The First Fleet

The First Fleet by Robert (Bob) Moore The 26th of January, is called Australia Day that was when some 10 pound poms, decided they would stay they had been, for about a week, at a place called Botany Bay not much there, just sand and rock, and so they sailed away Up the coast a little bit, they found another bay we’ll call this place Port Jackson, and this is where we’ll stay they saw some Aboriginals, a strange look on their face They’re Manly looking people, that’s what we’ll call this place They landed on the southern shore, and brought the others round we’ll start to build a village here and call it Sydney Town the convicts and the freemen, will work together here and send word back to Old England, to send settlers, food and gear They found there were no buildings, no roads to get around there was no form of transport, strange animals abound A paradise for botanists, with many strange plants too and birds of many colours, through the clear skies flew They knew that they would have to work, to make the new town grow but the soil was not too good, and the settlers did not know how to farm to grow the food, the settlement would need in the hot and dry unfertile land, unsuitable to seed The natives they were wary, of the strangers on their land and the settlers called them Indians, and they did not understand they yelled, and threw a spear or two, to make them go away but they were soon to realize, these people were here to stay they could not live on local plants, and seeds they could collect not very good at fishing, and at hunting were inept, ate rats and dogs and kangaroo, so that they would survive supplies that they had brought with them, and hoped they’d stay alive. They were short of shelter, and building tools were few and local trees were huge, and hard for cutting through soon the tools were blunt or broken, and the building slowed with no extra clothing, they wore patched and threadbare clothes The Syrius was sent away in October ‘88, To Cape Town for provisions, so they would have to wait and reduce the farm and building time, cut back on rations too until May in ’89, when her sails hove into view. Convicts, free men, and marines, on the HMS Supply had sailed for Norfolk Island, a new settlement to try they found the land more fertile, timber easier to cut down but could not load it on the ships, to send back to Sydney Town. But from this small beginning, no one there could know that their sacrifice and fortitude, would make a city grow and people from around the world, would come here to be free and Sydney would become a town, of gracious majesty