This new sculpture was unveiled on the waterfront at Hobart just a few days before we saw it. It is quite sobering as the figures portraying the convict women are standing on brass squares which give the names and details of some of the 13,000 convict women brought to Hobart - many with their young children. The mortality rate for the children was terrible. They were often removed from their mothers at the age of 3 and sent to an orphanage. It was a very cruel start to the colony.
Wow- both somber and sobering. It makes me wonder about the story behind this place and the stories of how those women ended up in this situation. Your collage also does an excellent job of capturing the different aspects of what you saw and the way you saw it.
@olivetreeann Hi Ann - Hobart has a dreadfully cruel history - both the convicts and the indentured servants were treated dreadfully. The original aboriginal inhabitants were systematically removed.It is very sobering to visit many of the historical areas. It is however, also an incredibly beautiful place- difficult to reconcile. Thank you very much also for your encouraging comment. :)
@casablanca Thank you Casablanca - The only encouraging aspect of the history of Tasmania is that at least it is now being recognized for what it was. It was too easy to gloss it over in the past.
That is so sobering. I like how you have made a collage so we can read some of the writing. 'Stealing hay' - probably out of desperate need. Incredible.
You've done a very effective collage here of these moving shots...the words are incredible...looks as if many were women stealing, probably to survive! I was surprised to see so many women convicted.
@olivetreeann Yes Ann - the history here is all pervasive - it's such a tiny state to be carrying so much baggage. Very confronting. Thanks for your interest. Cheers
@dkbarnett@fbailey Hi Delwyn and FB- their lives were indeed grim - and if they did their time and were sold off into servitude they could then be sent back to prison if they fell pregnant under conditions over which they had no control. And then her child was taken away at age 3 and sent to an orphanage. Looking back now it just seems unimaginable. History at its worst. Thank you for your interest. Cheers Rb
@granagringa I was also amazed at the number - I hadn't realized there were so many until we visited here. Their stories were not as well documented by the male officials - almost as if they didn't really count. The only positive thing was that they were not flogged - but a small number were hanged. Thanks for your interest. Cheers Rob
October 26th, 2017
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