Richard Davey (2) (1938–2013)

This book is a compelling telling of the convict settlement on Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania, 1822 - 1834. Started as a brutal punishment camp, the settlement gradually morphs into a productive shipbuilding enterprise.
The author uses, as his voice, a minor and occasional player in the life of the settlement - a government stores officer/shipping clerk who visits the island on numerous occasions during its 12 years of existence.
It is clear that the brutality of the early days was counterproductive and barbaric. In later times the supervision became more nuanced, there was an undercurrent of enterprise by convicts in trading goods for luxuries (alcohol and tobacco) and the authorities exerted a lighter hand on the tiller.
It's not the way I would have written the story - but the result is compellingly readable and informative.… (mais)