Ravenswood Dreaming, page 2
The mainland beaches were now tantalizingly close, curiously snow white. Once again the railing was crowded with settlers anxious to get some idea of what this settlement was like. They cannot see any houses. Perhaps the village is further back. There is no one on the beach. The vegetation is dull and stunted. There are no jetties or wharves. There is another ship anchored four or five miles to the south. Towards sunset some dark skinned figures appeared on the beach. The natives. Are they friendly? They don’t appear to be wearing any clothes. Are they cannibals or head hunters?
The sun slowly disappeared behind the island and the blanket of darkness crept towards them and rolled down the beach then silently flowed across the surface of the sea. On the shore, here and there, they could see the glow of cooking fires, a cluster of them directly opposite the ship and a few scattered along the coast line to the south.
For most settlers, dinner on board the ship that night took a turn for the better. The ship was relatively still and so lighting fires on the sand pad in the galley was not as difficult as it had been when they were out at sea. Many of the settlers cooked the last and most appetizing of their daily provisions. There was no danger of cooking pots overturning, cups, utensils and plates remained still on tables, benches and boxes. Soups, rice, potatoes, stews and other dishes were cooked in abundance and washed down with mugs of wine saved for this very occasion. It was a time to celebrate but that would have to wait for another time.
One by one the Aboriginal cooking fires on the shore were extinguished or died down. Lanterns and candles on the ship were snuffed out. Down below the atmosphere was hot and suffocating. John and William elected to sleep on the deck and enjoy breathing the fresh air as did many of the other settlers. Their heads were too full of thoughts about what lay ahead for them to sleep, so they sat propped up against a barrel, talking quietly. As if to mark the occasion with something spectacular a full moon rose slowly over the main and bathed the ship and its occupants in orange-yellow light which gradually faded to silver. It hung there suspended like a giant coin in the sky. Other settlers sat or stood up to better see the marvellous display.
A silver ship with silver masts and sails, John observed.
Held in place by silver ropes, William added.
A fitting start to our new life………… John remarked to no one in particular.
The next morning they woke early. It was light enough to see clearly by five o’clock. Not long after that a boat bumped into the side of the ship and two men clambered aboard. They brought news and greetings from the governor and instructions to anchor the ship a few miles south of their present position, just past a point known as Woodman’s Point. This part of the beach would be more suitable to land the new settlers, their goods and chattels, livestock and equipment.
The ten days before Christmas were long and arduous. The women and children remained on the ship. The daily temperature was in excess of 80 degrees. They struggled to cope with the blistering heat, which reached its peak around mid-afternoon when a strong wind from the west cooled them down and saved their sanity.
The men and the crew were anxious to get the ship unloaded, however before they could begin, other preparatory tasks had to be attended to.
Their location had to be explored…. Scrub had to be cleared so they could erect tents and other make-shift shelters…. A well had to be sunk….. A large prefabricated store shed had to be erected in which the precious provisions would be kept.
For ten days they laboured in the heat with a short break on Christmas Day. Then work resumed on Boxing Day. Bit by bit, tent by tent, the village took shape.
Part 1
CLARENCE
The sky was indeed black. It had depth as though it was made of black liquid. Young John realised that it was the stars that were creating this effect. Some were closer and brighter and appeared to be floating on the surface and millions of others were immersed deeper and deeper into the blackness until you were not sure they really existed.
He had never before seen a night sky like this. He had never seen so many stars so clearly displayed. Did the same beauty exist over England? If it did he had never seen it.
He was barely conscious of the gentle waves lapping on the beach, tirelessly piling up an endless row of silvery white foam. It was very comfortable lying where he was higher up the beach well above the highwater mark. He had a blanket and an old piece of torn sail cloth that he had commandeered from the ship. He was not covered up though. There was no need, it was a warm balmy December night. So unlike England at this time of year.
It was his first night sleeping on the beach, quite exciting really. His thoughts wandered and he began to go over the incredible journey that had brought them to this place, Clarence, a new satellite town of the Swan River Colony on the west coast of the land known as New Holland. Well, town was stretching it a bit. It was a newly declared town-site a few miles south of the Swan River mouth on a small bay formed by Woodman Point. The settlers, acting on Peel’s instructions, had finally set up a village of temporary housing and tents pitched in the scrub up behind the sand hills some five miles south of Woodman Point. Peel himself erected a hut, or rather his men did, and personal store about one hundred and sixty yards north of the Gilmore village on a limestone ledge virtually overlooking the water, a hut with a view befitting the lord of the manor.
So that he could keep the settlers under surveillance and supervise their activities, Peel had his foreman and other officials (four families in all) set up a separate camp about four hundred and sixty yards inland from his own hut and store and five hundred and fifty yards north of the Gilmore camp. In fact, this camp for Peel’s direct staff was on the other side of a limestone ridge. This situation discouraged fraternization between the indentured ‘ordinary’ settlers and those in charge and ensured that Peel and his staff remained in control. They controlled the distribution of food rations and other necessities, such as toilet paper, and also to some extent the movement and activities of the settlers who, according to the contract they had signed, were forbidden to leave Peel’s land without permission. It did not take long for the settlers (who had not been allocated farms and for the most part had no work to do) to begin to resent this situation. Peel himself had remained remote and isolated from his indentured servants.
Around the Gilmore settlers’ tents were piles of goods and chattels that they had managed to carry up over the sand hills. Larger, heavier items were simply left where they had been landed off the ship to await transport (hopefully) by horse and cart at some future date. Further along the beach were other clusters of sometimes expensive domestic furniture which had arrived with settlers on earlier ships, much of it impractical and useless for the situation they were in. Pianos, sideboards, desks, beautiful English-oak dining tables, all exposed to the rain, salt air, wind-blown sand and the relentless sun, standing as silent sentinels to a way of life now half a world away. Young John pondered, how did this come about?
His father, also named John, had decided that he would use what capital they had and the Thomas family would join the widely-advertised scheme which was part of an audacious plan to establish a settlement on the west coast of Australia near the mouth of the Swan River. The Peel Scheme, as it became known, was put together by Thomas Peel, who was to be part of the expedition, and his mysterious silent partner was to be the go between with the British Government once the ships departed Plymouth, England. The silent partner was also to arrange to send ships from Sydney with all the necessary equipment and livestock for the settlers to begin farming. As far as John Jnr understood they were supposed to arrive at the Swan River on or before the 1st of November 1829. If they arrived within this time Mr Peel could be granted one million acres (John could not begin to imagine how much land this was) of the most fertile land on the southern side of the River. This land was to be allocated to his indentured employees on the basis of their possessions, their capital and the number of servants they brought with them. It seemed to John that it was virtually transferring the old system of distributing land with a lord of the manor in charge of all the farms. Indeed, it became obvious, that was exactly what Mr Peel had in mind.
There was at least some possibility that the individual farmers could eventually own their farms. After improvements had been made and five years had elapsed (during which they paid rent and reimbursed Mr Peel the cost of their passage) they could sell them. If during that time they actually worked for Mr Peel directly they would be paid three shillings a day. Probably because he was a qualified and experienced carpenter, John’s father was appointed to the position of clerk of works, a position of responsibility for which he expected some special consideration.
It was a grand plan where everybody would be a winner. Mr Peel would make a fortune and all his indentured servants who worked hard would end up with their own farms. But even the best of plans can go astray. There were some difficulties with the British Government which delayed their departure. Then the captain of the Gilmore, who was not easy to get on with, had a disagreement with the crew, some of whom absconded and had to be replaced and this caused more delays. So finally, they had departed on the 10th of August which made the dead line date of the 1st of November look very difficult. Mr Peel could see his grand scheme disappearing before his eyes but he remained hopeful of a fast passage.
It was not to be. Once again it was the unpredictable, often obstinate and self- righteous Captain Geary who acted in an unbelievably selfish manner. He had, during the two-and-a-half-month voyage from Plymouth to Cape Town ‘fallen in love’ (or lust) with an attractive young lady passenger; Miss Susan Smythe. They were married in the church at Cape Town.
Despite Mr Peel’s entreaties to load the stores and water immediately and set sail at the next favourable tide, and despite being aware that the life savings of many of the passengers would be put at risk by a late arrival, the Captain rejected the request. Instead he informed Mr Peel that the ship would not be departing for about a week so that he and his new wife could have a honeymoon. Mr Peel was livid but there was nothing he could do about it. The Captain had the final say on board the ship.
The Gilmore eventually arrived at the mouth of the Swan River on the 15th of December 1829, one and a half months late.
Mr Peel was frantic. He made haste to go ashore and hurried off to see Governor Stirling to claim the land grant that he had been promised. The meeting did not go well. The Governor had allocated all the best land south of the river to settlers that had arrived on earlier ships. Peel’s temper was at boiling point. It seemed to him that no matter which way he turned people were trying to sabotage his grand scheme. He resolved to have it out with that arrogant swine Geary. With good reason to be angry, Peel confronted the Captain. A furious argument developed and this escalated into a fight between the two men on board the Gilmore. Fortunately, weapons were not involved and neither man was seriously injured.
For Mr Peel, it was all to no avail. Governor Stirling was not about to reverse the land grants that he had already made, and offered to accompany Peel on an excursion further South wherein he might select some alternative land. This they did.
It was agreed that Peel would be granted a massive tract of land starting from Clarence (where they had landed) its northern border stretching some twelve miles to the east and then south along the coast to a large inlet which opened into the ocean. This inlet was fed by three rivers, the Serpentine, the Murray and the Harvey. Peel’s estate included all of the land on the northern side of the Murray River. The township of Clarence was duly declared. This would act as the focal point for the development of the Peel Estate by the settlers indentured to him.
John’s father, like the other indentured settlers, expected that soon after their arrival the land would be surveyed and they would be allocated farms and they could make a start on work that ultimately would see them own the land. This ambition was one that they could never have hoped for back in England.
Things had not gone to plan. The settlers sat and waited for something to happen. They had nothing to do. It was hot and dry and the country was depressing. They could not leave and get temporary work as they were under contract to work on Peel’s land. As it turned out young John was the Thomas family’s saving grace. He was fifteen years old, fit and strong and had not been indentured to Peel. He could leave the settlement at Clarence and work elsewhere. He applied for and was given a job cutting trees and sawing them into lumber for use in the settlement, valuable work that they hoped would pay well.
Young John smiled at the recollection of the fight between Peel and Geary which spilled out onto the deck of the ship and ended with Captain Geary ordering Mr Peel off the ship and declaring he had twenty-four hours to get his possessions unloaded or he would have them thrown overboard.
What are you smiling at? It was his friend, William Gaze, who had suddenly appeared out of the darkness.
I was just thinking about the fight between those stupid old men. How do men like that get to be in charge of things? John shook his head slowly from side to side.
William shrugged, Yes, God help us.
The two boys had struck up their friendship on the voyage out and in the week, they had spent in Cape Town. They had followed the conflict between Geary and Mr Peel with great amusement; not to mention the blossoming romance between the Captain and Miss Smythe. She played the fish well and finally hooked him. It helped to pass the time on the relatively boring days sailing south down the coast of Africa to Cape Town. The thought of a short time in the legendary port was exciting enough. Then to their delight the Captain announced that the ship would remain in the port for about a week. They couldn’t believe their luck.
What a glorious time they had exploring the exotic port. Ships from every corner of the globe called in there to trade goods or to replenish their supplies and fill water barrels. The streets, shops, cafes, hotels, and bars were full of people of every nationality, speaking languages they could not identify or understand.
In the market places merchants and traders plied their wares. There were old men selling fruit from large box-shaped wooden wheelbarrows, apples, bananas, grapes, coconuts, odd shaped melons of a variety of colours, and tropical fruits they did not recognise; there were stalls selling ornaments of every nature and size, carved wooden gods, china gods, brass gods, ivory gods, stone gods and more. There were old African women with claw like hands and glazed unseeing eyes sitting on blankets selling jewellery and trinkets that promised to bring good fortune and good luck and good health. There were fortune tellers and palm readers, gypsies, snake charmers, elephant tusks, zebra skins, leopard skins, stuffed animals, rats, birds, crocodiles, monkeys and antelope heads. There were apothecaries selling secret potions for anything you desired, fertility, love, sickness, pain, sleep, virility and even immortality. There were food vendors with barrows cooking meat and fish that smelled of salt and coriander and chillies and bread and small brown cakes that smelled of ginger and cinnamon and nutmeg. In short there was everything you ever imagined and more.
How are you feeling John? William inquired.
Well I’m feeling a bit tired and my shoulders are aching from the sawing. A good sleep is what I need and a swim in the cold water in the morning and I should be right. In the ambient light, he could see William nodding in agreement, a slight smile on his face.
That’s the spirit. It was a tough day and I expect tomorrow ‘ll not be any easier.
Looking down at his hands he continued talking, my hands are the worst problem.
He held them up for John to see. One of the ladies had unpacked a sack of salt and she gave me a cup full in a baking pan so I been rubbing that on the blisters. It should harden them up she said.
It had been their first day out in the forest. The saw pit had been constructed inland and a few miles south of the landing place now known as Clarence. They had been given the opportunity to join the working party which was formed to fell some trees and commence sawing them up into planks and beams and posts for the settlers to construct houses.
This was a government funded working party as the timber was needed for buildings in the vicinity of the mouth of the river, for public works in the main settlement some twelve miles up the river, for barracks and out posts and for jetties and wharves along the river. The supervisor of the working party had agreed to give the two young men employment on the condition that they demonstrated they had the strength and the will to stick at the task, as it was hard, monotonous work under very trying conditions. They had to rise early and be ready to start work at first light. This meant that they had to carry water and provisions for the day on a fifty minute walk to the worksite. They were then allocated tasks for the day: felling trees, lopping the branches and transporting the logs and the most arduous, working in the saw pit. They had one more day and then the next day was New Year and there would be no work. This they were thankful for as it would give them a day to rest up and ease their tired muscles and joints.
The two boys lay back on their blankets and both were silent for a while as they appreciated the breath-taking view of the night sky. How is your father getting on with the building of your family’s hut, William enquired?
It’s coming along nicely, he has the frame up and he is just waiting on the supply of planks for the sides. He asked me about that today as he is concerned about mother living in a tent. She is over seven months and the baby will be along soon. The flies and the heat are making her feel bad. I told him I thought about the end of next week we should be able to carry some back for him to make a start on the walls.
