographic boundaries such as rivers, lakes and mountains. They understood and cared for their different environments, and adapted to them.
Indigenous knowledge of the land is linked to their exceptional tracking skills6 based on their hunter and gather life. This includes the ability to track down animals, to identify and locate edible plants, to find sources of water and fish.
Some Indigenous Australians share the religious beliefs and values of religions introduced into Australia from other cultures around the world, particularly Europe. But for most people religious beliefs are derived from a sense of belonging-to the land, to the sea, to other people, to one's culture.
The form and expression of spirituality differs between Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. Aboriginal spirituality mainly derives from the stories of the Dreaming, while Torres Strait Islander spirituality draws upon the stories of the Tagai.
It governed the way people lived and how they should behave. Those who did not follow the rules were punished.
The Dreaming or Dreamtime is often used to describe the time when the earth and humans and animals were created. The Dreaming is also used by individuals to refer to their own dreaming or their community's dreaming.
During the Dreaming, ancestral spirits came to earth and created the landforms, the animals and plants. The stories tell how the ancestral spirits moved through the land creating rivers, lakes and mountains. Today we know the places where the ancestral spirits have been and where they came to rest. There are explanations of how people came to Australia and the links between the groups throughout Australia. There are explanations about how people learnt languages and dance and how they came to know about fire.
In essence, the Dreaming comes from the land. In Aboriginal society, people did not own the land it was part of them and it was part of their duty to respect and look after mother earth.
The Dreaming did not end with the arrival of Europeans but simply entered a new phase. It is a powerful living force that must be maintained and cared for.
Land3 is fundamental to the wellbeing of Aboriginal people. The land is not just soil or rocks or minerals, but a whole environment that sustains and is sustained by people and culture. For Indigenous Australians, the land is the core of all spirituality and this relationship and the spirit of 'country' is central to the issues that are important to Indigenous people today.
All of Australia's Aboriginals were semi-nomadic hunters and gatherers4, with each clan having its own territory from which they 'made their living'. These territories or 'traditional lands' were defined by geographic boundaries such as rivers, lakes and mountains. They understood and cared for their different environments, and adapted to them.
We cultivated our land, but in a way different from the white man. We endeavoured to live with the land; they seemed to live off it. I was taught to preserve, never to destroy.
Aborigine Tom Dystra 5
Indigenous knowledge of the land is linked to their exceptional tracking skills6 based on their hunter and gather life. This includes the ability to track down animals, to identify and locate edible plants, to find sources of water and fish.
Some Indigenous Australians share the religious beliefs and values of religions introduced into Australia from other cultures around the world, particularly Europe. But for most people religious beliefs are derived from a sense of belonging-to the land, to the sea, to other people, to one's culture.
The form and expression of spirituality differs between Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. Aboriginal spirituality mainly derives from the stories of the Dreaming, while Torres Strait Islander spirituality draws upon the stories of the Tagai.
The Dreaming
What is the Dreaming?
"The Dreaming means our identity as people. The cultural teaching and everything, that's part of our lives here, you know?... it's the understanding of what we have around us."The Dreaming has different meanings for different Aboriginal people. It is a complex network of knowledge, faith and practices that derive from stories of creation, and it dominates all spiritual and physical aspects of Aboriginal life. The Dreaming sets out the structures of society, the rules for social behaviour and the ceremonies performed in order to maintain the life of the land.
Merv Penrith, Elder, Wallaga Lake, 1996
It governed the way people lived and how they should behave. Those who did not follow the rules were punished.
The Dreaming or Dreamtime is often used to describe the time when the earth and humans and animals were created. The Dreaming is also used by individuals to refer to their own dreaming or their community's dreaming.
During the Dreaming, ancestral spirits came to earth and created the landforms, the animals and plants. The stories tell how the ancestral spirits moved through the land creating rivers, lakes and mountains. Today we know the places where the ancestral spirits have been and where they came to rest. There are explanations of how people came to Australia and the links between the groups throughout Australia. There are explanations about how people learnt languages and dance and how they came to know about fire.
In essence, the Dreaming comes from the land. In Aboriginal society, people did not own the land it was part of them and it was part of their duty to respect and look after mother earth.
The Dreaming did not end with the arrival of Europeans but simply entered a new phase. It is a powerful living force that must be maintained and cared for.
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