Barnard Walford

Barnard Walford (* 1768 in Vienna , Austria ; † 1828 in Hobart , Tasmania ; also Bernard Walford ) was the first Austrian to set foot on Australian soil in 1791. Walford was a convict serving a seven-year prison term in what was then the colony of Australia .

Life

Barnard Walford was an engraver who moved from Vienna to London. He was deported to Australia on March 27, 1791 from the British port of Portsmouth for stealing a laundry basket in the Pettycoat Lane market in London. The then drastic penalties for petty theft were imposed in the United Kingdom with deportations to Australia because the British colonial administration needed workers to build up the prison colony. On September 26, 1791 Barnard Walford landed in Port Jackson harbor on the convict ship Active , built in 1764 , a ship of the Third Fleet . 175 male convicts were transported on this ship. Of these, 21 died at sea due to the inhumane conditions prevailing on the ship and on the ships of the entire fleet.

Barnard Walford was transported to Norfolk Island after arriving in Australia . In the first years of European settlement, hardship and misery reigned on this remote island.

After the end of his sentence, Barnard Walford was given land. He settled down and married an Irish woman. He later moved with his family to the newly established settlement of New Norfolk on Tasmania. There he exercised several professions such as farmer, baker and lastly he ran his own inn in Hobart. He was a respected citizen there and died in 1828. Barnard Walford was the first to be buried in the newly established Hobart Jewish Cemetery, which he campaigned for.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ April 19, 2018. 50 years of Austrian-Australian friendship , April 18, 2018. Accessed October 8, 2018
2. ↑ ^{a b} Barnard Walford . In: 200 years of history of the German-speaking community in Australia. Part IS 83. Special Edition: The Week in Australia of January 1988. Europa Kurier Pty. Ltd. Bankstown. ISSN 0726-4860