Fellowship of First FleetersFellowship of First FleetersFellowship of First FleetersFellowship of First Fleeters Hunter Valley ChapterHunter Valley ChapterHunter Valley ChapterHunter Valley Chapter

“To live on in the hearts and minds of Descendants is never to die.” All correspondence to: 22 Ruskin St. Beresfield 2322 www.firstfleetershunter.com.au President: Vice President Membership: Secretary: Treasurer: Jane van Woerkom Barbara Gow Cynthia Huggup Raymond Green Helen Pacey Ph: 49676332 Ph: 49366403 Ph: 49558045 Ph: 4964132 Ph: 40234979

The Coal River BulletinThe Coal River BulletinThe Coal River BulletinThe Coal River Bulletin Newsletter No: 44 July 2015

Celebrating our Chapter’s 8Celebrating our Chapter’s 8Celebrating our Chapter’s 8Celebrating our Chapter’s 8thththth Birthday, Birthday, Birthday, Birthday, June 2015June 2015June 2015June 2015

At our June meeting 2015 we

celebrated our 8th birthday of

First Fleet Fellowship.

We were so pleased to have

our Foundation President

and Secretary, John Brooker and

his lovely wife Beth, present to

cut our celebration cake!

_________________________

Guest Speaker today was Delma Burns who

introduced us to her First Fleet ancestors:

Thomas Chip and Jane Langley.

Delma explained family members have done a

great deal of research and produced a very

large and detailed book “A New Beginning –

The story of Three First Fleeters”. This is the

story of Thomas Chip, Jane Langley and her

daughter Henrietta Fletcher (who was born on

the voyage) and their descendants.

Jane Langley was born at

Holborn Lying-in Hospital in

London on 16th

September

1761. This was a maternity

hospital for distressed,

poor, married women only.

Nothing is known of Jane’s early

life but she did work as an

apprentice Tambourer and so

would have added embroidery

to fine fabrics on a small circular

embroidery frame called a

tambour. Daily working hours

were 12 in winter, 16 in summer.

Jane and her friend Mary Finn were charged with

stealing money from a Robert Robinson who had

been at a nearby Inn and was intoxicated.

Apparently he had lost his money and was

banging on doors when he saw Jane & Mary as

they returned from work and blamed them for

taking his money. The girls protested their

innocence and produced witnesses, which the

Judge refused to believe. They were both found

guilty of stealing £5/9/6 and on the 14th

September, 1785 were sentenced to

transportation.

Holburn Lying- in Hospital London

Tambourer

Jane was with the first group of 56 women for

embarkation on the Lady Penrhyn however she

was not listed on the ship’s log until 23rd

October

at the Cape of Good Hope where she gave birth to

a daughter, Henrietta. The father, Phillip Scriven,

was employed by the East India Co. and as a crew

member had to remain with the ship on its return

voyage. It is thought he died at sea as he was very

debilitated when he departed for London from

Sydney.

Jane and her child, Henrietta, were sent to Norfolk

Island aboard the Sirius in March 1790 and this is

where her story combines with a marine, Thomas

Chipp.

Thomas Chipp - over his lifetime Thomas was a

Marine, Soldier, Farmer, Police Constable

and Baker. He joined the First Fleet with the 42nd

Co. under Captain Lt. Watkin Tench aboard the

Friendship. At the end of his marine service and

the arrival of the NSW Corps Thomas took the

option of becoming a settler and left for Norfolk

Island in October 1791 aboard the Atlantic. It

would seem Thomas & Jane were friends at Port

Jackson and when he arrived on Norfolk they were

married on 5th

November 1791 in a mass

ceremony conducted by the Rev. Richard Johnson.

Thomas was granted land and farmed for several

years. Their first child, Robert, was born on

Norfolk Island but only survived a few weeks. A

daughter Ann was born a year later.

Thomas sold their farm and the family returned to

Sydney in 1794 aboard the Daedalus when he

enlisted as a Private in the NSW Corps of Foot. He

took his discharge from the Corps in 1802. After

their return to Sydney the couple had 5 more

children. By 1806 as a settler he was supporting

himself, his wife and 7 children and employed one

man on “Chipp’s Farm” on the Georges River.

In 1811 he was appointed a Constable in Sydney

Town and in the 1814 Muster he was still a

constable. In 1822 Thomas was a Baker in Pitt

Street Sydney and still there in the 1828 Census.

Jane died in February 1836, aged 74 years. Her

profession on the death certificate was shown as a

Tailor and at that time they still operated the

Bakers Shop. She was buried in the Devonshire St.

Cemetery – no headstone remains.

Thomas died in 1842, aged 88 years, and is buried

in St. Johns Cemetery Parramatta - no headstone

remains.

Delma’s First Fleet line continues through their

6th

child Sophia and her daughter, also Sophia,

who had 20 children. From these two First

Fleeters it is easy to see why there are 11,641

names in the book mentioned above, with

addendas being added all the time!!

A few notable names among these

descendants include Henry Boyle - a cricketer

with the first eleven to tour England and who

was the founder of the “Silly mid on” field

position, Sydney Long - an artist who was a

Trustee of the Sydney Art gallery from 1933-

1949, the Jockey Jack Thompson who rode over

3,000 winners, Gordon Rorke – who played in

Australian Test matches in 1958, 59 and 60 and

as a controversial fast bowler with a unique

style led to the introduction of the front foot

rule.

Vice President Barbara thanking Delma for her

enjoyable presentation. It is always interesting

to hear the unique stories of our First Fleeters!

___________________________________ Happy Birthday & Very Best wishes to:::: JuneJuneJuneJune

6th

Phi Alexander, 10th

Fletcher Pacey.

14th

June Paul, 18th

Edward Gant,

19th

Yvonne Bullock, 24th

Bill Valent,

28th

Gai Hudson.

JulyJulyJulyJuly

2nd

Judith Sphiros, Tony Huntley,

3rd

Barry Martin, 4th

Dom Swinkels,

9th

Beth Brooker, 10th

George Pinkerton,

23rd

Mary Woodlands.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

From the President’s DeskFrom the President’s DeskFrom the President’s DeskFrom the President’s Desk Hello to all members and friends of the FFF HUNTER VALLEY CHAPTER. This period of the year has seen us celebrate the FFF Hunter Valley Chapter’s 8th birthday. At the June meeting our first President John Brooker and his wife Beth Brooker (inaugural Secretary) were present to cut the cake, a delicious delight from Sweet Poison.

In response to celebrations it’s also important to thank those who, over these years of the Chapter’s functioning, have worked to assure that fellowship activities, outings and meetings have been conducted successfully. In this capacity several members deserve credit for their commitment. Our former Secretary and current Outings and Guest Speaker Organiser and the initiator of the re-instigated Chapter of 2007, Yvonne Bradley, has been a devoted and continuous Committee member since 2007 and we thank her for her loyal and generous service. As well, in April, we welcomed back to the committee Past President Barbara Turner, who previously managed the meetings and general organisation successfully for five years and was also the inaugural Treasurer. Barbara’s return sees her filling the gap, through retirement of Phil Alexander, as Publicity Officer. Her return brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the functioning of the Chapter and we welcome Barbara back in an official capacity.

As a forerunner to our 2015 AGM on 17th August, I offer thanks to the members of the 2014-15 committee, including Barbara Gow (Vice-President) who keeps me in line and picks up the sometimes unexpected changes. For Secretary Ray Green and his Assistant Jeanette Green, thank you for recording, collating and maintaining the correspondence and minutes. To Treasurer Helen Pacey, whose MYOB skills and Lucky Door Prize management has seen many a happy member go home hands-full well done! To Cynthia Huggup (Membership) thank you for warmly welcoming guests and friends and maintaining our register. To her husband Don Huggup (Equipment) thank you for the audio-visual wizardry which gives us all a good chuckle as the Agenda of the meetings roll on and the power point slides amuse. To our professional editorial team, husband and wife Phil and Judy Aubin - thank you for the quiet mannered but steadfast delivery of our Newsletters and website maintenance, which keeps us all connected and is of great interest to those members who are unable to attend meetings. For Pat Smith (Catering) without our “fellowship morning tea and luncheons” at the meeting a lot of the comradery would go unmet and cease to be maintained. Also to Delma Burns for her continuing work towards our Australia Day celebrations. Finally to Lorraine Valent whom we welcomed as Librarian, we say a big thank you for arduously covering, recording and upgrading our library - we are sorry to see you have to leave us for personal reasons.

In conclusion a Chapter would not function without the ordinary members who contribute in so many ways that enrich us all and promote the aims of the FFF which simply stated is “To live on in the hearts and minds of Descendants is never to die”. Well done to seven successful years members of the FFF Hunter Valley Chapter. Jane van Woerkom, President 2014-15 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Spreading First Fleet HistorySpreading First Fleet HistorySpreading First Fleet HistorySpreading First Fleet History iiiin our local schoolsn our local schoolsn our local schoolsn our local schools

On the 9th

March 2015 Chapter member, Mr. Athol Searston,

spoke to students of the Wiripaang Special School at Gateshead.

Below is an extract from the School Newsletter.

“On Monday Stage 2 & 3 as well as WG had the pleasure of listening

to Mr Athol Searston from The First Fleet Fellowship of Newcastle.

Mr. Searston spoke to us about his First Fleet ancestor who had

stolen some items from his employer and was sent to Australia as a

convict. We learnt that there were 11 ships in the First Fleet and it

took 8 months for the ships to sail to Australia. The ships were about the length of our school hall, with

as many as 201 convicts on board. It was a difficult trip on the ships. Thank you to Mr. Searston for

sharing his knowledge with us. Mrs Ginters”

_____________________________________

Kittens help with science – convex, concave Hands up …or else??

Celebrating the Sailing of the First Fleet, 13 th May 1787 with a visit to Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Seventeen of our members and their guests travelled by train on a fairly cool day to visit

the Sydney Conservatorium on Wednesday, May 13th

2015.

After a leisurely morning tea/lunch, we assembled in the beautiful Verbrugghen Hall at 12.00 noon

where we were entertained by some talented students of the Con. The youthful presenters, as young

as 13 and 14, were amazing. We felt very privileged to sit in this beautiful hall and hear these talented

and dedicated young people.

At 2.00pm our tour of the Con. started with exceptional guides Elise & Jeremy. We were told Elizabeth

Macquarie was missing Scotland & England and the fine castles she had grown up with. Her husband

obliged her by commissioning Francis Greenway to fashion the stables as an English Castle. The stables

were completed in 1821 and their “useless magnificence” was strongly criticised by Commissioner

Biggs from the UK in his vendetta against Gov. Macquarie. Government House itself was not

completed until 1847. Visitors can clearly see the convict workings that have been preserved.

In 1912 a controversial debate raged to decide between using the site either as a Conservatorium of

Music or a restaurant. The dispute was described by some wag as the “sonata or the sausage”. The

State Conservatorium of Music won and was officially opened on 6th

May 1915, just 100 years ago.

Its stated aims were to “provide tuition of a standard at least equal to that of the leading European

Conservatoriums”. The first director was Belgian conductor and violinist Henri Verbrugghen hence the

name of the magnificent present day concert hall. Many directors followed - Sir Eugene Goossens

1948-1955 is credited with making opera a major contribution.

In 1997 the then Premier, Bob Carr, announced a major upgrade to the Conservatorium adding three

new halls, major library facilities, sound-proofed studios, practice rooms and offices while removing

1960’s additions to allow the castellated Gothic style of Greenway’s building to be seen from a

distance.

INVITATIONINVITATIONINVITATIONINVITATION

You are cordially invited to our Annual General Meeting

SOUP &SOUP &SOUP &SOUP & DAMPERDAMPERDAMPERDAMPER

When:::: Monday, 17th August 2015

Where: Senior Citizens Hall Brunker Road, Broadmeadow

Time: 10am for 10.30am start

Tea and coffee on arrival Guest Speaker:

Albert Wolfe TopicTopicTopicTopic:::: Bert’s role in 24 Squadron RAAF- WWII

Cost: $5. No need to bring the usual plate of finger food for lunch today BUT

Please bring your own soup bowl and spoon!!

Kitchen Roster: Morning Tea: Sam & Mary Hurren Lunch: Athol & Bette Searston ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

All Committee positions will of course fall vacant at the AGM.

Most Committee members are happy to be among the nominations again - some will be retiring and while we are seeking nominations for all positions we especially need nominations for the following:

1. Treasurer 2. Outing Coordinator 3. Librarian

Please give serious thought to these vacancies. We hope we are overwhelmed with nominations to join our enthusiastic Committee!!

A reminder: You don’t need to be a full member to be nominated for a position. A nomination form for those not on e-mail is included with this Newsletter.

TIMELINE of FIRSTS in the new Colony.

June-September 1788

4th

June 1788: First Public Holiday in the Colony.

King George the Third’s birthday

This was a day of remission from labour and of

general festivity throughout the settlement. At

sunrise the Sirius and Supply each fired a salute of 21

guns and again at 1 o’clock when the marines on

shore also saluted with 3 vollies. At sunset the same

honours were repeated, large bonfires were lit and

the camp afforded a scene of joy.

Four convicts who had been reprieved from death

and banished to an island in the middle of the

harbour received a full pardon.

5th

June 1788: the settlements cattle which had

been brought from Cape Town escaped. They were

not re-captured until November, 1795.

22nd

June 1788: in the afternoon a slight shock of an

earthquake was observed. It lasted 3 seconds and

was accompanied with a distant noise from the

south. It was so slight many people did not feel it.

30th

June 1788: the first return of the sick was

written by the Surgeon John White.

9th

July 1788: An Observatory began to be erected

on the west side of the Cove (Later Dawes Point).

14th

July 1788: The ships Alexander, Friendship,

Prince of Wales and Borrowdale were got ready to

sail for England under the conduct of Lieutenant

Shortland Snr.

21st

July 1788: The Court of Civil Jurisdiction sat for

the first time.

12th

August 1788: Governor Philip, George Johnston,

Lt. Cresswell of the Marines, Dr. John White and 6

soldiers landed in Manly Cove to examine the coast

to Broken Bay.

5th

September 1788: about half after six in the

evening, an aurora australis, a phenomenon

uncommon in the southern hemisphere, occurred.

Also September 1788:

Sydney’s first road completed.

**********************

Annual Memberships due

It would be appreciated if renewals could be sent to Sydney by mid August as our Chapter will then

receive a rebate for every financial member. This rebate goes towards costs for such things as Hall Hire, Newsletter expenses and postage.

Very best wishes from our Hunter Valley Chapter to two new First Fleet Chapters:

Mid North Coast Mid North Coast Mid North Coast Mid North Coast

HawkesburyHawkesburyHawkesburyHawkesbury–––– NepeanNepeanNepeanNepean

September OutingSeptember OutingSeptember OutingSeptember Outing A visit to Historic StroudA visit to Historic StroudA visit to Historic StroudA visit to Historic Stroud

On Monday 21st

September we

will car pool for a visit to Stroud.

We will meet at 12 Mile Creek at

9am. Driving onto Stroud we will

have morning tea at Silo Hill

(BYO).

There will be a guided tour of Silo Hill, Quambi

House (convict built in the 1830’s), Stroud Court

House (1840 & 1877) and St. John’s Anglican

Church (convict built 1833). Cost of tour is $7.

Lunch:Lunch:Lunch:Lunch: BYO or Stroud Central Hotel (< $20).

Other possible tours: Monastery of Blessed

Virgin Mary, Stroud Showground, Post Office …..

and more if time permits. More details next

Newsletter. Contact Don 49558045 or Yvonne

49574758 for more information.

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19191919thththth OctoberOctoberOctoberOctober: General Meeting.

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14141414thththth DecemberDecemberDecemberDecember: Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas MMMMeetingeetingeetingeeting ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Your Editor, Judy Aubin