The London Missionary Society (LMS), founded in 1795 to take the gospel to the Heathen[1], did not originally intend to evangelise Hobart. Nevertheless, Hobart became involved by circumstance: initially as a stopover for missionaries en-route to the islands, and later, from 1830, when a Congregational church – planted without an Read more
Fifty-three people went to the gallows in Van Diemen’s Land in 1826 – the single deadliest year of George Arthur’s governorship, and by some margin. It’s tempting to read that number as the story of a colony finally getting its violent criminal element under control. The Supreme Court’s own record Read more
In 1803, the British established a settlement on the Derwent River as part of a wider imperial design: securing territory, countering French expansion, and deploying a convict workforce to lay the economic foundations of a new colony. Neither purpose left much room for the emergence of a prosperous middling class. Read more
Norfolk Island — a brief timeline ~1200 CE: People from Polynesia were the first to inhabit Norfolk Island, arriving around 1200 CE. By the time the British arrived in 1788 the Polynesians had gone. 6 March 1788 – 15 February 1814: First Settlement. The British established Norfolk Island as an Read more
May 18th – International Day of Museums. Hobart is loaded with interesting museums, and one of my favourites is Australia’s oldest folk museum: Narryna at Battery Point. Construction of Narryna began in 1835 as a private residence for merchant, Captain Andrew Haig. Over time Narryna was rented to several significant Read more
Nursing at Hobart’s public hospital has come a long way since the colony was first established in 1804. 12th May is International Nurses Day, where we celebrate the value of nurses in our communities on the birthday of British nurse, Florence Nightingale (1820 – 1910) the founder of modern nursing. Read more
The declaration of a public health emergency in Tasmania on 17th March 2020 meant that stronger powers and sanctions would become available to the director of Public Health. The Tasmanian Public Health Act, 1997, allows for the Tasmanian Director of Public Health to declare a public health emergency. These powers Read more
As you head into this long weekend for Hobart’s Regatta Day (thank you Governor Sir John and Lady Jane Franklin for starting that bit of fun in 1838) you are probably thinking about the next long weekend next month, on Monday 9th March 2020: Eight Hours Day. While the February Read more
On Sept 18th 2019, RSV Aurora Australis will turn 30. Within a year RSV Aurora Australis will be replaced by the RSV Nuyina. Nuyina (noy-yee-nah) means southern lights in palawa kani, the language of the Tasmanian Aborigines. Southern lights are also known as the aurora australis. The naming of both Read more
Through the warm summer months, Hobartians find themselves keen to spend as much time outdoors as possible. The cry goes up: get as much sun as you can! We are aided and abetted in this project by obligingly long daylight hours, a very long dusk and a cool breeze to Read more