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Book Review
| Andrew Gill, Convict Assignment in Western Australia: the Parkhurst 'Apprentices', 1842–1851, Blatellae Books, Perth, 2004. pp. vi + 232. $35.00 paper (PO Box 209, Maylands WA 6931).
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| Since 1988 there have been an increasing number of histories dealing with the convict experience in ways that have challenged much convict orthodoxy. This book by Andrew Gill is yet another of these careful challenges, albeit of a more obscure and minor part of Australia's convict history. This is not meant to convey criticism or to marginalise the excellent work presented in this volume. On the contrary, Andrew Gill, who has for a long time asserted the WA experience in the history of convicts and transportation, presents yet another detailed and scholarly WA contribution to this colourful and often misunderstood dimension of Australian colonial history. |
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In short, Gill argues that convict transportation to WA arrived in a disguised form and at an earlier time than is commonly thought. Between 1842 and 1852 Gill finds that 243 young British juvenile offenders were transported to WA even though officially they were described as 'apprentices'. This coy term was meant to blur the reality of convict transportation. In other words, although they were called juvenile apprentices they were in fact convicted felons transported to the colony of WA. In addition, Gill argues that these so-called apprentices were assigned to free settlers and masters. Orthodox histories of the European settlement of WA argue that there was no assigned convict labour but by tracing to whom each juvenile convict was assigned Gill is able, very effectively if modestly, to challenge this. Overall Gill's argument is interesting and convincing and in a relatively small way he adds to the richness of convict history. |
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On the other hand, this book is not simply a contribution to convict or WA history, it is also a useful research resource. Part II, representing almost half of the book, includes a list of the names of each of the 243 young convicts and a detailed biographical account of each (where possible) that gives assigned master, location and type of work performed. Here Gill presents the fruits of painstaking research and his clear presentation will offer other historians or genealogists a new resource to explore. However, Part II is more than merely a list. In this part Gill also explains the problems associated with tracing individual convicts such as inaccurate or inconsistent features of identification, conflicting official sources and, of course, gaps in the chronology of individuals' lives. Gill explains how he solved or settled some of these problems, outlines the interpretations he was prepared to make or where, in some instances, he was defeated. Gill also provides useful details on and insights into the employers of assigned juvenile convicts. |
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In all, this is a useful book which makes a small but significant contribution to understanding the complexities and subtleties of convict transportation. The stories of Australia's transported convicts have not been fully told and our appreciation of their lives and contributions to social and economic development is not yet complete. The only obvious disappointment with Gill's book is the cheap binding in which it is presented – a plastic spiral binding which, in the eyes of many readers, will denote something temporary. This will surely limit the life of the book as a few harried drops and pages will certainly begin to go array. The oddness, unfortunately, doesn't end here. The size of the book is A4 and the font size is small and at times the layout is jumbled. These layout design issues are a shame as they do interfere with the enjoyment that the book offers. One imagines that these presentation issues were simply the result of a publishing dilemma – a cheap book as opposed to no book. |
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| Charles Sturt University |
W.M. ROBBINS | |
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