Amazing Grace: An Adventure at Sea 9780642277435, 0642277435

Table of contents :
Amazing Grace
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
LIST OF CHARACTERS
CHAPTER 1
A PLUCKY LITTLE VESSEL
CHAPTER 2
LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVES
CHAPTER 3
A PIONEERING LIFE
CHAPTER 4
WRECKS AND RESCUES
CHAPTER 5
CHRISTMAS IN THE COLONIES
CHAPTER 6
HEAR YE! HEAR YE!
EPILOGUE
GLOSSARY
CHAPTER 5
BACKGROUND READING
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
INDEX

Citation preview

Amazing Grace A N A D V E N T U R E AT S E A Stephanie Owen Reeder

Amazing Grace AN ADVENTURE AT SEA

Stephanie Owen Reeder

N AT ION A L L I BR A RY OF AUS T R A L I A

For my grandfather, Walter Perkins, a merchant seaman, and my mother, Margo Baker, a West Australian born and bred

Published by the National Library of Australia Canberra ACT 2600 © National Library of Australia 2011 Text © Stephanie Owen Reeder Books published by the National Library of Australia further the Library’s objectives to interpret and highlight the Library’s collections and to support the creative work of the nation’s writers and researchers. Every reasonable endeavour has been made to contact the copyright holders. Where this has not been possible, the copyright holders are invited to contact the publisher. This book is copyright in all countries subscribing to the Berne Convention. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author:

Reeder, Stephanie Owen.

Title:

Amazing Grace: an adventure at sea / Stephanie Owen Reeder.

ISBN:

9780642277435 (hbk.)

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Target Audience: For primary school age. Subjects:

Bussell, Grace, 1860-1936--Juvenile literature.



Isaacs, Sam.



Georgette (Ship)--Juvenile literature.



Shipwrecks--Western Australia--Cape Leeuwin--Juvenile literature.



Rescues--Western Australia--Cape Leeuwin--Juvenile literature.



Leeuwin, Cape (W.A.)--History--Juvenile literature.

Dewey Number: 363.123099412 Commissioning Publisher: Susan Hall Editors: Irma Gold and Joanna Karmel Designer: Louise Dews Printer: Australian Book Connection Cover image by Stephanie Owen Reeder

CONTENTS

Introduction

1

List of Characters

5

Chapter 1: ‘Steady as She Goes!’ A Plucky Little Vessel

7 16

Chapter 2: ‘Man the Pumps!’ Life on the Ocean Waves

21 30

Chapter 3: ‘Women and Children First!’ A Pioneering Life

35 46

Chapter 4: ‘Land Ahoy!’ Wrecks and Rescues

51 60

Chapter 5: ‘Australia’s Grace Darling!’ Christmas in the Colonies

65 76

Chapter 6: ‘Abandon Ship!’ Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

81 92

Epilogue

97

Glossary

106

Background Reading

108

List of Illustrations

109

Index

118

INTRODUCTION

What would you do if a ship was wrecked just off your favourite beach, with some people trapped on board and others struggling in the surf? In December 1876, 16-year-old Grace Bussell faced this dilemma when the steamship Georgette was beached near her home in the Margaret River district of Western Australia. Grace was an ordinary girl suddenly thrust into an extraordinary situation. However, Grace did not hesitate. Like a number of the passengers and crew of the Georgette, she showed amazing grace in the face of danger by putting other people’s safety before her own. Grace’s bravery captured the public’s imagination. She became a household name, and her story has been retold for over 100 years in school readers, magazines, newspapers and books. However, Grace Bussell was not the only brave person involved in this shipwreck. A cabin boy, a young mother, a sailor, two pioneering brothers and an Aboriginal stockman were also instrumental in saving the lives of many of the Georgette’s passengers and crew. Amazing Grace: An Adventure at Sea tells their stories. It imaginatively reconstructs the historical events,

1

Introduction

using documents such as newspaper articles from the 1870s, personal letters, official reports and eyewitness accounts, as well as later retellings. Such documents are full of interesting details. However, they are usually just one person’s view of what happened, and there are often differences between the recollections of one person and another. Even Grace’s role in the rescue ranges in the various retellings from simply riding home to get help to single-handedly saving 50 people. Some of the accounts were written years after the event, while others were retold by family members who had had the story passed down to them. They illustrate how historical legends evolve––they can be a bit like a game of Chinese whispers. No wonder determining the truth behind popular historical events can often be challenging. However, eyewitness accounts and personal recollections give life to the story of the Georgette and make it more than just a collection of historical facts about a shipwreck. They provide insights into the characters of the people involved, helping to create a compelling tale about real people who did the best they could in difficult circumstances. Step into the world of nineteenth-century sea travel and pioneering life, as you experience the remarkable story of that plucky little vessel, the SS Georgette, and the people involved in her final voyage.

2

LIST OF CHARACTERS In order of appearance

The Bussell family and friends Grace Bussell Charlotte Bussell––one of Grace’s four older sisters Sam Isaacs—the Bussells’ stockman Ellen Bussell––Grace’s mother Filumena (Mena) Bussell––Grace’s baby sister Fred and John Bussell––Grace’s younger brothers Edith (Edie) Bussell––one of Grace’s four older sisters Alfred Bussell––Grace’s father

The Georgette’s crew James Noonan—cabin boy Joe Hourigan—second engineer John Godfrey––captain Bill Sinclair––chief engineer John Dewar––second mate Bill Dundee––first mate Archie McLeod––able-seaman

The Georgette’s passengers Annie Simpson and her baby, Harry Mrs Dickson, her baby and Ada, her daughter James Dempster and his brother, William

5

CHAPTER 1 ‘Steady as she goes!’ JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT, SUNDAY, 26 NOVEMBER 1876

Wallcliffe House, where Grace Bussell has a nightmare Grace Bussell awoke with a start. All she could hear was the roaring of the waves and the thumping of her heart. ‘Oh, no! Not again,’ she groaned. Her sister Charlotte whispered from her bed, ‘Was it the dream about the shipwreck, Grace?’ Grace shivered. ‘Yes! There were children clinging to the sides of the boat and struggling in the water. Oh, Charlotte, the poor little things were so scared!’ Charlotte padded across the floor. Moonlight lit her way, shining through the chinks in the curtains of their bedroom window. She sat on her younger sister’s bed and held her hand. ‘It’s only a dream, Grace. And you know if it ever came true, you’d be the first one on the beach trying to save them–– you do so love a bit of drama! Now go back to sleep.’ Charlotte was soon snoring gently, but Grace lay wide-eyed. The wind howled through the peppermint gums in the garden of their isolated farmhouse and the sea thundered, wave after wave crashing on the nearby shore. 7

Grace Bussell

‘Steady as she goes!’

‘I must think about something else. No more shipwrecks,’ Grace told herself firmly. ‘There’re only a few weeks till Christmas and we still haven’t made the pudding! Now, what do we put in it? Raisins, currants, sultanas …’. As she listed the pudding ingredients in her head, Grace finally drifted into a dreamless sleep.

LATE AFTERNOON, MONDAY, 27 NOVEMBER 1876

Bunbury Wharf, where a cabin boy watches as his ship is loaded The tomcat slunk along the edge of the wharf at Bunbury, on the lookout for a fishy meal. He was sick of rats! He rubbed hopefully against the legs of a cabin boy leaning on a bollard. ‘Ahoy, Ginger,’ said James Noonan, picking up the cat. The wind blustered around them, whipping salty spray into their faces. The scruffy cat closed his eyes and purred. James stroked him as he watched the engine-driver, who worked the steam-driven crane, load timber into the cargo hold of a small but sturdy steamship called the Georgette. Over 100 loads of wood had already been deposited deep inside the ship, and the driver was eager to finish. It was nearly knock-off time and he was ready for his dinner––preferably somewhere well away from the biting wind.

9

‘Steady as she goes!’

‘Steady as she goes!’ shouted the leader of the work gang. The engine-driver spat on his hands and then set in motion the winch that moved the crane. It screeched and strained under the weight of an enormous piece of wood. Slowly, twisting in the air, the jarrah beam swung out on its cable. ‘Looks a bit unsteady to me,’ James confided in the cat. ‘Lower away!’ came the cry. The engine-driver let the brake out a little and lowered the hardwood into the ship’s hold. But something went wrong; the giant beam landed with a jarring thud, and the little ship shuddered and shook. James shivered in sympathy with the Georgette, and the tomcat leapt from his arms and slunk away. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ yelled Joe Hourigan, second engineer on the Georgette. ‘You’ll put a hole in the ship dropping the wood in her like that.’ ‘It wasn’t my fault,’ the engine-driver grumbled. He rubbed his cold hands together and shovelled coal onto the fire that kept the donkey-engine going. Then he very carefully lowered the remaining timber into the ship’s hold. The cabin boy clambered back on board the Georgette and headed for his cabin. The ship would soon return to Fremantle to pick up her passengers, and then the long journey to Adelaide would begin.

10

‘Steady as she goes!’

‘I hope nothing goes wrong this time!’ he thought, as he lay on his narrow bunk. He’d be far away from his family this Christmas, but, for a shy lad like James, the ocean, the ship and the occasional ship’s cat were all the company he needed.

EARLY MORNING, TUESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 1876

Fremantle Docks, where passengers wait for the Georgette to arrive Annie Simpson grabbed onto her bonnet as the wind tried to snatch it from her head. She cradled her baby in her other arm. She was sitting on her luggage with a group of other passengers. They’d been waiting at the docks for nearly a week for the Georgette to arrive. ‘Won’t be long now, Mrs Simpson,’ said Mrs Dickson reassuringly, as she jiggled her own baby on her knees. ‘You’ll soon be on the way home to your husband.’ ‘I can’t wait to see him!’ said Annie. ‘It’s been a long five months––little Harry was only one-month-old when he last saw his papa. He left without us, as Harry was too little to travel. It’ll be so good to be home for Christmas.’ The baby waved his chubby arms and smiled broadly at his mother. Then he was distracted by Mrs Dickson’s daughter, Ada, a lively eight-year-old who was skipping alarmingly close to the water’s edge. 13

‘Steady as she goes!’

‘Ada, come away from there at once!’ her mother called. Somewhat reluctantly, Ada moved away from the water and joined the other children, who were playing a game of blindman’s buff. Annie and Mrs Dickson continued to chat, exchanging Christmas recipes and commenting on the unseasonably chilly weather. They were both very eager to board the Georgette and make their way to Adelaide, but it would prove to be a much more difficult journey than either young woman could ever have imagined.

14

Shipping.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a

S.S. “Georgette”

AILS from Champion Bay every Stract fourth SATURDAY, under Conwith the Government, to convey English and Colonial mails to and from Albany. Passengers will please note the postal time tables, for the departure of the boat from the different ports. CONNOR & McKAY, Fremantle 6 8 76.

——————————­­—

—————————————­­—————————————­­———————

—————————­­—————————————­­———————————

——————————­­—

Advertisement for the Georgette, (The Herald (Fremantle), 23 September 1876)

A PLUCKY LITTLE VESSEL

Origin: Scotland, 1872 Weight: 211 tonnes (less than half the weight of a modern ferry) Size:

46.2 metres long 6.9 metres wide 3.4 metres deep (half the size of a modern ferry)

Power: two masts with sails, plus two steam engines producing 48 horsepower (the same as a tractor)

The SS Georgette The SS Georgette was a small cargo, mail and passenger ship. She was the first regular coastal steamer in the colony of Western Australia. Her main route was along the south-west coast, between Geraldton and Albany. She played a role in the building of Western Australia’s first railway line, carrying building material and workers to Geraldton. Many of the passengers on her final trip from Fremantle to Adelaide were railway workers and their families who were returning to Victoria and New South Wales.

According to the Georgette’s list of crew and passengers, she carried 22 crew members and more than 45 passengers. Two of the passengers disembarked when the ship stopped at Bunbury. The ‘Shipping Intelligence’ column in the Western Australian Times of Friday, 1 December 1876 reported that the Georgette was also carrying 145 loads of jarrah, two casks of whale oil, 25 bales of leather and 260 bullock hides. 16

The Catalpa incident In April 1876, the Western Australian Government ordered the Georgette to participate in the police pursuit of a group of men who had escaped from Fremantle Prison. Cabin boy James Noonan was on board the Georgette at the time. The six prisoners were Irishmen who had rebelled against British rule in Ireland and had been transported to Western Australia. They ran away from a prison work-party, escaped in a rowboat and finally made it safely aboard the Catalpa, an American whaling vessel that had been sent to rescue them. The Georgette went in hot pursuit, armed with a 12-pound artillery gun. She caught up with the Catalpa and ordered her to stop. When the

American ship kept going, a warning shot was fired across her bows. The captain of the Catalpa denied that the escapees were on board. He declared that he was in international waters, pointed to the American flag hanging from the mast, and warned of a declaration of war with America if the Georgette shot at them again. The Georgette, running low on fuel and fearing an international incident, returned to Fremantle. The Catalpa sailed back to America, where she was enthusiastically welcomed and the escapees were hailed as heroes. Fremantle Prison

17

The Georgette’s final journey

2

8

3

4 7

9

6

1

5

10 11

12

KEY 1 Perth 2 Fremantle 3 Bunbury 4 Geographe Bay 5 Busselton 6 Vasse 7 Quindalup 8 Cape Naturaliste 9 Wallcliffe 10 Calgardup Bay 11 Cape Leeuwin 12 Albany

CHAPTER 2 ‘Man the pumps!’ EARLY EVENING, THURSDAY, 30 NOVEMBER 1876

Wallcliffe House, where Grace Bussell prepares for bed ‘What a long day, Charlotte. I’m totally worn out,’ said Grace, as the sisters climbed into their beds. Grace had been riding all day on her horse, Smiler. She and Sam Isaacs, the Bussells’ stockman, had spent hours in the scrub searching for lost cattle. ‘Sam and I covered miles and miles today, but we found only a handful of the silly beasts. Sam’ll have to go out again tomorrow by himself and look for the rest––I don’t want to miss out on making the Christmas pudding!’ ‘You didn’t happen to see any shipwrecks, did you?’ Charlotte asked cheekily. ‘Don’t joke about it, Charlotte,’ Grace replied. ‘Luckily, there wasn’t a ship in sight when Sam and I raced our horses along the beach.’ ‘Who won?’ ‘Smiler, of course! He’s such a strong, brave horse. I’m sure he’d do anything I asked of him.’ ‘I’m certain he would,’ agreed Charlotte, as she blew out the candle.

21

‘Man the pumps!’

SS Georgette, on which passengers are ill and a leak develops ‘Sleep tight, little one,’ Annie Simpson murmured in her baby’s ear. ‘We’ll soon be home with your dear papa.’ Annie and Harry were lying on a narrow bunk in a cabin of the Georgette. The sea was smooth, but the long rolling swell of the Indian Ocean made the ship rise and fall alarmingly. Annie had been feeling very queasy since they’d left Fremantle. ‘Please be quiet, Ada,’ Mrs Dickson moaned from her bunk. Ada was happily singing to herself as she played with her doll, but her poor mother lay on her side, her eyes closed and her face a sickly shade of green. Above decks, passengers James and William Dempster leant on the rails and looked out to sea. ‘We’re lucky we don’t get seasick!’ James observed, as yet another passenger vomited over the side. ‘True,’ his brother William replied. ‘But I’m still worried about the state of this ship. I overheard the Captain and the owner, Mr Connor, talking earlier. Apparently the Georgette needs some repairs. I just hope she makes it to Adelaide.’ Cabin boy James Noonan had no time to feel sick as he rushed around following Captain Godfrey’s orders. He sighed with relief as he finally scampered down the mast and headed for his cabin and a well-earned rest.

22

‘Man the pumps!’

As night fell, most of the passengers were already sleeping fitfully in their bunks. The Georgette battled a fresh south-easterly wind and a heavy swell off Cape Naturaliste. But Captain Godfrey stood steadfastly at the wheel, sure of his trusty vessel. However, as the captain was about to go below for the night, Bill Sinclair, the chief engineer, approached him. ‘Sorry to bother you, Sir, but the ship’s takin’ on water, and the ship’s pump doesn’t seem to be clearin’ it.’ ‘Get the hand pumps going as well, Mr Engineer. I want the ship dry by midnight. I’m off to my cabin. Wake me if there are any more problems.’ ‘Man the pumps, lads!’ came the cry. ‘Oh, no,’ James Noonan groaned as he scrambled from his bunk, ‘there’ll be no sleep for us tonight.’

24

‘Man the pumps!’

THE VERY EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING, FRIDAY, 1 DECEMBER 1876

SS Georgette, on which the leak gets worse The second mate, John Dewar, grimaced as he inspected the water level in the hold at two in the morning. He hurried back on deck. ‘Boy, wake the captain and tell him he’s needed on deck now!’ Dewar yelled at young James as he scurried past. ‘The pumps are making no headway, Sir,’ the second mate reported as Captain Godfrey strode on deck. ‘The main pump is totally blocked.’ ‘Tell Dundee to get down there immediately and fix it, Mr Mate,’ the Captain ordered. Bill Dundee, the first mate of the Georgette, was soon standing waist deep in cold, oily water. ‘What’s blockin’ this blasted thing?’ he growled as he inspected the pump’s drainage pipe. ‘Damn! The pipe’s buried in the ship’s ballast. No wonder the pump won’t work. Men, clear those stones away. Now!’ Two sailors scrambled to obey, but it made no difference for, once they’d cleared the ballast stones, they found that the pipe itself was choked with clay. ‘Get the tools and cut ’er off above the blockage!’ Dundee commanded. The men tried to hack through the pump’s steel pipe with hammers and chisels. It was difficult work. The ship rolled and 25

‘Man the pumps!’

lurched, and the lantern hanging from a hook above their heads swung dangerously back and forth, making it hard to see what they were doing. All too often they hit their fingers rather than the pipe.

SS Georgette, on which buckets are needed In his cabin, James Dempster awoke with a start. ‘William, can you hear that?’ he asked, shaking his brother awake. ‘It sounds like someone cutting into steel. I’m going to investigate.’ ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ he demanded when he found the source of the noise. ‘Go away and mind your own business!’ snapped Bill Dundee. He was too busy trying to fix the pump to be polite to nosey passengers. James Dempster stormed off, convinced that the men were cutting a hole through a water-tight compartment and purposely trying to sink the Georgette. A few minutes later, the first mate conceded defeat. The water had risen to his armpits and the situation was getting desperate. ‘Get out now, before we’re trapped!’ he shouted, pushing the men up the ladder that led to the upper decks.

27

‘Man the pumps!’

As Dundee reported the dire state of affairs to Captain Godfrey, Bill Sinclair, the chief engineer, also appeared. His face was smudged with oil and his clothes were soaking wet. ‘Water’s over the footplates in the engine room, Sir. The stokers can’t keep the furnaces goin’ anymore. I’ve ordered the men to come on deck before they drown. I’m afraid that’s the end of the engines, Captain.’ ‘Mr Mate, rouse the male passengers. We need all hands on deck and every bucket we can find. We’ll have to bail by hand. Get to it!’ the Captain roared. ‘Big difference that’ll make,’ Bill Dundee muttered to himself as he hurried off. ‘You might as well try to sweep a beach clear of sand.’ Many of the passengers had already clambered on deck, as it was getting very uncomfortable down below. Water was pouring in and the leaking ship rocked and rolled back and forth. The men formed a human chain from below decks to the side of the ship and back again, feverishly passing buckets from hand to hand. But it made no difference; the water just kept on rising.

28

The sea was smooth enough till we passed the Naturaliste when we met the sea breeze dead against us this of course meant more sea sickness for me so down I went below and spent another miserable day. The first night on board I was unable to use my bunk the bedding being wet through the water coming in upon it from the deck which is in such a leaky condition.

A letter from the Georgette’s passenger George Leake (later the Premier of Western Australia) to his sister (Guinness, p. 53)

LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVES

The crew Each of the 22 crew members aboard the Georgette had designated jobs. The captain was in charge overall. He was ably assisted by the first and second mates, who looked after the cargo and the deck crew. There were two engineers and three firemen, or stokers, to keep the steam engines going. There were also two stewards and one stewardess to look after the passengers. Eight able-seamen worked on the deck, raised and lowered the sails, and did whatever else the officers ordered them to do. The cook was assisted by two cabin boys, who did menial jobs like peeling vegetables and washing up.

Steering the ship

Cabin boys were often only 13 or 14 years old. As well as assisting the cook in the ship’s galley, they ran messages for the officers, helped the sailors with the sails, and fetched and carried for both passengers and crew. They also had to clean the cabins and scrub the decks.

Hoisting the sails

30

Starting the long journey

The passengers For passengers like Annie Simpson, life on board a small ship was cramped and uncomfortable, especially when the sea was rough. Many passengers suffered from seasickness, which made them feel nauseous, dizzy and very tired. Crew members were usually unaffected, as they were used to the movement of the boat. Passengers were accommodated in small cabins and slept on narrow bunks that were placed one above the other, sometimes three or four high. These bunks were just over half a metre wide––

31

about the width of a small desk. The only place where children could play with their toys was on the deck. However, the larger sailing and steam ships that made the long voyage across the ocean to and from Australia had dining rooms and saloons for their passengers, and large deck areas. So, when the weather was good, life on board such ships was quite enjoyable, and often included games, dances and other forms of entertainment.

Passengers relaxing on deck

CHAPTER 3 ‘Women and children first!’ EARLY MORNING, FRIDAY, 1 DECEMBER 1876

Wallcliffe House, where Grace Bussell bakes bread ‘What a spectacular sunrise. Did you see it?’ asked Grace, as her sister entered the kitchen. Charlotte yawned. ‘No, Grace, some of us like to sleep occasionally! Where’s Mama?’ ‘She should be here soon. Can you help me make the bread, and then we can get everything ready for the Christmas pudding.’ ‘Thank you, girls,’ Ellen Bussell said as she hurried into the room, carrying baby Filumena. ‘Here, Grace, you nurse Mena while I knead the bread. See if you can get her to sleep.’ Grace took the small bundle in her arms. She looked tenderly at her one-month-old sister as she rocked the baby and sang ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ in a lilting voice.

SS Georgette, on which the lifeboat is lowered and disaster strikes ‘Wake up, Mrs Simpson,’ said the stewardess, roughly shaking Annie from her much-needed sleep. ‘You have to get on deck immediately––the ship’s sinking!’ 35

‘Women and children first!’

Annie joined the other women and children who had crowded into the deckhouse, shivering as the wind whistled around them. They were a sorry sight, with some dressed only in whatever they had slept in, their feet bare. Ada Dickson was unusually quiet as she peeked out from behind her mother’s voluminous skirt. ‘Could you get me a blanket for my poor baby?’Annie asked one of the passengers who stood nearby, his arms wrapped tightly around his chest. He just shook his head, a look of terror on his face. ‘I’ll get you a blanket, Missus,’ another man offered, and he disappeared below decks. He returned just as Captain Godfrey addressed his men. ‘Swing out the lifeboats, tie the rowboat astern, and hoist more sail!’ ‘The lifeboats are ready, Captain,’ Bill Dundee reported some time later. ‘Good work,’ the Captain replied. ‘Lower the first lifeboat, Mr Mate. Women and children first! Load as many as you can. We’ll put the rest in the second lifeboat later. Take a couple of able-seamen with you as well and head north to Geographe Bay––the settlers there will help you.’ ‘Aye, aye, Captain!’ Bill Dundee replied. ‘Don’t push! Mothers with babies and little ones first,’ he hollered, as some of the women rushed forward, afraid they’d be left behind.

36

‘Women and children first!’

Annie Simpson was not among them. She stood as far away from the sailors as she could. She was determined not to set foot in that lifeboat. She had a bad feeling about it. The boat sank lower and lower in the water as more people piled in. Two sailors were busy baling out water, trying to keep it afloat. ‘Come along, Ma’am, it’s your turn,’ said Bill Dundee, putting his hand on Annie’s arm. ‘No, take someone else!’ Annie shouted, pulling away. ‘We have to take the babies in the first boat, Ma’am,’ Dundee explained. He snatched baby Harry from Annie’s arms and handed him overboard to one of the sailors in the lifeboat. ‘No!’ Annie screamed as she was lifted over the side and plonked in the boat. She cried out in pain as her ankle twisted. ‘Give me my child,’ she sobbed, grabbing the still sleeping Harry from the sailor. 38

‘Women and children first!’

Annie looked around her in despair. There was nowhere for her to sit in the leaking boat. But worse was to come. As Annie sank to her knees, Bill Dundee called out, ‘Take her astern!’ The sailors started pulling the lifeboat towards the back of the ship. But, just as the boat was nearly clear, an enormous wave struck the Georgette. The stricken ship reared up in the water like a frightened horse. She came down with a sickening thud on the overcrowded lifeboat and broke it clean in two. Women and children screamed as they were tossed into the sea like ragdolls. Those who could swim struck out at once for the Georgette, where eager hands reached out and helped them aboard. The rest flailed about helplessly in the inhospitable sea, while a few simply disappeared beneath the waves, never to be seen again. Annie Simpson floundered in the water. Her dress clung to her legs and her long hair swirled around her. But all she could think of was keeping baby Harry safe. She rolled onto her back and floated as best she could, her right arm and her legs stretched out as far as possible. She clasped her baby to her chest with her left arm, his tiny face turned towards the sky. The wreckage of the lifeboat floated away, and Annie and Harry were all alone. ‘Help!’ Annie called hoarsely at intervals. ‘There must be someone who can help us!’

39

‘Women and children first!’

But there was no reply. Her hair washed around her like seaweed, and her arms and legs began to cramp. Twice she went under. Twice she came up again, gasping for breath, still holding Harry close to her heart. But for how much longer could they stay afloat?

The rowboat, which comes to the rescue ‘That boat’s not going to make it to shore,’ William Dempster had commented, as he and his brother watched the women and children being loaded into the leaking lifeboat, before it was smashed to pieces by the Georgette. ‘We can’t just stand here and do nothing! Let’s get the rowboat,’ cried James. They rushed to the stern of the ship, where the small rowboat was tied to the Georgette by a stout rope. William slid down the back of the ship into the boat. Grabbing the rope, he pulled the little vessel around to where the wreck of the lifeboat now floated. A sailor was the first to clamber aboard. ‘Sit still, man, or she’ll capsize!’ William yelled at him as they leaned against one side of the boat, desperately trying to counterbalance the women and children who were clinging to the other side. 40

‘Women and children first!’

‘We need help down here, now!’ William yelled at the people on board the Georgette. His brother James dived off the sinking ship. Grabbing a floating oar, he helped to get the exhausted women and children aboard the rowboat. ‘I’m comin’ too, Sir!’ yelled cabin boy James Noonan. Plunging overboard, he swam strongly towards two children who were floundering in the water and dragged them to the safety of the rowboat. ‘Good work, lad!’ yelled the second mate, John Dewar, as he too jumped off the Georgette. While Dewar helped the Dempster brothers pull others aboard the rowboat, James swam amongst the wreckage of the lifeboat, searching for survivors. ‘Did we get them all?’ John Dewar gasped, as he and the cabin boy clung to what remained of the upturned hull of the lifeboat, trying to catch their breath. 42

‘Women and children first!’

James looked around him. Mrs Dickson and her baby were among those safely in the rowboat, but there was no sign of Ada––or of Annie Simpson and her precious bundle. ‘We better get in that rowboat too or we’ll be left behind,’ John Dewar observed. ‘Over here!’ he yelled. The first mate, Bill Dundee heard his call. ‘Row, men!’ he commanded. Luckily, John Dewar, a big man with red hair, was easy to spot on the heaving ocean. The two brave sailors were pulled into the already crowded rowboat. The women and children on board the small boat were unusually quiet. They huddled together, wet, cold and very frightened. ‘Where’s my Ada?’ Mrs Dickson wailed, hugging her baby to her chest. But there was no sign of the little girl who had played so happily on the wharf at Fremantle only a few days before. And she was not the only one missing. ‘I can see something over there. Quick, row harder!’ someone cried out suddenly. ‘Just looks like seaweed to me,’ grumbled the sailor who was straining at the oars. ‘It’s a woman!’ James Dempster yelled. He grabbed a handful of hair and tugged hard.

43

‘Women and children first!’

Annie Simpson yelled in fright, staring with wild eyes. ‘It’s all right, Ma’am,’ James reassured her, ‘you’re safe now.’ ‘Thank God!’ she gasped, as she caught hold of the side of the boat and handed baby Harry to John Dewar. The sleeping child was still wrapped in his blanket. ‘Hang on, Ma’am. We’ll get you into the boat in a moment. We’re just getting someone else in on the other side,’ John Dewar reassured her. Mrs Dickson watched hopefully as first the other survivor and then Annie were pulled on board. But there was no sign of her Ada. She slumped against the side of the boat, tears streaming down her cheeks. William Dempster scanned the empty ocean around them. ‘I can’t see anyone else,’ he said flatly. ‘There should be more than this.’

44

Just then another big wave struck the lifeboat and threw it against the ship’s side. It broke clean in half from end to end, and I shall never forget the awful screams that went up. All in a few seconds we were struggling in the water, and it was then that most of the lives were lost. I floated on my back, saw the broken boat turn over and float away, and saw the Georgette for the last time.

A letter from Annie Simpson to Miss E.A. Timmings (The Western Australian, 14 December 1935, p. 5)

A PIONEERING LIFE

Early settlers at Geographe Bay Grace Bussell’s father and uncles were some of the earliest pioneers of the Busselton area of Western Australia. They settled there in the early 1830s. In those days, the settlement at Geographe Bay was very isolated. It took 12 months for letters to reach their families in England, roads were just bullock tracks through the scrub, and supplies arrived infrequently by ship. Men, women and children all had to work very hard to establish their properties. At first, Busselton was known as The Tub, after a beacon that had been made from a barrel placed on top of a pole. It was used as a marker by coastal ships and American whaling vessels, so that they knew where to call in for stores. The town was later named Busselton in honour of the Bussells, including the eldest brother, John, who built St Mary’s Church and a bridge in the small township. Pioneers worked hard

A bullock team

Grace’s parents, Alfred and Ellen Bussell

The Bussell family Grace’s father, Alfred Bussell, came to Western Australia from England in 1829 with his older brothers when he was 14. They finally settled at the site near the Vasse River that later became Busselton. In 1850, Alfred Bussell married 17-year-old Ellen Heppingstone and, in 1851, they settled in a wattle-and-daub house at Ellensbrook. After the death of one of their babies, Alfred and Ellen moved five miles away, where they built a large wooden house. However, tragedy struck again when their new home was destroyed in a bushfire.

The Bussells’ home, Wallcliffe House

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Rather than rebuild on the same spot, in 1865 the Bussells built Wallcliffe, a two-storey stone house at the mouth of the Margaret River. They ran cattle, and had a cheese factory and a dairy. Alfred was also a justice of the peace and a politician, so he was often away from home. Ellen and their nine children––including seven daughters––helped to run the property, aided by servants and employees such as stockman Sam Isaacs. The family were well known in the district for their compassion, kindness and hospitality.

Pioneers fighting a bushfire

CHAPTER 4 ‘Land ahoy!’ EARLY MORNING, FRIDAY, 1 DECEMBER 1876

Wallcliffe House, where Grace Bussell scolds her brothers Grace piled handfuls of dried fruit onto the kitchen scales and then placed them in a bowl, ready to be added to the pudding mixture. ‘I hope we’ve got everything,’ she muttered to herself. She went into the pantry to check. As Grace came back into the kitchen, she spotted her two young brothers, John and Fred, busily stuffing plump sultanas into their mouths. ‘Stop it! I just weighed them, you cheeky things,’ scolded Grace, ruffling their hair. ‘If you don’t behave, you won’t get to lick the wooden spoon after we’ve mixed the pudding.’ ‘Sorry, Grace,’ said little Freddie, licking his chubby fingers. ‘We thought you were out mustering cattle this morning,’ said John. ‘Sam’s doing it by himself today. We’ve got a pudding to mix!’ said Grace.

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‘Land ahoy!’

SS Georgette, which flounders towards the coast Captain Godfrey had watched in horror as the lifeboat capsized. Now he stood on the deck of the Georgette looking on helplessly as the survivors were crammed into the tiny rowboat. There was nothing he could do, for the Georgette was wallowing so badly in the swell that he could no longer control her properly. ‘It’s only the timber in the hold that’s keeping this ship afloat,’ he confided in Bill Sinclair. ‘We’ll just have to point her to shore and hope she makes it. And I’m going to have to abandon the rowboat. If we try to pull her in now she’ll be destroyed, just like the lifeboat was.’ ‘It has to be done then,’ Bill reluctantly agreed. ‘Cut the rowboat adrift and hoist more sails!’ the captain ordered, with a catch in his throat. The remaining crew members did as they were told. Then they all watched with heavy hearts as the little rowboat and her desperate human cargo disappeared from sight. The captain surveyed the remaining passengers. They were soaked to the skin, and many were trembling from both cold and fear. ‘Let’s hope we land somewhere near civilisation, Mr Engineer. We’re going to need all the help we can get.’

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‘Land ahoy!’

The rowboat, which is adrift and in need of a sail ‘They’ve cut the rope,’ Bill Dundee growled as the lifeboat’s survivors sat dazed and cramped in the overcrowded rowboat. ‘The Georgette’s under sail and there’s no way we can catch her. I’m afraid we’re on our own’, he said. ‘Luckily, I know this coastline well. We can make it safely to Geographe Bay with your help, men.’ ‘I’m sure we’ll be fine,’ sailor Archie McLeod declared. ‘I’ve already been in two shipwrecks, and I intend to survive this one too!’ And so, at about nine o’clock that Friday morning, the rowboat set off, heading north along the coast. Annie and her baby lay on the bottom of the boat, wedged uncomfortably between the seats. She couldn’t raise her head for fear of it being struck by the oars, but at least she and Harry were alive. ‘There must be some way we can go faster,’ William Dempster told his brother. ‘We need a sail,’ James replied. ‘Mr Mate, could we make a sail with the oars and a blanket?’ William asked. Bill Dundee looked quizzical. ‘Could do,’ he said slowly. ‘But have we got a blanket?’ Annie grasped Harry tight. She wasn’t going to give away his blanket. But then she looked at the other children in the boat.

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‘Land ahoy!’

The boy beside her was in tears and a little girl was trying to smile at her through chattering teeth. ‘If someone can give me something to wrap my baby in, you can have his blanket,’ Annie offered. Archie McLeod stripped off his shirt and gave it to her, and the blanket was soon fashioned into a makeshift sail. The rowboat reacted instantly, moving through the water at a much faster pace.

MID-AFTERNOON, FRIDAY, 1 DECEMBER 1876

SS Georgette, which runs aground on a deserted beach For several hours the Georgette floundered towards the coast, and each hour seemed like a day to the worried people gathered on the deck. Finally, in the late afternoon, they heard the cry they’d all been waiting for, ‘Land ahoy!’ The ship hit the sandy bottom with a grinding screech, narrowly missing the jumble of rocks that flanked the beach. She shuddered as her keel scraped along the sand, and the ship’s bell tolled mournfully. ‘Where are we, Captain?’ asked a sailor, staring bleakly at the deserted beach. ‘According to my reckoning, this is Calgardup Bay. Ready the remaining lifeboat and fasten a sturdy rope to the ship’s rail to take with you––we’ll need a lifeline to the beach.’ 54

‘Land ahoy!’

‘Aye, aye, Sir!’ the sailor replied. But, as he marched away, a huge wave hit the Georgette. The ship lurched sickeningly and the sailor sprawled on the deck, clinging to a rail as the rushing water tried to wash him overboard. Once the wave had passed, the sailor staggered to his feet and looked around wildly. But the Georgette was now well and truly beached. The waves broke over her battered carcass, but they could no longer move her. The sailor walked unsteadily across the leaning deck and helped to launch the last lifeboat–– their only hope of getting to shore through the boiling surf. Several men clambered into the waiting boat. ‘Heave, ho!’ one of the sailors cried, as they pulled on the oars. Another sailor sat in the stern of the boat, letting out the heavy rope. But they didn’t get very far. A set of breakers bore down on them. The leading wave lifted the lifeboat high into the air, and the following wave flung it onto the sandy bottom. Those aboard were tossed about like seaweed. The men struggled through the waves towards the shore, but many were dragged out again by the undertow. Finally, they all staggered onto the beach, where they lay on the sand, half-drowned and too exhausted to move. ‘Did you see that!’ one of the passengers cried, grabbing his friend’s arm. ‘I hope they’re all right. How’re we going to get ashore now?’

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‘Land ahoy!’

‘The rope’s still attached to the ship. At least we’ve got something to hang onto. Let’s go! It’s better than waiting here while the Georgette breaks up under us.’ ‘They’re mad!’ another passenger remarked, as the two men scrambled overboard into the bubbling cauldron of the surf. The remaining passengers and crew stared forlornly at the beach that was so tantalisingly close. The Georgette creaked ominously under them as the waves pounded against her iron sides. Above them, her sails flapped uselessly in the wind. ‘I don’t think we’ll get any help in such a godforsaken place as this, Captain,’ Bill Sinclair muttered. Beside him, a man wept quietly into his handkerchief.

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homes in the Eastern colonies. Many women and children had been lowered to the boat, which was in charge of the third officer, who had the cabin boy to assist him, when the sinking steamer gave a lurch and stove in the lifeboat precipitating her human freight into the sea, which became a struggling mass of drowning souls. The officer and cabin boy had clambered on to the upturned boat. This was the sight that met the gaze of Willie Dempster as he came on deck. Taking in the situation at once, he rushed back to his cabin and seized a blanket and towel. Returning to the deck, he lowered a boat that was swinging from one davit, threw the blanket and towel aboard, and, sliding down the rope, gained the boat and paid out the long rope till his boat was among the struggling creatures. Those who were able clung to the gunwale but all on one side, and he had to put his weight on the other to prevent the boat from swamping. His brother, seeing the predicament he was in, dived into the sea from the stern of the steamer (which was not then travelling) and gained the boat, scrambling aboard from the unoccupied side, and together the brothers succeeded in getting the women safely in. But a lot were drowned, and some of those rescued were in a sad plight from exposure and exhaustion.

A letter to the Editor from H.E.B. Gull describing the role of his uncles, William and James Dempster, in the rescue of the people from the Georgette’s lifeboat (The West Australian, 16 June 1932, p. 10)

WRECKS AND RESCUES A beached ship

Western Australian shipwrecks During the 1870s, many ships were wrecked off the coast of south-west Western Australia between Perth and Albany. As well as the Georgette, they included the Centaur, which ran aground on a reef near Fremantle; the Ella Gladstone, which was blown ashore in a gale at Quindalup near Busselton; and the Twinkling Star, which was wrecked on Garden Island, south of Fremantle. While many sailing ships had foundered off the coast before 1876, the Georgette was the first steamship to be wrecked in that area. Thousands of other shipwrecks lie scattered amongst the reefs, islands, rocks and steep beaches of Western Australia’s coast, which is 12 889 kilometres long––one third of

Australia’s total mainland coastline. The first known shipwreck off the Western Australian coast occurred in 1622, but the most famous shipwreck was that of the Dutch ship the Batavia off the Abrolhos Islands in 1629, amid scenes of mutiny and murder.

The rough Australian coastline

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Grace Darling One of the best known shipwreck rescues in the 1800s occurred on the opposite side of the world to Western Australia. On 7 September 1838, another ‘Grace’––a young Englishwoman called Grace Darling, who lived with her parents at the Longstone Lighthouse on an island off the coast of Scotland––sighted the wreck of the ship Forfarshire through a window of the lighthouse. She could see survivors clinging to a rocky island nearby. Grace and her father took their small flat-bottomed boat and rowed to the island through mountainous seas. Grace kept the boat steady, while her father helped four men and one woman clamber aboard. Grace’s father and two of the men then rowed the boat back to the lighthouse. Grace stayed there, while her father went back in the boat and saved more lives.

Lighthouses help ships to avoid dangerous coastlines

Both Grace and William Darling received gold medals from the Royal Humane Society for their bravery, but it was Grace who became famous. Newspaper articles, stories, poems and songs were written about her. Tragically, Grace Darling died of tuberculosis, a lung disease, just four years after the dramatic rescue. She was only 27. Her name lived on throughout the British Empire, including Australia, as an inspiration to those in trouble on the high seas.

In 1838, Grace Darling and her father rescued shipwreck survivors off the coast of Scotland

Sailors escaping from a sinking sailing ship

CHAPTER 5 ‘Australia’s Grace Darling!’ EARLY AFTERNOON, FRIDAY, 1 DECEMBER 1876

Wallcliffe House, where the Christmas pudding is being mixed ‘It’s my turn to stir the pudding,’ said Grace, pushing her way through the throng of Bussell children. It was sometimes very frustrating being the fifth child in a family of nine! ‘Wait till I’ve finished,’ Edie told her, imposing her rights as an older sister. ‘I haven’t made my wish yet.’ Edie closed her eyes, stirred the pudding mix and recited dramatically, ‘Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble!’ Her sisters laughed. They’d all enjoyed listening to their father, Alfred, read Shakespeare’s Macbeth to them the night before. ‘My turn,’ said Grace, taking the wooden spoon from her sister. ‘I wish for some excitement!’ she declared as she stirred the mixture. ‘Even a shipwreck would be better than doing boring chores.’ ‘Be careful what you wish for,’ warned her mother, who was having a well-earned cup of tea. Charlotte was staring dreamily out the kitchen window. ‘Somebody’s coming!’ she suddenly cried.

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‘Australia’s Grace Darling!’

Grace rushed to her side. ‘It’s only dear old Sam,’ she said, a note of disappointment in her voice. Sam Isaacs burst into the room. It took him a moment to catch his breath. ‘What’s wrong?’ asked Ellen, rising quickly and spilling her tea. ‘It’s a ship, Missus. It’s gone aground just off Calgardup. The people on it need our help.’ All eyes turned to Grace, who gasped guiltily––her dream had come true! ‘Grace, go with Sam and see what you can do to help. The rest of you, we need food, clothes, bedding and bandages. It looks like we’ll have a lot of visitors tonight.’ Grace ripped off her apron and ran out the door, Sam close behind her. She raced to the home paddock and saddled Smiler, her much-loved horse. Grace and Sam jumped on their horses and thundered off through the bush, taking the shortest course they could towards the sinking ship. It was a good hour’s ride beneath peppermint gums and tall karri trees, through coastal scrub and over sand dunes dotted with tea-trees. Parrots screeched in protest as they rode past, and lizards scrambled out of their way, but Sam and Grace rode on unperturbed. They knew this land well from years of riding together mustering cattle, and now every second counted.

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‘Australia’s Grace Darling!’

Finally, they reached the top of the steep ridge of sandhills that tumbled down onto the beach at Calgardup Bay. There they stopped to rest their horses.

Calgardup Bay, where Grace and Sam ride to the rescue Sam and Grace’s horses snuffled nervously as the vicious surf surged below them and the wind tousled their manes and tails. Grace pushed her hair out of her eyes and peered across the beach. She shuddered when she saw the stricken ship leaning at a dangerous angle just offshore. The Georgette’s remaining passengers and crew clung to the rails as waves washed over them. On the beach, a handful of men lay on the sand as though dead. Others struggled in through the surf, hanging onto the ship’s rope that snaked dangerously back and forth. The mood on board the Georgette was bleak. And then they heard a passenger cry out, ‘Look, horsemen!’ Everyone waved excitedly at Grace and Sam. Help had come at last. ‘We have to do something, Sam,’ Grace yelled over the howling of the wind. ‘Come on!’ She raised an arm in salute to the people on the ship and then spurred her horse over the edge of the steep sand dune. 69

‘Australia’s Grace Darling!’

‘What’re they doing, Mama?’ a small boy on board the Georgette cried. ‘They’ll fall over, and then there’ll be no-one to save us!’ As those on board the ship watched, the two figures disappeared among the scrub at the top of the cliff. They cheered as Grace and Sam came into view again, plunging down the cliff-face along a steep path onto the sand. ‘Hooray! They’re safe!’ the boy yelled. ‘But what can they do to help us? Do they have a boat, Mama?’ His mother shook her head. What could two people on horseback do? ‘And look,’ a sailor cried, burying his face in his hands, ‘one of them’s just a girl!’ But he hadn’t met Grace Bussell. She’d been riding horses since she was a small child, and the bush and the beach were her backyard. The horses hit the sand together and then galloped unchecked straight into the surging surf. Salt water stung Grace’s eyes and her wet riding-skirt clung uncomfortably to her legs. But Grace did not pause, even when the undertow threatened to drag horse and rider beneath the waves. Those on board the Georgette watched nervously as Grace and Smiler ploughed gallantly towards them through the wild water.

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‘Australia’s Grace Darling!’

‘She’s gone!’ someone groaned, as the brave horse stumbled, his legs entangled in the ship’s rope, which lashed around in the waves. Her horse began to panic but Grace kept her head. She calmed him down with reassuring words and urged him on. Smiler responded, stepping carefully over the flailing rope. Soon they were swimming in deep water, with Sam close behind. Passengers and crew hung over the Georgette’s rails, cheering loudly. ‘Good boy,’ Grace whispered in Smiler’s ear, encouraging him with a pat on his neck. She could feel his muscles trembling beneath her hand and his eyes were white with fear, but he kept on going. ‘Jump in and we’ll tow you to the beach,’ Grace yelled as they got as close as they dared to the wrecked ship. Frightened faces peered down at them. ‘We’ll go,’ said a brave young woman. ‘It might be our only chance.’ Grasping the hands of her terrified children, she leapt into the sea. There was a gasp from those on board as the trio disappeared beneath the waves. ‘That’s the end of them,’ someone sighed. But the mother and her children bobbed to the surface, very much alive. Grace steered Smiler towards them.

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‘Australia’s Grace Darling!’

‘Grab hold and hang on tight. C’mon, Smiler, we can do it!’ Grace headed for shore. The woman held onto the saddle strap, while her children clung precariously to Smiler’s mane and tail. Those on board the Georgette watched as first one line of breakers and then another tried to drag Grace and her passengers off the horse.

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‘Australia’s Grace Darling!’

And then disaster struck. The little boy lost his grip on Smiler’s mane and disappeared beneath the waves. Grace immediately turned her horse’s head around and scanned the water, hoping against hope for some sign of the missing boy. Just as she was about to give up, a little white arm appeared above a wave. Grace grasped the boy’s hand and, holding on for dear life, she spurred her horse towards the shore. And so Grace and Smiler brought the woman and her children to safety at last. Sam was not far behind, a child in his arms and a weary man clinging to his horse. ‘C’mon, Sam, let’s do it again!’ Grace yelled, as their passengers staggered up the beach and collapsed into the arms of other survivors, who had rushed forward to help them. Grace and Sam guided many more people to safety that afternoon, while others braved the waves alone and made their own way in. Calgardup Bay was soon littered with people slumped on the sand, heads bowed. Some cried. Some coughed up sand and seawater. Others nursed injured arms and legs. A few just gazed silently into the distance, too traumatised to do anything at all. Sam Isaacs made one last trip to the Georgette. The terrified man who had ignored Annie Simpson’s request for a blanket was the last person left on board.

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‘Australia’s Grace Darling!’

‘Jump, Sir. You’ll be safe with me,’ Sam coaxed, but the man was too frightened to move. Then a large wave broke over the Georgette and washed him screaming into the sea. Sam was there. He grabbed the man and towed him into shore, where the poor fellow lay on the wet sand, trembling uncontrollably. ‘We need to get these people warm, Miss Grace,’ said Sam. ‘I’ll build a fire.’ ‘And I’ll go home and get more help, Sam.’ Grace had been on horseback all afternoon, but without any hesitation she headed back to Wallcliffe House. Captain Godfrey watched as Grace and Smiler disappeared from sight. ‘She’s Australia’s Grace Darling, that one,’ he said. ‘What a brave lass!’

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Christmas Pudding

1½lb muscatel raisins, 1¾lb currants, 1lb sultanas, 2lb finest white moist sugar, 2lb breadcrumbs, 2lb finely chopped suet, 8oz mixed candied peel, rind of two lemons, 1oz allspice, ½oz pounded bitter almonds, yolks of 20 eggs, whites of 16 eggs, ¼ pint good brandy and ½ pint sherry or good colonial white wine. Mix all the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, brandy and sherry. Mix all well together. Spoon the pudding into a buttered, well-floured cloth, and tie it close. Place in a pan of boiling water and keep it boiling for eight hours.

A colonial recipe for Christmas pudding (based on Stapleton and McDonald, p.35)

CHRISTMAS IN THE COLONIES

Christmas fare On the Bussells’ property, Christmas cooking had to be fitted in around the daily tasks of baking bread, making butter and cheese, and cooking three meals a day for a big family and lots of employees. Large batches of preserved fruit, jams, pies, tarts and cakes were made in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Despite the often oppressive heat of an Australian summer, the Bussell family ate hot English-style dishes for Christmas dinner, including roast meats, vegetables and puddings.

The plum pudding had a special place in the family’s Christmas celebrations. It was always prepared well ahead of time, because it tasted best a few weeks after it was made. Before the pudding was cooked, every member of the Bussell family stirred the mixture from east to west and made a wish. This was an English tradition designed to honour the Three Kings of the nativity story. On Christmas Day, the pudding was served piping hot, with flaming brandy on top. Christmas advertising

A Christmas card

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Christmas decorations Despite the lack of snow, families like the Bussells followed many of the traditions of an English Christmas. They erected a Christmas tree but, instead of a fir tree, they used a branch from an Australian native tree, such as a gum or a wattle. The tree was festooned with homemade decorations, miniature toys and paper stars. Under it there were unwrapped presents, such as spinning tops, balls, rocking horses, mechanical toys and dolls for the younger children. The Bussells would order their presents by mail from trade catalogues well ahead of Christmas Day.

The main decorations in the houses were plants and flowers. Garlands and wreaths decorated the family portraits on the walls, and bunches of Australian wildflowers adorned the house, including the bright yellow Western Australian Christmas Bush. Many of the Christmas cards that sat on the mantelpiece featured distinctly Australian scenes. Christmas was a special time for pioneering families like the Bussells, when they finally had a break from the hard daily labour involved in running large properties in often very isolated areas.

Western Australian Christmas Bush

Christmas Bells

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A family gathering Christmas decorations

CHAPTER 6 ‘Abandon ship!’ LATE AFTERNOON, FRIDAY, 1 DECEMBER 1876

Wallcliffe House, where preparations are being made ‘You’re home at last!’ Ellen Bussell cried, embracing her daughter. ‘They’re all safe, Mama! All the people are off the ship. But now they need food and water and medicine. I think there’s about 50 of them!’ said Grace. Ellen hurried outside, where her husband, Alfred, was organising the bullock dray. ‘There’s about 50 poor souls, Alfred. Fetch them all! I can take them in.’ Alfred tenderly kissed her cheek. ‘Make sure you get lots of help, my darling Nellie,’ he whispered. Ellen sent him on his way with a reassuring smile. She sighed. ‘Thank goodness I’ve got my girls to help me,’ she said, smiling bravely. She took Grace’s hand, and together they hurried off to prepare food and beds.

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‘Abandon ship!’ NIGHT-TIME, FRIDAY, 1 DECEMBER 1876

Wallcliffe House, where everyone is safe and sound That moonlit night, Grace and Charlotte lay in their beds listening to the waves battering the shore. The sound almost drowned out the snores, coughs and occasional sobs that came from downstairs, where the rescued passengers and crew of the Georgette lay on makeshift beds. The Bussell family had taken them all in—feeding, clothing and tending to everyone alike. ‘I’m so glad we could help those people,’ Grace confided. ‘You were very brave today, Grace. I’m proud of you,’ her sister replied. ‘Do you think people will read about us in the newspapers?’ Grace asked in an embarrassed voice. ‘I’m sure they will.’ Grace smiled. ‘It was very exciting, Charlotte, but I hope it never happens again. And what about those poor people in the Georgette’s rowboat that the survivors told us about? I do hope they’re all right.’

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‘Abandon ship!’

Quindalup, where the rowboat reaches land at last About nine o’clock that Friday night, the rowboat sailed into Geographe Bay. In the moonlight, the beach at Quindalup was a stunning white crescent of sand ringed by peppermint gums and tall grasstrees. But those on board the rowboat were too exhausted to admire the beauty surrounding them. ‘Abandon ship!’ Bill Dundee screamed, as the boat was caught by a wave and carried quickly to shore. Everyone tumbled out as best they could into the choppy water. All except Annie, whose twisted ankle was terribly swollen. ‘I can’t move,’ she whimpered, hugging Harry tight. Strong arms dragged her free, just as the rowboat was carried away by the receding waves. They never saw that boat again. Annie, clasping her baby, limped ashore and collapsed on the damp sand. Around her, other women and children sprawled on the beach. They were grateful for the feel of solid ground beneath them, but too exhausted to do more than lie there, looking up at the moon and the stars. ‘Who’s still got their boots?’ asked Bill Dundee. The Dempster brothers stepped forward. ‘Follow that track leading from the beach until you find help. We need blankets, food, medicine, water and transport as soon as possible.’

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‘Abandon ship!’

The Dempsters tramped off into the bush, while the other men constructed rough shelters from branches and leaves. The brothers returned a few minutes later. ‘We’ve found some bush food that’ll keep you all going until we get help. Here you are, Mrs Simpson,’ said William, offering Annie a pulpy, white substance. It didn’t look very appetising, but Annie was too hungry to care and she crammed it into her mouth. ‘Please, could I have some more?’ she asked. William shook his head. ‘You need only a little to sustain you for a while, Ma’am. Any more will upset your innards.’ ‘What is it?’ Annie asked. ‘It’s the inside bit of those tall grasstrees over there.’ Just then little Harry awoke with a lusty cry, and Annie soon forgot about her own hunger as she fed her child. She looked up as the Dempster brothers disappeared once more into the bush. ‘I hope they don’t get lost,’ she whispered to Harry.

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‘Abandon ship!’ MORNING, SATURDAY, 2 DECEMBER

Quindalup, where help finally arrives for the rowboat’s survivors As the sun rose, the bedraggled survivors awoke on the beach. There was still no sign of help. But then, late in the morning, just when they’d all given up hope, they heard a reassuring cry. ‘Cooee! Cooee!’ Two neatly dressed horsewomen galloped onto the beach, leading a pony with bulging saddle bags. ‘Food!’ the cry went up, as the women handed out bread, cheese and pies. ‘We brought the pony for you to ride, dear,’ one woman said, as she tended to Annie’s swollen ankle. ‘There’s a bullock dray on its way, but it’ll be a while before we meet up with it.’

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‘Abandon ship!’

It was getting dark when the survivors finally set out, straggling along the beach and into the bush, a sorry sight in their dishevelled clothing, hair encrusted with sand and salt, feet bare. Annie smiled appreciatively as she was helped onto the pony and Harry was handed up into her arms. They travelled slowly through the bush for some time, and then they saw it––the welcome glow of a lantern bobbing towards them. The light was held by Daniel McGregor, a farmer from Quindalup, who was driving a bullock dray. He helped Annie, Harry and the other survivors into the cart as the great beasts stood quietly, chewing their cud and occasionally swishing their tails. The weary people made themselves as comfortable as they could in the wooden cart. Annie Simpson was yawning and James Noonan’s head was already drooping onto his chest. ‘Get up, Paddy! Gee up, Knobby!’ Mr McGregor yelled. The lead bullocks strained at their yokes as he cracked his whip. The gentle swaying of the dray soon sent everyone to sleep as the bullocks pulled them along the overgrown track into the safety of the night.

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‘Abandon ship!’

EVENING, SATURDAY, 2 DECEMBER

Margaret River, where the moon shines on the survivors The moon shone strongly that night. It glittered on the rolling swell off Cape Naturaliste, but its rays could not reach those poor women and children who had drowned when the Georgette’s lifeboat sank in the vast Indian Ocean. Those seven lost souls would never again be home for Christmas. In Quindalup, the moon lit the way for the bullocks plodding along the dirt track carrying the lifeboat’s survivors to safety. At Calgardup Bay, it cast a ghostly light on the Georgette’s tattered sails. And, on the banks of the Margaret River, it shone brightly through the windows of Wallcliffe House, where the ship’s lucky survivors and the exhausted Bussell family finally rested peacefully. Among them was brave Grace Bussell, at last untroubled by her recurring dream.

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A WESTERN AUSTRALIAN ­ GRACE DARLING­

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Those who were present have told me that they did not think the horse could come down that cliff, but down that dangerous place this young lady rode at speed; there were lives to be saved, and, with the same fearless and chivalrous bravery that urged Grace Darling to peril her life for fellow creations, and gave her a name in all English history hereafter, Grace Bussell rode down that cliff, urged her horse into the boiling surf, and out beyond the second line of roaring breakers, till she reached the boat where the woman and children were in such perils.

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H.C. Barrett’s account of Grace’s brave deeds (Inquirer and Commercial News, 31 January 1877)

HEAR YE! HEAR YE!

Spreading the news When the Georgette went aground, the relatives and friends of those on board first heard about the disaster by word-of-mouth, or bush telegraph as it was called. However, by 1876, a telegraph office linked Bunbury and Albany to Perth and so, on Saturday, 2 December, a telegram was received confirming that the Georgette had been wrecked. Such messages were sent via Morse code, a series of dots and dashes used to spell out words. The message was Postmen delivered mail and telegrams on horseback or on foot

then transmitted along telegraph wires. When the message arrived at a telegraph office, it was decoded and written by hand on an official piece of paper. These telegrams were usually hand-delivered on horseback or on foot. People gathered around the telegraph office at Bunbury to get the latest news about the Georgette as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for the friends and relatives of those on board, information about the fate of their loved ones was slow to come in. This was particularly hard for the relatives of the two women and five children who had drowned when the Georgette’s lifeboat sank.

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What the newspapers said Newspapers such as the Western Australian Times also relied on telegrams for much of their information about the shipwreck. But once the Georgette’s crew members and passengers started returning to the major townships, the newspapers were able to get eyewitness accounts. A report in the Inquirer and Commercial News by H.C. Barrett on 31 January 1877 (see page 91) helped to create the legend that was to surround Grace Bussell. Titled ‘A Western Australian Grace Darling,’ it gave a stirring account of Grace’s role in the rescue of the Georgette’s passengers. Barrett’s description of Grace as ‘Australia’s Grace Darling’ was picked up by the international press. Similarly enthusiastic accounts of her heroic deeds were published in Britain and America. Her story was also carried in the Australian illustrated newspapers, such as the Illustrated Sydney News and The Australasian Sketcher, accompanied by full-page, black-and-white illustrations of Grace riding bravely into the surf.

A gentleman peruses the news

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People in England reading the news from Australia

EPILOGUE

The tale of the Georgette did not end on that moonlit December night. Many of the people that survived the shipwreck, as well as those who helped to rescue them, went on to lead long and varied lives. However, three of the people involved later died in vehicle accidents. SS Georgette The day after the Georgette beached at Calgardup Bay, the sea was calm and many people waded out to survey the damage to the steamship. Luggage, the ship’s stores, some of the cargo and the ship’s fittings were all brought ashore. Grace Bussell’s brother-in-law, John Brockman, had his work cut out for him protecting everything from looters––and, in particular, from those who discovered the ship’s kegs of rum and gin! The site of the wreck of the Georgette is marked by a plaque and a cairn on what is now Redgate Beach near the township of Margaret River in Western Australia. The shipwreck lies at a depth of five metres and is about 90 metres offshore. The wreck can be seen from the beach when the water is calm. It is protected by the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976.

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The crew of the Georgette The inquiries There were two official inquiries into the sinking of the Georgette. The first was held on 6 December 1876. The panel of judges included Grace Bussell’s father, Alfred, and her brother-in-law, John Brockman, who were both justices of the peace. This inquiry found that ‘no blame attached to the officers or the men, and that every possible effort was made to save the passengers and cargo’. The first inquiry recommended against a second investigation, but this was ignored, and on 21 December 1876 an official inquiry was held at Bunbury. Captain Godfrey had to answer five charges, including taking on timber without ‘proper precaution’, and having unseaworthy lifeboats and unserviceable pumps. He was found not guilty on all charges. However, he and some of his officers were found to have made some ‘grave errors of judgment’. John Dewar and James Noonan After many letters to London from influential members of Western Australian society, both John Dewar and James Noonan were finally awarded a certificate of merit by the Royal Humane Society in England, three years after the wreck of the Georgette. These certificates were for their courageous acts

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Epilogue

in rescuing the survivors of the lifeboat and for helping to sail the rowboat almost 65 kilometres up the coast. Cabin boy James Noonan was too shy to go to Government House in Perth for the ceremony. He died aged 56 after suffering for 18 months from the horrific injuries he had received in an accident while driving a horsedrawn vehicle. The Dempster brothers After helping to get the lifeboat survivors safely to Quindalup, William and James Dempster, who were from a well-to-do Western Australian pioneering family, finally made their way to Melbourne. They were living in the eastern states of Australia when the second inquiry into the wreck of the Georgette was held, so they were not called to give evidence, despite the fact that they thought the ship was unseaworthy and had been sunk on purpose. James Dempster received a parchment bravery certificate from the Royal Humane Society, which he referred to as his ‘leather medal’. The Dempster family could not understand why William was not also recognised; however, both brothers are mentioned in the memorial to the Georgette which was erected in 1976 by the Margaret River Tourist Bureau to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the shipwreck.

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Sam Isaacs received a bronze medal for saving people from the Georgette wreck

Epilogue

Annie Simpson and baby Harry After their night-time ride through the bush on the bullock dray, Annie and her baby were taken in by the McGregor family, who looked after them until they were well enough to travel. Sometime later, Annie was finally reunited with her husband in Adelaide, although not in time for Christmas. The Simpsons moved to America, but Annie kept in contact with the McGregors. Many years later, Annie recounted the events of that fateful voyage in a letter to the granddaughter of Daniel McGregor. Annie was killed in a motorcar accident in St Paul, Minnesota, in 1934, aged 78. Her son, Harry, who also lived in America, survived her. Sam Isaacs In many accounts of the rescue of those who survived the wreck of the Georgette, Sam Isaacs is described as a ‘black servant’, a ‘half-caste stockman’ or a ‘native boy’. Sam was 30 years old at the time and was a much valued member of the Bussell household who had worked for the family since he was a small child. Sam was the son of an American sailor who had jumped ship in the 1830s. His mother was a member of the Wardandie tribe, the saltwater people of the Augusta region. Sam’s tribal name was Yebble. Sam married an African–American woman called Lucy Walters and they had six children.

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Epilogue

Sam Isaacs was awarded a bronze medal by the Royal Humane Society for his courageous role in helping to save people from the Georgette wreck. This was unusual because, at that time, people of Aboriginal descent were not often officially recognised. In 1897, the Western Australian Government granted Sam 100 acres of land at Ferndale near Wallcliffe, where he built a house.

Government House, Perth, where bravery medals were presented

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Epilogue

Like James Noonan and Annie Simpson, Sam died as the result of a vehicle accident. He was tipped out of his sulky (a two-wheeled cart pulled by a horse), when returning home from Busselton. Sam was 75 years old. Isaacs Rock, near where the Georgette sank, is named after him. Grace Bussell Grace Bussell was pleasantly surprised by the fame that the wreck of the Georgette brought her. She received congratulatory letters from around the world, and several American men sent her offers of marriage. It is said that, when her future husband, Frederick Drake-Brockman, heard about her brave deed, he rode his horse 300 kilometres from Perth to Margaret River just to meet her. They were married in 1882 in Busselton, in the church built by her uncle, in the town named after her family. Fred and Grace had seven successful children. However, there was also sadness in Grace’s life, for her mother Ellen died on 16 January 1877, just six weeks after the sinking of the Georgette. She was only 42 years old. Ellen never knew how famous her daughter became. Grace was presented with the Royal Humane Society’s silver medal for bravery. She also received a gold watch from the British Government’s Board of Trade. Her father, Alfred, was given £100 by the Western Australian Government to offset the costs of looking after the Georgette’s survivors.

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Epilogue

Grace’s husband became the Surveyor-General of Western Australia and he named Lake Grace in her honour. Grace’s name also lives on in Gracetown, Western Australia, as well as in Bussell Crescent, in Canberra, the nation’s capital. The Bussell Highway, which links the Western Australian towns of Bunbury and Augusta, and runs through Busselton and Margaret River, is also named after Grace’s family. Mrs Grace Vernon Drake-Brockman, formerly Grace Bussell and ‘Australia’s Grace Darling’, died on 7 October 1935 aged 75 ––but her story lives on.

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Grace Bussell

‘Australia’s Grace Darling’

GLOSSARY able-seaman an experienced seaman who has practical nautical skills

cargo the freight or luggage loaded onto a ship

astern at the back of or behind a ship

deckhouse a covered structure on the deck of a ship, often housing the ship’s wheel

bale remove water from a boat using a bucket or other container

dock a large wharf

ballast heavy material put in the bottom of a ship to help keep it stable

donkey-engine a small steam engine dray a wooden cart or wagon

beacon a guiding or warning signal or light

first engineer the chief officer in charge of the engines on a steamship

bollard a strong post on a wharf to which ships are tied

first mate an officer on a ship, second in command after the captain

bow the front section of a ship or boat bullock dray a cart used for heavy loads pulled by male cattle such as oxen and steers cabin boy a teenage boy who looks after the crew and passengers on a ship cairn a heap of stones set up as a monument

footplates the platform on which members of the crew stand to stoke the fire of a steam engine founder to fill with water and sink furnace a fire used for generating power in a steam engine

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CHAPTER 5 galley the kitchen of a ship

stern the back section of a ship or boat

hold the part of a ship used for the storage of cargo, situated under the deck

steward/stewardess a man or woman who looks after the passengers on a ship

hull the frame and body of a ship jarrah a large Western Australian gum tree with red timber karri a tall gum tree with very hard wood keel the spine of a boat, which runs along the middle of the boat’s hull muster to round up livestock, such as cattle saloon the lounge or dining area of a large ship

stoker a sailor who shovels coal into the furnace of the steam engine on a steamship swell a long unbroken wave undertow a sea current going in the opposite direction to the waves wattle-and-daub interweaved strips of wood plastered with mud or clay to make a house winch the handle used to turn the wheel on a machine

second engineer the second officer in charge of the engines on a steamship second mate an officer on a ship, third in command after the captain

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BACKGROUND READING ‘Australia’s Grace Darling: Story of an Immortal Deed: Riding on Horseback to a Boat in Distress: Her Portrait among the Heroes’, The Children’s Newspaper: The Story of the World Today for the Men and Women of Tomorrow, 20 August 1932, p. 1. ‘Foundering of the “Georgette”, Special Supplement to the “Herald” of Saturday, Dec. 2nd. For the Victoria District’, Herald, 5 December 1876. ‘Loss of the SS Georgette: Recovery of the Missing Boat’, South Australian Register, 22 December 1876, p. 5. ‘Moonda’, ‘Wreck of the Georgette: A Survivor’s Story’, The West Australian, 14 December 1935, p. 5. ‘Rescuing the Crew of the Steamer Georgette’, The Illustrated Sydney News, 3 February 1877, p. 10. ‘Stranding of the “Georgette”: Finding of the Court of Inquiry’, The Western Australian Times, 9 January 1877, p. 2. Chapman, Jean, illustrated by Montgomery, Jack, The Wreck of the Georgette. South Melbourne, Vic.: Macmillan, 1987. Chase, Diana and Krantz, Valize, To the Rescue. South Melbourne, Vic: Macmillan, 1995.

Dempster, W.E., ‘Wreck of the Georgette’, Letters to the Editor, The West Australian, 7 June 1932, p. 14. Geason, Susan, ‘Australian Heroines’. Viewed 4 April 2010 at www.susangeason. com/nonfiction.html#a. Guinness, Claire, All and About Dunsborough. Perth, WA: Jubilee Publishing Co., c.1983. Gull, H.E.B., ‘Wreck of the Georgette’, Letters to the Editor, The West Australian, 16 June 1932, p. 10. Isaacs, Vic, ‘The Wreck of the Georgette by Vic Isaacs 4th Generation Isaacs’, Viewed 3 May 2010 at www.wilja.asn.au/ georgette.htm. Stapleton, Maisy and McDonald, Patricia, Christmas in the Colonies. Sydney, NSW: David Ell Press, 1981. Stewart, A.F. Ferguson, ‘The Georgette Case: An Early Marine Inquiry’, The West Australian, 15 September 1934, p. 15. Stewart, A.F. Ferguson, ‘Wreck of the Georgette: Australia’s Grace Darling’, The West Australian, 12 October 1935, p. 4. Stewart, A.F. Ferguson, Australia’s Grace Darling. Perth, WA: Patersons, 1946. Terry, Frances, They Came to the Margaret. Margaret River, WA: F. Terry, 1980.

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS While Amazing Grace has been compiled using a wide range of primary and secondary sources, and every attempt has been made to check factual details, it remains in essence a work of creative non-fiction––a retelling of a true story using literary techniques. For that reason, images in the story chapters provide visual interest and atmosphere only, and are not necessarily a true representation of the actual events, people or places. Unless otherwise stated, illustrations by Stephanie Owen Reeder are based on publically available images and photographs, or on illustrations in The Illustrated Sydney News or The Australasian Sketcher of 1876 and 1877.

Dust Jacket and Cover

Chapter 1

Illustration by Stephanie Owen Reeder

page 6 Illustration by Stephanie Owen Reeder based on: Harold Cazneaux (1878–1953) The Ship’s Cat c.1912 gelatine silver photograph; 34.0 x 25.6 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an2381209

Introduction page iv John Michael Skipper (1815–1883) Beach Scene, South Australia c.1850 (detail) watercolour; 22.0 x 16.7 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-vn4690805 page 3 Augustus Earle (1793–1838) Scudding before a Heavy Westerly Gale off the Cape, Lat. 44 Deg. 1824 (detail) watercolour; 20.6 x 27.3 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an2838430

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and Nathaniel Bliss Stocker The Emigrants’ Return, the Lord Be Praised! 1853 (detail) coloured lithograph; 35.0 x 52.7 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an8924338

and Frederick Grosse (1828–1894), from a sketch by Nicholas Chevalier (1828–1902) Emigrants Landing at the Queen’s Wharf, Melbourne 1860s (detail) wood engraving; 16.4 x 25.3 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an7497113

page 8 Unknown photographer Grace Bussell (later Mrs F. Drake-Brockman) Courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia, image 013433D (1914B/1) and Unknown creator picture frame of Portrait of Robert Hoddle, 1860s hand-coloured ambrotype; glass plate 21.5 x 16.5 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an22044218 page 11 Phillip-Stephan Photo-Litho. and Typographic Process Company Queen’s Wharf, Melbourne 1888? (detail) coloured photolithograph; 28.8 x 36.5 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an10244356 page 12 Unknown artist image on container for board game, Tour through the British Colonies (detail) (London: John Betts, c.1855) Pictures Collection nla.pic-an14483064 page 15 Advertisement for the Georgette The Herald (Fremantle), 23 September 1876 Newspapers Collection mfm NX 826

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Chapter 2

page 17 top

page 20 Illustration by Stephanie Owen Reeder based on: Photograph of a Portrait of Captain Joseph Henry Dagwell … c.1948 b&w photograph; 29.0 x 21.3 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-vn4704107

William Strutt (1825–1915) A Melbourne Policeman at Ease, White Trousers 1886? pencil and wash; 16.2 x 9.4 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an3240194 bottom

Henry Wray (1824–1900) Convict Prison, Accommodation 870, Fremantle, W. Australia, Designed and Erected by Captains Henderson & Wray, R.E. 1859 watercolour; 17.4 x 48.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an5758270 pages 18–19 Whatley Eliot (1841–1927) Map Shewing Route London to Fremantle 1908 (detail) pen and wash; 35.8 x 25.2 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an5862755 pages 18–19 Louisa Anne Meredith (1812–1895) Native Wildflowers Including Sturt’s Desert Pea, Christmas Bell c.1840 watercolour and pencil; 34.8 x 11.3 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an5487509

and George French Angas (1822–1886) George Pelham 30 Sept. 1843 Pictures Collection nla.pic-an2872094-2

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page 23 After William Daniell (1769–1837) Off the Cape, a Man Overboard 1840s (detail) hand-coloured aquatint; 36.5 x 51.2 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an9578716

bottom

Harold John Graham (1858–1929) Hoisting Main Topsail 1881 pen, ink and watercolour; 9.6 x 25.2 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6442361

page 24 Harold John Graham (1858–1929) The Mizen Top 1881 (detail) pen, ink and watercolour; 11.2 x 12.8 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6442458

page 31 L.R. Emigrants Going to Australia 1880s (detail) hand-coloured wood engraving; 31.5 x 46.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an8924234

page 26 L.R. Emigrants Going to Australia 1880s (detail) hand-coloured wood engraving; 31.5 x 46.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an8924234

pages 32–33 George Gordon McCrae (1833–1927) A Life on the Ocean Wave, S.S. Macedon 1870s pen, ink and watercolour; 18.6 x 30.7 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6330410

page 29 Unknown creator picture frame, inside front cover of Portion of the Flag Flown by the Miners …, 1854 cotton; 16.0 x 4.2 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an7828337 page 30 top

Harold John Graham (1858–1929) Daddy at the Wheel 1881 pen, ink and watercolour; 9.5 x 10.8 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6442461

Chapter 3 page 37 George Gordon McCrae (1833–1927) Norfolk 1864 (detail) pen and ink; 31.8 x 19.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6308590 page 38 George Gordon McCrae (1833–1927) Rescue from the Sea 1882? (detail) pen, ink and crayon; 10.0 x 15.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6335759

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page 41 John Michael Skipper (1815–1883) The Barque Africaine in the Indian Ocean, Wednesday 12 October 1836 between 1836 and 1885 (detail) watercolour; 5.2 x 11.4 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-vn4672859

page 47

page 42 William Strutt (1825–1915) Hooky Walker’s Experiences on the Wangerei River, N.Z. … c.1855 (detail) pen; 12.2 x 18.6 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an3241685

right

page 45 Eliza Younghusband watercolour decoration from top of page from Album of Miss Eliza Younghusband, South Australia, 1856–1865 21.0 x 17.5 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-vn4189024-s9

and Unknown creator picture frame of Portrait of Reverend Daniel James Draper by John Botterill (1817–1881), 1855–1860 watercolour; 28.2 x 18.7 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an21506165

page 46

pages 48–49 Samuel Calvert (1828–1913) Bush Fire in Australia 1880s coloured wood engraving; 32.8 x 45.3 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an8927792

top

Nelly Erichsen Study of a Woman with a Hoe 1884 grey wash; 19.5 x 13.5 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an5714556

left

Unknown photographer Alfred Pickmore Bussell, Pioneer Settler of Margaret River (detail) b&w photograph Courtesy of the Margaret River & Districts Historical Society, item 18 Unknown photographer Ellen Bussell (née Heppingstone), Wife of Alfred Bussell (detail) sepia-toned photograph Courtesy of the Margaret River & Districts Historical Society, item 17

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Harold John Graham (1858–1929) Bullock Dray 1883? (detail) pen and ink; 6.2 x 17.2 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6440380

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Chapter 4 page 55 Ernest Alfred Crome (1902–1987) Lighthouse Cove, Port Macquarie 1960 (detail) oil on masonite; 18.7 x 24.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6077198 page 56 Haughton Forrest (1826–1925) Tug for Clipper, Tasmania c.1860 (detail) oil on academy board; 12.2 x 23.5 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an2288583 page 58 George Henry Haydon (1822–1891) Sketchbook 1860 (detail) pen and ink; 27.0 x 18.2 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an4620083-17 page 60 top

H. Sargeant Ship on the Rocks, South Seas 1848 (detail) oil on canvas; 45.2 x 66.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an2253155 bottom

Ernest Alfred Crome (1902–1987) Rainbow Beach, Schnapper Rocks 1972 (detail) oil on masonite; 18.8 x 24.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6077176

page 61 J. Richard Ashton (1913–2001) Illawarra, South Coast—New South Wales 1940s (detail) colour poster; 102.0 x 76.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an20072544 pages 62–63 Unknown artist Wreck of the Antelope Packet … 1800s hand-coloured aquatint; 16.8 x 25.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an10556178 Chapter 5 page 67 Richard Wingfield Stuart (1843–1914) Javelin, Playboy and the Tree, 1st March, 1873 (detail) ink and watercolour; 26.4 x 32.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-vn3769502-s25 page 68 Harold John Graham (1858–1929) Mid Ocean, off Cape of Good Hope 1881 (detail) watercolour; 13.5 x 19.7 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6442352 page 72 George Gordon McCrae (1833–1927) Design for a Humane Society’s Medal 1882? (detail) pen, ink and wash; diameter 8.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6335762

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page 75 Unknown artist image of Christmas pudding reproduced from the front cover of The Christmas Present Polka composed by John Howson, 1850s piano sheet music; 35.0 cm Music Collection nla.mus-an10348866

right

Ida McComish (1885–1978) Blandfordia nobilis, Christmas Bells, Sublime Point, Illawarra District, New South Wales between 1936 and 1956 watercolour; 13.0 x 8.7 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an24894821-s6-a3 pages 78–79 Oswald Rose Campbell (1820–1887) Christmas in the Bush, an Australian Homestead reproduced from supplement of Illustrated Sydney News, 1867 coloured wood engraving; 33.0 x 44.2 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an8927791

page 76 left

Charles Henry Hunt (1857–1938) one of two Christmas cards, 1881 chromolithograph; 14.8 x 11.2 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an8929097-1 right

Gibbs, Shallard & Co. Christmas advertisements Sydney: Illustrated Sydney News, December 1875 coloured wood engraving; 39.6 x 50.8 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an8927789 page 77 left

Ellis Rowan (1848–1922) Christmas Bush, West. Australia 1880s (detail) watercolour; 54.5 x 38.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6735407

Chapter 6 page 83 Harold John Graham (1858–1929) Brigg’s Farm House at Night … 1886 (detail) watercolour; 25.3 x 17.7 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-vn4462891-s7 page 84 John Skinner Prout (1805–1876) Grass Trees, Richmond Road, V.D.L. (Van Diemen’s Land) Nov. 44 1844 (detail) watercolour and gouache; 25.5 x 17.7 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an4561049

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page 87 Whately Eliot (1841–1927) Yallingup, W.A. 1908 (detail) watercolour; 11.7 x 17.8 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an5863822 page 88 G.C. Fenton Bullock Team, South Australia 1860s (detail) watercolour; 12.8 x 17.5 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an5836949 page 92 top

pages 94–95 George Baxter (1804–1867) News from Australia 1840s Baxter print; 11.1 x 15.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an8930070 Epilogue page 96 Walter Jenner (1836–1902) Shipwreck on Friday Island, Torres Strait 1881 (detail) oil on canvas; 25.6 x 46.2 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an2265534

Harold John Graham (1858–1929) Melbourne Postman and Policeman (Summer Uniform) 1882? (detail) watercolour; 9.0 x 7.5 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6439196

page 100 Unknown photographer Sam Isaacs and Son Fred 1917 (detail) b&w print taken from a glass negative Courtesy of the Margaret River & Districts Historical Society, item 61

bottom

and Unknown creator picture frame of Portrait of Unidentified Young Woman, c.1810 watercolour on vellum?; oval image 5.3 x 3.8 cm, in case 7.4 x 6.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an25107527

Harold John Graham (1858–1929) Sydney Post Boys 1885? (detail) pen, ink and watercolour; 9.3 x 17.0 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6438942 page 93 Girolamo Nerli (1863–1926) News from Home c.1880 (detail) watercolour; 39.3 x 31.7 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an6301954

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page 102 Archibald James Campbell (1853–1929) Government House, Perth, Western Australia between 1870 and 1929 (detail) b&w print; 14.7 x 20.7 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an24852319 page 105 Unknown photographer Grace Drake-Brockman (née Bussell), Heroine of the Georgette Rescue, in Middle Age sepia-toned photograph Courtesy of the Margaret River & Districts Historical Society, item 14 and Unknown creator picture frame of Portrait of Robert Hoddle, 1860s hand-coloured ambrotype; glass plate 21.5 x 16.5 cm Pictures Collection nla.pic-an22044218 page 120 Illustration by Stephanie Owen Reeder

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INDEX NOTE: This index references only the introduction, the letters and newspaper articles, the information sections at the end of each chapter, and the epilogue. The story itself is not indexed.

Page numbers in bold refer to illustrations. A Albany, 15, 16, 18–19, 60, 92 B bravery awards, 61, 98, 99, 100, 102, 103 bush telegraph, 92 bushfire, 47, 48–49 Barrett, H.C., 91, 93 Brockman, John, 97, 98 Bunbury, 16, 18–19, 92, 98, 104 Bussell, Alfred, 5, 47, 98, 103 Bussell, Ellen, 5, 47, 103 Bussell, Grace, 1–2, 5, 8, 46, 91, 93, 97, 103–104, 105 Bussell, John, 46, 51 Busselton, 18–19, 46, 47, 60, 103, 104 C Calgardup Bay, 18–19, 97 Cape Leeuwin, 18–19 Cape Naturaliste, 18–19 Catalpa, 17 Christmas, 75, 76–77, 78–79 Christmas pudding, 75, 76 Christmas tree, 77, 78–79 crew members, 5, 16, 30, 31, 98

D Darling, Grace, 61, 91, 93, 104 Darling, William, 61 Dempster, William and James, 5, 59, 99 Dewar, John, 5, 98–99 Drake-Brockman, Frederick, 103, 104 F Fremantle, 15, 16, 17, 18–19, 60 Fremantle Prison, 17 G Georgette, SS advertisement, 15 crew, 5, 16, 30, 31, 98 cargo, 16, 97 Catalpa incident, 17 description, 16 lifeboat, 44, 59 memorials, 97, 99 official inquiries, 98 passengers, 5, 29, 31 route of final journey, 18–19 wreck, 1–2, 60, 92, 93, 97, 98, 99 Geographe Bay, 18–19, 46 Government House, Perth, 99, 102 Godfrey, Captain John, 5, 98

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I Isaacs, Sam, 5, 47, 100, 101–103 L Leake, George, 29 M map, Western Australia, 18–19 Margaret River, 1, 47, 97, 99, 103, 104 McGregor family, 101 Morse code, 92 N newspapers, 2, 15, 59, 91, 93, 94–95 Noonan, James, 5, 17, 98–99, 103 P passenger accommodation, 31, 32–33 Perth, 18–19, 60, 92, 99, 102, 103 pioneers, 46, 46–47, 48–49, 76–77 pudding, Christmas, 75, 76

S seasickness, 31 shipwrecks Batavia, 60 escaping a shipwreck, 62–63 Forfarshire, 61 Georgette, 1–2, 60, 92, 93, 97, 98, 99 Western Australia, 60 Simpson, Annie, 5, 31, 45, 101, 103 T telegrams, 92, 93 telegraph, 92 V Vasse, 18–19, 47 W Wallcliffe, 18–19, 47, 102 Western Australia, map, 18–19

Q Quindalup, 18–19, 60, 99 R Redgate Beach, 97 Royal Humane Society medals, 61, 98, 99, 100, 102, 103

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What would you do if a ship was wrecked just off your favourite beach?

In December 1876, when the steamship Georgette ran aground near Margaret River in Western Australia, teenager Grace Bussell did not hesitate. She rode her horse straight into the wild surf and saved as many people as she could. Like many of the passengers and crew on board the Georgette, Grace was an ordinary person who showed great bravery in an extraordinary situation. Step into the fascinating world of nineteenth-century sea travel and pioneering life, as you experience the exciting tale of the Georgette’s final voyage. STEPHANIE OWEN REEDER’S CHILDREN’S BOOKS INCLUDE LOST! A TRUE TALE FROM THE BUSH, WHICH WAS SHORTLISTED FOR THE CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA’S BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2010.

ISBN 978-0-642-27743-5

http://bookshop.nla.gov.au/