UTS Australian Centre for Public History and Impact Studios
Why did kids get transported from Britain to Australia?
What were their crimes? Did they miss their families?
What was life like as a convict in Van Dieman’s Land, an open air prison on Palawa land?
Students from Princes Street Primary School in Hobart tell us what they know about convict kids.
Hamish Maxwell-Stewart and Marcelle Mangan tell the story of transportation, convict tattoos and tokens, and convict life at the Cascades Female Factory in Hobart.
They answer kids’ questions and reflect on what the evidence can and can’t tell us about the convicts.
How to use this episode in your classroom
Voices
Episode image
Convict love token from J. Fletcher. Image courtesy of the National Museum of Australia.
Transcript
Music
Less Jaunty and Apollo Diedre by Blue Dot Sessions.
Credits
Thanks to all the students whose voices you hear in this episode and their schools and teachers: Princes Street Primary School, Marrickville West Primary School, Westbourne Grammar School, Preshil Primary School, La Perouse Primary School, and Yirrkala Bilingual School.
Hey History! is produced by the Australian Centre for Public History at UTS and UTS Impact Studios.
Impact Studios' executive producer is Sarah Gilbert.