What Became of Van Diemen’s Land’s Youngest Convict Lads?

One of the highlights of our visit to Tasmania was our venture into the convict punishment precinct of Port Arthur, stretched out as it is on the Tasman Peninsula at the very southern end of Aus’. A penal settlement, isolated by the cold antarctic winds and separated from the main Tasmanian island by the savage dog line across the isthmus of the peninsula which kept the convicts in, and the good society of Van Diemen’s Land out. The Dog Line was accompanied by a guards hut where guards and their families lived and this was as close as polite society came.

The First Australians – Our Aboriginal History

A Informal Picture : The Native Police

While sitting on The Homesite waiting for The Man to get back from down south while he is on a mission of his own, I have been exploring the free “on demand” telly options over the Internet. A remarkable series, which I have found free to air, is the SBS series “First Australians”.

You Have Mail – A Scotsman In Chains

I am resting now, in a quiet place under the Southern Cross and it’s a peaceful time. It wasna’ so peaceful during my life but it was fun I had, my bonny lasses and me. I have a want to tell you my story, as sorry and as sunny as it was. So listen up, and hear my tale. It’s an Australian tale, tho’ it wasna’ Australia then. No, back then it was the harsh penal colonies and Van Diemen’s Land for me. It was said to be the land of the giants… and aye… that’s what it was. It was the trees that was the giants tho’ and we little understood it at the time.

A Mans Dream of the Old World – Paronella Park

There is one place that I have always had a yen to visit. It’s a castle, up on the tablelands near Innisfail FNQ. Paronella Park has always represented for me the determination, the dedication to family and the efforts in dynastic building, which many of our early emigrants bought to Aus in the last 150 yrs or so. They bought with them their dreams for a better future and this should be celebrated.

Oldies at Large – Finding Yesteryear in Port Macquarie

We are on R&R in Port Macquarie and one of the nicest things about the old penal settlements, those that have come into their own down the century since colonial times, is walking around the site of the old settlement and seeking out the remnant of another age. We have lost so much that is rich and rigorous of colonial times that it is heartbreaking. But here they have endeavoured to preserve their fumbling beginnings where they can, fighting in the battle against progress and commerce.

To Own a Woman

I often hear, as you do, about Women’s rights in todays world and despite the great distance we have come in the last century we still have a long way to go before women are truly considered as simply human, aside from skin colour and prejudice with all the privileges and rights equal to the other gender of our species, mind you this is only an opinion constrained to our species. But that is not entirely what I want to bring to you this week.

Instead I would like to bring to you an understanding of how far we have come. Women in history, within different cultures have enjoyed varying standards of equality if any at all but largely they were a possession of men, be that husbands, sons or fathers. They were once equal to a trade or social commodity, particularly in our more common patriarchal social structures which we are mostly exposed to. This is also an opinion constrained to our species. In other species it is the male who courts and competes for the female commonly and it is the male who protects the female and offspring… we went terribly wrong with some of the males in our society didn’t we? Perhaps we shouldn’t mate with those lesser males ladies, but that is another posting. Perhaps this is why there are so many single males around, we might want to play with them but we don’t want to necessarily marry them.