Bonzer Words!: The Convicts Of Macquarie Harbour
Paula Wilson tells of some of the women imprisoned in the 19th Century on Sarah Island off the west coast of Tasmania.
Women of Sarah Island
Midway down the west coast of Tasmania you will find Macquarie Harbour. It is said to rain 300 days out of each year in this natural harbour and a brutal wind punishes everything in its way. It is about 50 kilometres long and between six and twelve kilometres wide. Near the southern end sits Sarah Island, a very small island with a pretty name that belies its history.
It was here in 1822 authorities decided to situate a penal settlement for convicts who absconded or committed further crimes while still in custody.
Sarah Island was chosen because it was thought to be impossible to escape from. Not only was it in the middle of often violent waters, but they were also supposed to be shark-infested. As it turned out the authorities had it wrong as numerous escapes were made over the years.
The first party sent to the Island was made up of 110 people, mostly soldiers and hardened convicts. Over the next eleven years nearly 2000 prisoners, officials and military personnel spent time on Sarah Island.
A thriving ship-building industry was established, as was a brutal environment where lashes were given out as punishment. Where solitary confinement and rations of bread and water were the norm.
Into this hellhole came a number of women. Women like Jane Davis who was sentenced alongside her husband William. Jane was arrested for petty theft and William was charged as being responsible for her activities. It might have been William the authorities were really after as they were unable to catch him at his unlawful activities. Jane was an easier target with William as a bonus.
There were women such as Sarah Simmons, a cook who served the Commandant and Doctor between 1831 and 1832. She used the local fauna to supplement supplies; wombat, swan, kangaroo and echidna were often served at her table. But she upset the Doctor with her nocturnal behaviours and was charged with 'immoral conduct', which led to the loss of her position. Eventually she returned to the Cascades Female Factory* in Hobart.
Margaret Keefe spent seven years on the Island. She was 25 when caught shoplifting. Sentenced in 1818 she landed in Sydney in 1820 before being transferred to Hobart. Transportation did not change Margaret's habits as she got up to a number of unsavoury activities that included assault and breaking and entering. She was before the courts more than once prior to arriving on Sarah Island.
At first she went to work in the infirmary on nearby Small Island (now called Grummet Rock.) After a short while she was sent to the Island where she became involved with James Lucas, a free man. In 1828 Margaret was granted her freedom and married James a year later. Towards the end of 1829 they left Sarah Island with their four sons to live alongside the Derwent River and have another six children.
Many women continued to get into trouble while on the Island. Mary Ann Furze received seven years for larceny and arrived in Hobart in 1820. Two years later she was on Sarah Island. She spent time in solitary confinement in May 1824 for disobeying orders. Her punishment included a diet of bread and water. Later in the same year she destroyed the hospital's fresh water supply. This was a serious charge as the there was no natural fresh water on the Island and it had to be shipped in. By 1828 Ann was back in Hobart and a year later received her ticket of leave.
Elizabeth Slater was a nurse in the Island's hospital. She was also a convict who had received fourteen years for 'uttering forged notes'. While on the Island she continued to get into trouble once for disobeying the assistant surgeon and another time for quitting her post at the hospital.
Isabella Hammill was sent to Sarah Island in 1822 for five years after receiving a large number of stolen shirts and trousers. While there she abused the assistant surgeon and spent seven days on bread and water rations. Later she made 'false scandalous and malicious expressions' during a trial.
There were other women on Sarah Island who were not convicts. They where the wives of soldiers and officials. It seems amazing but they also took their children as well, eleven were with the first party in 1822.
The Island closed as a place of punishment in 1833. It re-opened for one year in 1846 before the authorities finally decided to abandon it.
© Paula Wilson
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Paula writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au
