On the morning of Wednesday 16 April 1834, a young man named Joseph Greenwood was hanged in Hobart Town. He went to the scaffold with his back not yet healed from the 100 lashes he had received less than a month before. The wounds, one newspaper reported, were still uncicatrised Read more
“She Will Do Very Well Where She Is”: The Grim Case of Ellen Wilson and her lousy husband James, 1859 In February 1859, the Liverpool Street neighbours of a Hobart carpenter named James Wilson* began to notice a smell. Not the kind of smell you could ignore, or wave away, Read more
A Short Summary There are gaps in the detail. A more comprehensive life story to follow. Martin Cash – Bushranger 1808 – 1877 born in Ireland, wealthy, literate Convicted: 7 years transportation: shot at a man who was flirting with Cash’s girlfriend 1828 – arrived Sydney On assignment in the 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
When we think about conditions experienced by convicts and settlers in the first years of colonial Hobart, it is very easy to fall into the trap of the usual line: everyone had a rotten time, all convicts were illiterate, exploited, badly treated and they died young and miserable. Deeper investigation 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
The Tasmanian Sail Training Association was established in 1984 to build and sail a replica of the 1798 HMS Lady Nelson. The replica was built in Margate, and launched from there in 1988. Today you can see the replica berthed at Elizabeth Street Pier, on Hobart’s waterfront. As part of 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
As the 45th Premier of Tasmania has just bailed out, it’s a good time to find out about some of our early Premiers. The first Premier of Tasmania was William Thomas Napier Champ (1808 – 1892) – pictured above, he of the impressive facial hair. As a young man, Champ Read more
Irishwoman Mary Yeoman entered the drapery store at 65 Liverpool Street early in the morning of March 1st, 1845. As a recently married convict, still under sentence, she could not have anticipated that her next action would be the start of what became a significant institution in Hobart’s history, the Read more