Only a few people knew Samuel Olson at the end of his life. They described him as a crotchety and suspicious man, stone deaf, surly and living the life of a hermit in his home in Highgate Hill, Brisbane. (1) This was a long way from his beginnings on St Helena Island. According to the 1864 census, 12,551 people lived in Brisbane, Queensland. (2) By now, Brisbane … Continue reading 3 Scottish men and a world of adventure
“All I knew was I was a little girl who went to Grandma and Grandpa on St Helena for holidays and had a beaut time. I used to go fishing and the boys, Graham and Reg, were mad with me because I caught a fish and they didn’t. You know. I remember things like that.” Interview: Nell Pearce, Grand daughter of Acting Superintendent David Graham … Continue reading Be part of today’s St Helena Community!
Fine arts , Water Colours ..St Helena sends two remarkable exhibits … One is a drawing in water colour of the island, buildings, &c, seen under conditions of light and shade, which would tax to the utmost artistic powers of a high order. The result is so far successful as to show that the exhibitor possesses great natural ability which it ought to be worth his … Continue reading Islands of exile, Part 3 – Charles Winn and St Helena
The most striking similarity of Sarah and St Helena Islands has to be the detailed, beautifully executed water colour paintings of each prison island, undertaken with great finesse by two of their convicted inhabitants! In my last post, I featured a photograph painted by William Buelow Gould of Sarah Island, thought to be painted around 1833. William Buelow Gould was in fact a convict, originally … Continue reading Islands of Exile: Part 2 – William Gould and Charles Winn
There are a lot of differences between Sarah and Helena, due to time and geographical distance. But they share a bad reputation, and those that get to know them well would prefer not to. I’m not talking about sisters here, but 2 islands whose primary purpose was imprisonment. I’ve just visited Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania last week. Despite Sarah Island being a … Continue reading Islands of Exile: Sarah and Helena Part 1
Place: St Helena Island. Time: 1866 Mission: Build a gaol Who: Made by prisoners, for prisoners Why: Too many criminals, not enough space! Rowing across the waters of Moreton Bay, Queensland, in 1866, prisoners contained aboard the hulk ‘Prosperpine’ were given the task of building themselves a prison on the island of St Helena. Chosen due to the availability of good soil and fresh water, … Continue reading Creating an island community
It only took one day after the blog went live for an old friend, Amanda Thepanda to make contact. I’m going to be honest and say I did not realise Amanda had such a gift for photography, which is an embarrassing omission! But her gift is to be ours too, as Amanda has given permission for her photos to be included in this site. I … Continue reading A photographer in today’s St Helena Island Community
There’s 2 islands in the world called St Helena. One is more famous than the other, but both are connected to a man named Napoleon. It’s the St Helena Island in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia that is one of the focuses of this blog. The story says an indigenous man nick-named Napoleon was exiled to the island from Stradbroke Island as a punishment. He would … Continue reading The St Helena Community – 2 islands, 1 community
