Reviewed 15th October 2024
The research that lies behind this web site draws upon resources that are scattered across the globe. That so much information is now available via the Internet has been invaluable, and it would be a travesty not to acknowledge the time and effort – to say nothing of the funding – involved in making that information explosion possible. Some of the funding has been made available by government, but a very large proportion comes from private sources.
The most distant resources I managed to access on line were those of the Colonial and War Office and the Old Bailey, both in the United Kingdom. These proved to be priceless in clarifying some things that have had people scratching their heads for more than a hundred years. Another very interesting source was Proceedings of a General Court Martial…for the trial of Lieut-Col. Geo. Johnston…late of the NSW Corps…on a charge of Mutiny for deposing…William Bligh Esq. F.R.S.. This was a book digitised (“digitized”) by GOOGLE using a copy held by the Northwestern University Library of Evanston, Illinois. It provided an excellent image of the way things were in New South Wales circa 1808 and even more about specific individuals and interrelationships.
Although information sourced via the Internet has been invaluable, much of the core content presented here was obtained just about the same time as the Internet was born – and long before it became the incredible resource that it is today. Some came from face to face meetings with people who are now long gone – but for me never to be forgotten. The people I met during that time were very generous with their memories and, in some instances, photographs and other source material.
Other information was the outcome of painstaking research in government offices and the records shepherded by the State Library of New South Wales (the Mitchell Library in particular) , New South Wales State Archives, National Library of Australia, Mortlock Library in South Australia and the State Library of Victoria. These collections are a treasure trove that I have delved into over many years – as far back as 1971 in fact – and in recent years I have been given access to the originals of some absolutely priceless documents.
I have also made extensive use of online resources from these same organisations and from the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney.
But back to 1971… That year I was waiting at the counter in the Mitchell Library in Sydney. Standing beside me was my former school principal. He had not seen me for nine years at that stage, but I was recognised by name. He was thankful that I was “finally deciding to learn something”… Bill Foster M.A. Dip Mod Languages, will always be one of my heroes.
There are others for whose encouragement and assistance I will always be thankful. John Coutman, B.Ec. showed me I could actually achieve something. Barrie French 1 Barrie was a good friend, even though his employer and mine occupied opposites ends of the industrial spectrum, legal officer for the Transport Workers Union and lecturer in Industrial Law, taught me to look behind the obvious, to look for the ambit and remember everyone is entitled to their point of view. He also showed me just how small the world can be.
Then there is Professor Roland Fletcher M.A. PhD Camb.,of the University of Sydney. Roland gave me the guidance and support that kept me focused over a period of ten years when I was researching, on and off, Milparinka and the Chinese market gardeners. Roland contributed far more than I was entitled to expect, and I sincerely hope to live up to his standards with my more recent enquiries.
And finally there is my wife, Linda, who has always been interested and has joined in the 55-plus years of snuffling even though sometimes I am absolutely sure she wonders why… Thank you !!
- 1Barrie was a good friend, even though his employer and mine occupied opposites ends of the industrial spectrum