Gryffe Valley Rotary - Aussie Cruise?


Allan Gilfi llan is a Naval Architect, so when he addressed his fellow members at Gryffe Valley Rotary club something to do with ships was perhaps to be expected. However there was some surprise when Alan announced that he was going to talk about the transportation of convicts to Australia.


Allan is a regular visitor to Australia and, when visiting the prison in Freemantle, he found that it had been built by convicts on their arrival from the UK in 1850 and he took an interest in its history. Reading the book “The Fatal Shore” –the epic on Australia’s founding – fuelled his interest and he focused on the voyage of the fi rst consignment of convicts in 1787/88, an event which was commemorated 200 years later by a special series of Australian stamps.


Apparently we fi rst


exporting convicts


started in


1611, and most were sent to the colonies in the USA. When the American War of Independence was lost, Lord Sydney was tasked fi nding


with an


alternative destination. Botany Bay was selected, perhaps in part to deny French access to the region! A convoy of 10 ships was assembled, including 2 naval vessels, 2 supply vessels and 6 ships carrying convicts. After the inevitable administrative and costing delays, the “First Fleet” set sail in May 1787 stopping off in Tenerife to restock before the diffi cult leg to Rio de Janeiro through the doldrums. In Rio, there was an “eruption” of rats from the unsanitary and fetid below-deck areas. After fumigation and disinfection, the fl eet sailed on via the Cape of Good Hope, where supplies and livestock were loaded, and fi nally arrived in Botany Bay in January 1788. Unfortunately Botany Bay did not match up to the utopia promised in the “brochure” and they moved on to Port Jackson where a colony was established, later to become Sydney.


The fl eet set off with some 1400 souls on board, including 733 convicts, but only just over 1300 survived the journey. Alan mentioned that some of the offences that led to deportation included not only minor criminals but also dissenting clergymen, Scottish martyrs, Irish dissidents, Luddites etc.


The rest as they say is history, though Allan did speculate on what might have happened down under if America had not been lost – would we have had Dame Edna, who would we have played for the Ashes? The photo shows President Chris Butlin fl anked by Allan, on the right, and by his brother Duncan, also a naval architect.


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Could it be Magic?


Johnstone Rotary Club has been fortunate to be able to welcome, for a return visit, the well known local magician Jim Cuthbert.


Jim is a past president of the Scottish Association of Magical Societies, The Paisley Magic Circle and the Northern Magic Circle. He not only performs magical shows but has also lectured on the history of magic both at home and abroad. Jim has a very pleasant and relaxed style which he demonstrated at our meeting as he skilfully blended historical facts with some of his favourite tricks. He brought along some of his vast collection of Magic Memorabilia which included posters of bygone concerts, magical Christmas Cards and some unusual sets of playing cards.


Photo shows L-R Steve Gibbs, Jim Cuthbert and Fred Elliott with some of Jim’s memorabilia behind.


Inverclyde Members’ Centre of the N.T.S.


The Inverclyde Members’ Centre of the NTS meets on Wednesday 2nd November in the Watt Hall, Kelly Street, Greenock when the speaker will be Dick Balharry, MBE whose topic will be “Wild Life and the National Trust in Scotland”. All are welcome with non-members being asked to make a donation of £2 which includes tea and biscuits.


We will be holding a coffee morning (with cake and candy stall and tombola) in the halls of the Westburn Church, Nelson Street, Greenock from 10am until noon on Saturday 19th November. Admission £1.50. All funds raised go to supporting the work of the National Trust for Scotland.


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