Our First Contacts Australian History Unit

In Term 2, we had to take on the persona of a First Fleet convict. We reseached what life was like back then and wrote an historical narrative based on their life and experience coming to Australia as part of the First Fleet. Read one of my journal entries below.

 

20th October 1785

I woke up as usual, hungry and thirsty and weak, because the master never feeds me. “Servant, get here now and cook me breakfast!”As I clamber up the stairs, I barely make it. I cook his breakfast and I see a stray dog on the street, no one dares to look at it.  As it turns, I see it’s injured. “Servant, get here now with my breakfast!” I get it ready in two seconds.” At last you ungrateful servant, you have cooked my breakfast and to make sure you didn’t poison it, you have the first bite!”

“Mmmmm that’s delicious, may I go outside master?” 

“Yes you may.’

I clamber down the stairs out the door.

 

20th October 1785

I heard yelling and screaming, “stop him!’ Then as fast as the speed of light,  a person turned the corner with heaps of goods in his arms. I head more yelling saying ‘stop him,’ then he saw me, a wicked look in his eyes. He dropped the goods in my hands and sprinted off into the darkness. Suddenly the bow street runners turned the corner and saw me with the goods in my hands “We got you now!” Said a rough voice.

“But, but it wasn’t me it was the person who ran off that way”and I pointed in the direction that he ran in.” No point lying kid, it just gets you in more trouble” as he chucked me in the carriage. It smelled of rotten eggs as I looked around I saw people crying. Some just sat there doing nothing, I thought they might be dead until one started twitching but no one seemed to notice until one person saw me getting a bit nervous. “Don’t worry it’s just that he’s cold.” So I started to relax a bit, then there was a sudden thunk and then the carriage door opened. We were lead out by the guards who took us in to the one and only, old Bailey. I was put in iron shackles which gave me cuts and bruises and scars. Before I knew it, I was put in front of the judge, ”The stolen goods were worth 48 guinnes how do you plead”

“I-II don’t plead.”

“Therefore, you are guilty for stealing. I sentence you to transportation for 14 years, take him away guards!” As I’m taken way and the guards throw  me in the carriage. But I’m thinking where the hell are they taking me, because I heard that America weren’t taking convicts any more. So where the hell are we going? So I must of been mad at the time because I asked the carriage driver. He didn’t answer so I continued to ask him questions. He got that frustrated that he whipped  me. I asked him again, which as you a imagine, he whipped me again. So instead of asking him the next time, I just poked him. Hecalled the guards so I  pretended it wasn’t me. When the guards asked who did it I just pointed without even looking,and they threw him out. I heard a quick slice of blade and a loud thunk so for the next few days I just sat doing nothing. After a couple of days we came to a sudden thunk and  I  was thrown out and placed in chains, and then lead into Newgate prison. Then I asked a guard why I was here. Because I was sentenced to transportation and all he did was mumbled something under his breath. so I just walked away and plopped my self down on to the hard cobble stone floor…

1787 January 9

”Wake up wake up your going to be late” said a rough voice. I looked up and saw a guard standing over me.

“Where am-am I go-going?”

“Some where some place that’s all you need to know.” 

“But-but” 

“Get him on the ship already” screamed the commander 

“yes sir”he yelled back. I am pushed all the way to the very front of the line and into the hulks. Then I am forced to run up the stairs which are slippery and unstable. I reached the top only to find guards all over place and people yelling and screeching at each other, or swearing at the guards. For those who did got lashes so lets just say it ended badly for them.Then the commander said”what’s he still doing on deck of the mighty Alexander” then out of nowhere I am pushed into the the hatch that made me fall down onto the soggy ground which smells of rotting rats and the privy bucket. But as you would of imagined, I wasn’t the last fall, so sadly I wasn’t quick enough to get up and they all came tumbling down on me. then a guff voice comes out of the blue “get up and put these on” as he hands me some clothes which stank of dead fish and some shoes which were made out of leather but stank of a dead turkey. But it’s better than nothing I think, so I put them on any way. But it is two sizes too big! There’s a sudden rocking then lift off.We have been untied drifting  away from England away from friends and masters. I could hear a simple slush as it sways from side to side. Then I  hear a crunch then a the voice again. “If you don’t have a piece  of meat come and get it”but I couldn’t be bothered so lay on my brith. I waited for us to get there,I couldn’t take it any longer so I jumped out of my brith and down onto the soggy ground and they were now giving oranges but just few minutes ago they were giving us meat. I must have dosed off, so walked up to guard who’s giving out oranges and ask him for an orange and “where the hell are we?” Then he answered back in a gruff voice “Well were in Rio by the smell of it and the fresh fruit.” then I take a big bite of my orange

and in two seconds flat I’m done. So I grab another and another by the time I’m done I must of had four hundred oranges. 

  

1787 January 7

We have arrived at Botany Bay days before the French, so we claimed this land ours. In the early days we just started setting up the tents and that’s when I got my things like my soup bowl my clothes and my blanket. I set off for my tent.     

 I  tried to sleep but the first and second class passengers threw a big party for surviving the boat ride which went on forever. Eventually I went to sleep.But what seemed like minutes I was woken up by a person yelling “get up you got a load of work to do!” But I just wanted to sleep in but I knew what the consequences were. So I got up and slouched all the way but the guard clearly didn’t like me slouching so he wipped me. But all that did is make me slouch even more. Then were put into a line so we could see what job each of us had. My job was getting food because rations were running lower then excepted so I had the biggest group. We set off to get food with captain Philip as our leader. When all of a sudden,I heard a sudden snap somewhere in the trees then a berry landed at my  feet . I picked it up not expecting someone to grab it out of my hand but unluckily it happened. So he runs up to Captain Philip and shows him what I found but then out nowhere I yell “I found that but he stole it off me!” Captain Philip turned around asked the man was it true but he’s already sprinting off “after him” yelled Captain Philip. He sends the guards off to catch him. More and more Berries land at my feet so I gave them to Captain Philip and it pleased him. The next day the supplies arrive so I get a good nights sleep. And the captain gives me some fresh clothes and lets me have a nice warm water shower. And also gave me some Cotten socks and some leather shoes with a gold buckle. Then when it was my time to leave  I said my farewell and set off to England.

What do you think it would have been like to live back then?