hello, please not too fast so that my pupils will be able to understand the story. THANK YOU
THE STORY OF MY ANCESTOR.
In the 19th century, my ancestor Elizabeth arrived in Australia as a prisoner ! This is her story.
She lived in London in 1835. At that time, lots of Londoners were poor and starving. One day, as she was walking past a bakery, Elizabeth couldn’t resist stealing a piece of bread. Unfortunately, a bobby caught her red-handed. She tried to escape but she couldn’t and was sent to court for that crime.
Elizabeth was sentenced to deportation as a convict. She was deported to Australia just because of a stolen piece of bread! During the ship voyage, she met Jane and Oliver who were also deportees. They quickly became friends.
Jane was considered to be a “bad woman” because she was a mother but she wasn’t married. And of course, her baby was taken away from her before she was sent to Australia. As for Oliver, he was so poor that he had no choice but to beg in the streets. Rich people didn’t like beggars, that’s why he was transported for life.
Elizabeth and her two friends knew absolutely nothing about Australia. They couldn’t imagine it was so far away from England. In fact, it was a 250-day journey.
When they arrived in Australia, they were washed and inspected by British officers. Their names were registered.
Then, the men and women were separated and sorted out according to their skills. Most of the men worked as builders, of roads, bridges, hospitals…whereas the women had to work in clothes factory or as domestic servants to British officers.
After a few years, Elizabeth was given a pardon so she was able to open a small shop and to start her new life.
