The trilogy 'Tasmanian Rogues and Absconders 1803-1875' is the latest work by Tasmanian Historian Alex Graeme-Evans. It provides us with a refreshing and vivid reappraisal of Tasmania's early beginnings as a penal colony of the then indomitable British Empire.
Graeme-Evans writes with authority and purpose of four prominent early pioneering families (Dr Edward Luttrell, Francis Evans founder of the Bank of Tasmania), Henry Clayton of Wickford Longford, and the Buxtons of Mayfield on the east coast).
In microcosm these four pioneering families alone over the past centuries demonstrate what contributions Tasmania's native sons (be they European or Aboriginal), have made on the international stage. All four families gave freely of their fathers, sons, uncles, nephews, and brother to represent Tasmania in wars on foreign soils, from the Maori, the Boer, and the First and Second World Wars, and even in the American Civil War. Many became casualties and never returned to their native soil, but their spirit lived on in the land; and in the many fine houses these families constructed which are now part of the Tasmania National Estate.
This unique trilogy of Tasmanian history driven from such perspectives, and celebrating as it does to complement the text, the finest examples of our earliest colonial artists, should capture the heart and imagination of most readers.
In this volume we deal with: the establishment, rise and fall of Port Arthur; what it was like to be a convict there; the fate of the tribal Tasmanian Aborigines; escapes from the Tasman Peninsula by convicts, including Martin Cash; a look at the Governors who succeeded Governor Sir George Arthur and the problems they faced; Port Arthur in its declining years; and we close with the last recorded escape from its confines. It makes very interesting reading and in concert with its companion volumes is specifically designed to give researchers of Tasmanian history and tourists alike a different perspective on the colony's early days that that which has been previously presented.
Contents:
Foreword and Acknowledgements
Section 1: Black Arrows, Centipedes and Broken Spears
Chapter 1. The Establishment of Port Arthur
Chapter 2. Those Were the Days: Port Arthur 1833-44
Chapter 3. Let the Escapes Begin 1830- 44
Chapter 4. The Fate of the Tasmanian Aboriginal People
Section 2: A Colony Matures 1844-75
Chapter 5. Winds of Changes
Chapter 6. Maria and Sarah Island Revisited
Chapter 7. A Passing Trade: Port Arthur 1844-75
Indexes
Contents:
Foreword and Acknowledgements
Section 1: Black Arrows, Centipedes and Broken Spears
Chapter 1. The Establishment of Port Arthur
Chapter 2. Those Were the Days: Port Arthur 1833-44
Chapter 3. Let the Escapes Begin 1830- 44
Chapter 4. The Fate of the Tasmanian Aboriginal People
Section 2: A Colony Matures 1844-75
Chapter 5. Winds of Changes
Chapter 6. Maria and Sarah Island Revisited
Chapter 7. A Passing Trade: Port Arthur 1844-75
Indexes
