In 1839 a penal settlement was created on Cockatoo Island so it would be ‘under the eye of authority’.
But the domination of Charles Ormsby, an autocratic superintendent, turned building a dry dock into ten years of conflict.
The real problem was that the island had become a secret gentleman’s fight club with convicts involved in bare-knuckle prize fights at a time when the sport was essentially illegal.
This talk will reveal some long-held secrets about the island, Wareamah.
Liverpool Library Museum
Saturday 19 August
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Suitable for ages 16+
Bookings Essential
Sue Castrique is a writer and researcher. She has written Under the Colony’s Eye: Gentlemen and Convicts on Cockatoo Island (2014), which was awarded the Kay Daniels prize by the Australian Historical Association, and One Small World: The History of the Addison Road Community Centre (2017).
