THE P RTAL
December 2014
Australia Pages - page 10
Australia: A Set of
Circumstances?
J. T. Stockman [based upon recently found school essays]
Iwas fortunate
to have been raised at a time when the teaching of Australian History, from the
viewpoint of European settlement, was still a compulsory feature in Primary and Secondary education. An
understanding and appreciation of these early beginnings provided a comprehensive grounding of where we
have come from and where we are today, as a people.
erroneous, necessitating the search for a more
As an exercise, it is valuable to ponder on these
suitable site. On 26th January, 1788 Phillip
matters, to contemplate on what instigated these men
and women to effect the birth of our nation. Some
stepped ashore at Sydney Cove claiming the
were obligated by service, some by a sense of adventure
land for Great Britain in the name of King
and others compelled, as convicts, to journey to this
George III.
uncharted land on the other side of the beneficial [I
don’t think this is the intended word, but I’m not sure
Whilst we can observe all these matters, in hindsight,
what is. It could simply be deleted without affecting now as fact, it is easy to fail to notice the combination
the meaning!] world.
of factors that led to the development of our land.
What if the Royal Society had not commissioned the
how the continent
observation of the transit of Venus?
may have developed
But it is also intriguing to note the broader
background of the period against which these events
were pitched, to conjecture that, if they did not occur,
how, when (and perhaps even if) the continent may
have developed.
Let us look at some influential factors:
• Lieutenant James Cook had been
commissioned to observe the transit of Venus
in 1769 at Tahiti and find the Terra Australis,
the fabled land of the south. A number of
scientists were engaged to participate.
• In April of 1770 they landed at Botany
Bay (the first Europeans to make landfall
on the east coast of the continent). They
recommended that Botany Bay would prove
an ideal site for a Penal Colony.
• The need for a new Penal Colony had arisen
as a consequence of the American War of
Independence, 1775-1783, Britain thus losing
the American colonies as a destination for
the transportation of criminals to ease gaol
overcrowding.
• On 18th January 1788, the “First Fleet” arrived
at Botany Bay under Captain Arthur Phillip.
Most descriptions of the location proved
contents page
What if?
What if Cook had not landed on the east coast of New
Holland? Would there have been the need to locate a
site for a penal colony if the American colonies had
not revolted? Would the settlement have failed if not
moved to Sydney Cove?
These events occurred during the period termed
“the Age of Enlightenment” when reason and
individualism were modifying long held customs
and beliefs. This “age” coincided with the dawning
of the era termed “the Industrial Revolution” (an
on-going transformation we are still experiencing);
the influences of these epochs contributed to the
foundation of the country and to the evolvement of
its people as Australians.
Undeniably, we have come a long way since our
foundation, from these truly humble beginnings;
we have become a nation significantly influencing
world affairs; we have punched above our weight in
medical, agricultural and technological advances and
been a source of compassion and reason in the global
community.
The paradigm of our culture, even our inborn
insistence for a “fair go”, stem from these early
beginnings – it is beneficial to reflect on these
matters and ponder how much we owe to a set of
circumstances.