Book description
An extraordinary narrative history of the First Fleet, by the
bestselling author of The Forgotten Children. Never before or since has
there been an experiment quite as bold as this. Set against the backdrop
of Georgian England with its peculiar mix of elegance, prosperity,
progress and squalor, the story of the First Fleet is one of courage, of
short-sightedness, of tragedy but above all of extraordinary resilience.
It is also, of course, the story of the very first European Australians,
reluctant pioneers who travelled into the unknown - the vast majority
against their will - in order to form a colony by order of the King's
government. Separated from loved ones and travelling in cramped
conditions for the months-long journey to Botany Bay, they suffered the
most unbearable hardship on arrival on Australian land where a
near-famine dictated that rations be cut to the bone. But why was the
settlement of New South Wales proposed in the first place? Who were the
main players in a story that changed the world and ultimately forged the
Australian nation? How did the initial skirmishes with the indigenous
population break out and how did the relationship turn sour so quickly?
Using diaries, letters and official records, David Hill artfully
reconstructs the experiences of these famous and infamous men and women
of history, combining narrative skill with an eye for detail and an
exceptional empathy with the people of the past. During his remarkable
career, David Hill has been chairman then managing director of the ABC,
chairman of the Australian Football Association, chief executive and
director of the State Rail Authority NSW, chairman of Sydney Water
Corporation and chairman of CREATE, a national organisation responsible
for representing the interests of young people and children in
institutional care. He is the author of the bestsellers The Forgotten
Children and 1788. He lives in Sydney.
