Tommy had observed the process of selecting women from the convict ships many times before when he visited Sydney Cove. He imagined for the women it was like being in a slave market. Nothing much had changed in the years he had been coming down and with the extreme shortage of women in the colony, nothing was going to change in the immediate future.
As had been explained to him this process worked well for the government. When a woman was selected from the ship she would be off-stores and the man would be responsible, in whatever capacity she served him, for her upkeep. This kept the cost of the colony down. It also kept single women off the streets, which enhanced the moral fibre of the colony. The government also hoped the men and women would marry and thereby grow the settler population.
After some minutes perusing the women, Tommy glimpsed one who stood back from the rest. Her features and colouring reminded him of his first wife who had passed away some ten years ago. She looked a little older than most, a reason perhaps for not being chosen immediately, and was clearly feeling uncomfortable. She had her face slightly downturned, partially hidden by her small bonnet. Her long, heavily pleated skirt looked faded and old, probably third or fourth hand when she got it, he thought. She was quietly whispering to a woman next to her, obviously trying to draw comfort.
Within a short time the first thirty women had been selected. After saying goodbye to their shipboard friends they were each, in turn, taken away to begin their new lives. Tommy’s choice, the older woman in the bonnet, was still available, and the fact she was tucked behind the others meant she was not an obvious selection.
The women who were still standing on deck were feeling anxious. To be left on deck with no one willing to assume responsibility for your future and no one interested in you would be terrible and shameful.
Tommy was disturbed from his thoughts when Captain Dodds announced his name. ‘O’Neil!’
He stepped forward, about to advance to the woman in the bonnet but he could not see her. She seemed to have disappeared; but that could not be the case. He rescanned the faces of the women but he still could not see her. Just as quickly as she had disappeared she reappeared. He realised she had just been bending down to pick up something from the deck.
He advanced towards her. As he got within arm’s length she looked up and stared at him.
She noted he was quite old with a broad face and hair greying at the temples and was a little stooped. He was very well dressed, much better than those around him, who in general were rather scruffy. He also had a nice smile.
‘’Cuse me, ma’am, my name is Tommy O’Neil.’
She was very pleased to hear the Irish accent. It made her think of home. But his pronunciation was a little different from what she was familiar with.
‘Ma’am, I have a tailor’s shop in Upper Pitt’s Row and need of a woman to help me. Would you be willing, per chance, to be of assistance?’
A gentleman, she thought.
‘Pleased to, sir.’ And she gave her name.
‘Very good, Miss Kennedy,’ he said. ‘Step this way.’
He led her from the brig down to a waiting shore boat.
The two strangers wound their way from the quay to Tommy’s shop in Upper Pitt’s Row. It was a good walk and slightly uphill. Anne found it a little difficult to walk after so much time spent at sea. To steady her, Tommy held her arm. Anne appreciated the thoughtfulness of the gesture and liked his warmth.
On reaching the shop Tommy let Anne enter first. Anne was impressed with the layout and the merchandise on display. She had never seen such fine fabrics – they took her breath away. The colours and the softness of the fabrics overwhelmed her. Anne was a country girl and she had never worked in a shop, but she was not stupid and felt sure she could find her feet. With a caring man like Tommy anything seemed possible.
‘Oh, my gosh!’ she cried as she looked in a mirror on the far wall. Tommy’s shop was aglow with the early morning sun. The mirror reflected her attire. Anne had thought she looked passable but she did not have a mirror on Experiment II. Her clothes looked so ragtag and scrappy compared to those in the shop. She was overcome with embarrassment and dismay.
Tommy recognised her look. ‘Anne, I too was on a convict ship nearly ten years ago and I know what it is like. Please do not feel embarrassed.’
‘Oh, Mr O’Neil, I am,’ her distress evident in her voice.
‘I can easily fix you up with a new outfit. You will soon be one of the best-dressed ladies in town. There are a few things I have laid out in the room out back. Why don’t you go and inspect them. There is a washbasin. Take your time.’
‘Oh you are so kind.’
‘Should you require anything else I can take you to a woman’s shop just down the Row.’
After, Anne returned refreshed in her new clothes. Tommy briefed her on the rules associated with being an indentured convict, including restricted movement around the colony.
‘Mr O’Neil,’ she began.
At which point Tommy interrupted her, ‘Anne, please only call me by my first name. “Tommy”.’
‘Tommy,’ she began hesitantly, ‘where will I sleep tonight?’
‘Anne, I have a place just over the hill,’ he said pointing to the east. ‘It has two rooms. You can have one of those as your room. But before we head up to the hut we will go down with Darby, here, and have a wee drop to celebrate your arrival.’
And so it was some hours later they found themselves at Rosella Marsh’s Tavern. It was while there that they got talking to a seaman who sailed regularly up the coast to and from Coal Town (today’s Newcastle). Tommy had mentioned that he was thinking about becoming a farmer.
‘And based on your travels, where do you think I should look?’ asked Tommy.
The seaman replied, ‘There are many places on the route to Coal Town where you could find a farm. There is some really beautiful country all the way up the coast. But most of it is too isolated. If I had that inclination I would choose a place not too far away, on the harbour. Why don’t you take a look at Middle Harbour? It is around to the west of the last major headland before you leave the harbour.’
‘I might just do that,’ replied Tommy.
Tommy did not linger at Rosella Marsh’s Tavern, as he was mindful that Anne had already had a long day. Together they walked across the large common. Tommy knew it was time to be careful. The sun had gone down and there were many miscreants who lived around the common. It was a time to be wary. They continued upwards along the narrow lane, talking as they went to reach Thomas’s home. Tommy described to Anne that he had left two daughters behind in Dublin in the care of his sister and that he be would be reunited with them in the future, but that could not occur until they could travel to the colony.
‘And Tommy what about the girls’ mother?’
‘Oh my wife passed just following the birth of my youngest daughter, Eliza.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.’
Tommy told Anne the colony had become more dangerous over the past few months. ‘There was the coup over Governor Bligh that left the Corps in charge. That’s why I moved up here. The new governor will not be arriving for some months. Hopefully with his arrival the colony will settle down.’
They reached Tommy’s home. Anne entered the front door of her new home and looked around.
‘Acceptable?’ asked Thomas anxiously.
‘It’s perfect,’ said Anne.
‘Could be a good family home then?’ he suggested cheekily.
‘Steady now!’ They shared a laugh.
Anne felt blessed. With this man she had protection, accommodation, food, a job – and he was an Irishman.
13.
Finding a Girl in Hobart Town
SYDNEY TOWN, 1810
By July 1810, William Foster was twenty-two and had lived in the colony for almost eight years, working hard in the dockyard and improving his house. He was five foot three and a quarter inches tall and boyishly attractive, with freckles, ha
zel eyes and dark brown hair. Even though he was still an apprentice, William was becoming an expert shipwright.
The skills of a shipwright in the colony were in increasing demand. There were the convict transport ships that transited in the port. In recent years the number of those ships had been greatly surpassed by trading ships and local craft that plied the waters of Port Jackson and the adjacent coastline. All needed repair at regular intervals.
Robert Campbell was a merchant operating out of Campbell’s Cove, Port Jackson. He sent his first cargo to New South Wales in 1796 and had been in the import-export trade ever since. Campbell took up residence in 1798 at his Dawes Point property at the western side of the cove.
By 1805 Campbell & Co had extensive trading interests with India and England. In addition the firm engaged in supply contracts to other parts of the colony, including the Derwent in Van Dieman’s Land.
Robert Campbell was in need of the skills of a good shipwright to maintain his ships. He was a hands-on operator who knew the men working for him and respected them. They, in turn, respected him. Among small settlers he had a rare reputation for fair trading.
William Foster was highly regarded around the dockyard for his enterprise, skills and integrity. These qualities made him a man Campbell trusted with his own ships and expensive cargoes.
William was standing on Campbell’s Wharf in the third week of July 1810 when his attention was drawn across the cove to the arrival of an American merchant vessel Aurora. She was two-masted and square-rigged, which made manoeuvring difficult. Foster observed the vessel had got itself into a very tight position on the eastern side on its entry to Sydney Cove. Suddenly a gust of wind blew up from the west and drove the ship onto Bennelong Point, where it came to rest with a loud sickening crunch.
William was promptly rowed across the cove to carry out a seaworthiness inspection. His initial inspection indicated that while there was damage it was not so significant that Aurora could not be refloated. Following frantic activity, the removal of surplus cargo and a rising tide, Aurora floated free, to the delight of its master, Captain Owen Smith.
Smith introduced himself to William and thanked him.
William told Smith he would take a more detailed look at Aurora now it was at rest in the harbour.
As it turned out there was more damage than initially indicated. Aurora stayed moored for a further two months until it could be certified safe to sail. Aurora was due to sail south to the islands south of Van Diemen’s Land to pick a cargo from the sealers who were operating there. The southern coast of the New South Wales mainland, Bass Strait, Van Diemen’s Land and places further south were known for their wild weather and dangerous seas. A number of ships had suffered significant damage and loss trying to reach the Derwent and places beyond. Smith wanted to take someone, preferably William Foster, as a passenger should the ship need further critical repairs on its journey. As a consequence, William joined the ship for the first part of its voyage to the Derwent when Aurora sailed on 19 September 1810.
However, before William, or the crew, could leave, a notice of ‘Claims and Demands’ was required to be published in the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser. This enabled creditors to receive payment for any debts owed by the departing party. Notices were duly published on 1 and 8 September. The departure of William Foster also required the approbation of His Honour the Lieutenant Governor, as William had not received a pardon and was still serving his sentence. The approbation was easily obtained.
The journey to the Derwent proceeded without incident. During the voyage William struck up a conversation with one of the crew, a younger man by the name of Nicholas Thompson. As Aurora had a few days layover at the Derwent and William was not immediately returning to Sydney, Nicholas invited William to meet his family.
‘My mother and father are both at home and you should come and visit them. I also have a brother and two sisters, Maria and Elizabeth,’ said Nicholas.
Not willing to miss the opportunity of meeting persons of the opposite sex, who were still scarce in the colony, William immediately accepted.
At Nicholas’s parents’ home William was introduced to the family. William judged Maria to be about sixteen and Elizabeth much younger, around ten.
Following general introductions Maria spoke first to her brother.
‘Nicko, what you doing here? I am booked on a ship in two days’ time to come and see you in Sydney. I was so looking forward to you showing me round.’
‘Sis,’ said Nicholas, ‘I’m sailing south on Aurora. It was delayed by a few months with damage. William here fixed it. He’s a good man. You can go stay in my room in Sydney till I get back.’
‘Well that’s good,’ replied Maria. ‘How long will you be?’
Nicholas shrugged. ‘I don’t really know. Have to wait for a full cargo. A few weeks, maybe more. Anyway, William might be on the same ship so you’ll have someone to talk to.’
Maria’s parents were not keen on the direction this discussion was heading but at least could acknowledge that they had met William Foster. He seemed like a nice man with a good and reliable job. Nicko vouched for him.
A few days later William and Maria boarded a northbound ship headed for Sydney.
14.
Exploration of Middle Harbour
SYDNEY TOWN, OCTOBER 1809
‘Tommy, you look ten years younger than a year ago. I must ask, how did you find a wife?’
‘Most difficult, mate,’ he replied. ‘Not only a wife but we have a baby on the way.’
‘Jeez, in for a penny, in for a pound, hey.’
‘No doubt about it.’
Jack was a long-term customer, and Tommy felt for the man, who was without a wife. He’d just finished fitting a new suit for him. He beckoned Jack to sit down for a natter.
‘Finally applied, and got permission for a female servant. Met Experiment II in June and there she was. One of the convicts. I spotted her among the arriving women. I was a bit taken by her.’
‘Gosh, that was a bit of Irish luck!’
‘We worked together, you know, at the shop. I only had two bedrooms in my place at Kings Cross and it was a cold night. We’re not really husband and wife though we use those titles. There is still no Catholic Church. There’s no way we’re going to get married in a Protestant Church! Anyway enough about that.’
Ever since the conversation in the pub, Tommy had been thinking about looking at land in Middle Harbour. He’d discussed it with Anne, and together they’d dreamed of a place in the bush near a pristine beach. Tommy had shared his doubts and worries that he was too old to start over, but Anne had allayed his fears, reassuring him that he was twice as healthy as men half his age, which was true. Together they imagined building a home and being joined at last by Tommy’s daughters. Wouldn’t they flourish in such a place?
Tommy realised Jack might have some good advice.
‘You’re a seafaring man,’ he said. ‘What’s the best way to explore the harbour?’
‘By boat or land?’
‘I was thinking, boat,’ replied Tommy, ‘but I have absolutely no knowledge of boats. Apart from the pleasure cruise to get here I have never been in one.’
‘You and your wife?’
Tommy nodded.
‘Engage someone from down at the cove as your guide and rower. Just go as passengers. Rowing’s not difficult but it is taxing. Take plenty of food, fresh water and a tent. You’ll be able to catch fish and get oysters from the foreshore rocks, so you’ll not starve. It’ll be like a honeymoon.’
Anne and Tommy decided it was time to explore. They could leave Darby Carbery in charge of the shop.
Tommy headed to the dockyard. In addition to an oarsman and a boat, he needed a vessel in which he could store fresh water, fishing equipment and a sturdy knife for defence, but also to leverage oysters and shellfish from the rocky shoreline.
The dockyard people were like himself, had mostly come from a convict ship, so ther
e was a general comradeship between them. Even if he used the wrong words and appeared totally ignorant they would help him as much as they could.
The dockyard was bustling when Tommy arrived. The Government Dockyard, privately established businesses, the Campbell wharves and warehouse operations were jostling for space all along Sydney Cove.
Entering the dockyard, Tommy ran into a man of about forty, strong and fit looking, tanned by the sun.
Tommy introduced himself and told the man what he was looking for.
‘Pleasure to meet you, Mr O’Neil,’ said the man. ‘I myself am ’tween ships and looking for something to do. I’d be pleased to take you and Mrs O’Neil round the harbour on such a journey. For a few pennies, of course.’
Tommy told the man he wanted to explore across the harbour to the North Shore, then head east around the various coves and beaches to the main headlands protecting the harbour, before turning to the west and investigating the beaches at Middle Harbour.
Tommy and the man were joined by a third man who had overhead the conversation.
‘Excuse me for interrupting, but you both sound as if you do not know the harbour that well.’
The men good-naturedly introduced themselves, the first as Sam and the newcomer as Denis. Tommy asked Denis to enlighten them.
‘Mate, watch out for the weather on the harbour, from the south and the west. Watch the clouds and stay close to shore. When clouds form a line it tells you a weather change is on its way. Get to shore as soon as you can and take cover. Secure the boat to a trunk of a tree and have the rope fixed tight. You do not want to become stranded.’
Tommy started to feel unsure of his plan with the thought of mishap laid out in front of him. He realised how dangerous his excursion could be.
Denis picked up a stick and drew a sketch of the outer harbour in the sand. He was a regular sailor through the area and his diagram picked up the main features: the harbour to southern headland, north head, over to the shoreline called Manly, and two headlands on the western side where Middle Harbour was located.
The Tailor and the Shipwright Page 11
