Men of Iron

By DAVID PHILLIPS

A novelette in the Shortz!Series of stories in the Settlement of Australia Series.

Fascination with the mountain ranges leads to the life of travelling the country and a life involved in prospecting.

Tragedy strikes the family to tear their world apart. Ongoing restlessness of the wanderer takes the family far into the outback of this far-flung country, from the paradise of the Blue Mountains to the desolation of the barren interior of the western hinterland.

• Language: English
• Publisher: DavidRPhillips
• Release date: Sep 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536533002

DAVID PHILLIPS

David Phillips, FCPA (ret.) is in his mid-seventies and lives just out of Melbourne, Australia. He began writing in his early seventies and found an enjoyment in putting ideas together with research to come up with stories, often linked to historical events of interest. He finds writing a labour of love and spends time at the keyboard every day.

Book preview

Men of Iron

By David Phillips

CHAPTER ONE

ARRIVAL

––––––––

Arthur Jackson had served with Lachlan Macquarie for a number of years in India, returning to London under his command as a member of the 73rd Regiment of Foot. Arthur had joined the army as a soldier of fortune, believing that the power of the uniform must, inevitably, afford him opportunities far in excess of those one might obtain as a mere citizen.

When Macquarie was appointed Governor of New South Wales, attended by the Regiment, Arthur was of the opinion that this was the direction of his future access to riches. The word from this convict colony was that there were large tracts of unexplored land and, as far as he was concerned, land was wealth and position and could lead to great advantage.

He made enquiries and he made purchases of livestock. He also made contact with agricultural groups who supplied him with the latest information from the returning vessels. He purchased sheep, cattle and horses and, under advice, arranged to purchase further stock at Cape Town, a stop-over on the voyage.

In order that he receive understanding from his commanding officer he advised Macquarie of his purchases and of his intention to remain in the colony as a settler when the Lt.-Colonel's period of Governorship ended. Since Macquarie was approaching his role with wider intention than merely running a convict settlement, the objective received a favourable reaction.

The regiment arrived at Sydney Cove at the end of December, 1809 and became involved in restoring orderly government to the colony, following the outrageous abuse of power exerted for years by the New South Wales  Corps, under the influence of such strong characters as John Macarthur and Major George Johnston.

There was a need to revoke a number of mandates initiated under the influence of the Corps following its part in the Rum Rebellion, when the Governor of New South Wales, William Bligh, was deposed by the New South Wales Corps on 26 January, 1808. The military then ran the colony until the arrival of the new Governor, Lachlan Macquarie.

However, despite the closing down of the influence of the Corps, military officers retained a huge influence over the justice system and, as a result, a sustained advantage in matters of commerce.

This confirmed to Arthur Jackson the order which he had imagined and had hoped to find in place and he quickly took steps to find people upon whom he could use the influence attendant to his position.

He had been able to come under Macquarie's notice during the voyage and it was not long before he was in the Governor's office requesting a grant of land on which to locate his animals. He received a token grant of one hundred acres in the first place, somewhat disappointing, but a start. He then was able to have several less than promising convicts assigned to the property to tend the stock and was able to pressure a free settler to look in on the men whenever he was passing to ensure that all was well on his property.

The animals did well and a further lot of one hundred acres was granted him. The drought of 1812 and 1813 was a major set-back, attended by stock losses and deterioration of feed on his land, land which was of a poor quality in any event, and when Macquarie authorised the explorers Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson to again attempt a crossing of the mountain range known to stand between the colony and extensive plains to the west, Jackson was very interested. He felt that, if the crossing was a success and the land was of good quality it could be the saviour of his enterprise and of the pastoral industry of the colony.

Meanwhile, Jackson, along with many of his fellow officers, was able to obtain advantage in general commerce as a result of arriving with funds available for commercial transactions. There was none of the high-handedness of the New South Wales Corps but there was strong advantage in the position of military officer when a degree of influence came in to play. He developed a strong liking for the options available and profited nicely. He formed associations with members of the Corps, most of whom had become well established on farms and in commercial dealings.

While the Governor was keen to advance the profile of emancipated convicts by handing useful roles in the community to those he felt were deserving, the military officers maintained a distinct superiority over all, including the free settlers.

Arthur Jackson was pleased that his early reasons for joining the army were coming to fruition and was optimistic that there would be more good tidings ahead once the western plains were opened up. He used his funds to purchase stock from those devastated by the drought and to lease and purchase land, cattle and sheep from those returning to England. His financial resources were a great advantage in securing his future in the pastoral industry of the colony.

Governor Macquarie was enthusiastic about exploration and development within the colony, at odds with the government in England, which continued to view the country as a dumping ground for criminals and ne'er-do wells. He was, therefore, supportive of those engaged in free enterprise as it supported the establishment of Port Jackson and other regions as viable settlements and valuable assets of the Crown. This was to the favour of Arthur Jackson and other members of Macquarie's militia as they were promulgating industrious endeavour even as they were feathering their own nests.

The results of the various levels of activity were making it clear that the colony had a future and the Governor would ensure that direction before he was to leave for England. In the eleven years of his stewardship, despite constant friction with