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Female Felons of the First Fleet

by Reay Ferguson

108 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #07-0684; ISBN 1-4251-2284-1; US$23.73, C$23.73, EUR16.21, £12.25

This book gives names and brief histories of the first women convicts sent to Australia in 1787. It also details ships crews and the establishment of Sydney.

About the Book

In this book there is a description of the journey by the First fleet to a new land in order to create an established settlement for British prisoners as the prisons and hulks in London were overflowing.

Much has been written about the male convicts on this venture but little about the women. Several years of research has gone onto naming all the women and following their lives wherever possible. Some of them have little or no history but others can be traced for several generations which may be useful to family historians.

This publication would also be suitable to be used as a text book for schools or colleges in studying the lives of the first Australian women, many of whom reformed their lives to become good citizens.

About the Author

Reay Ferguson graduated with a BA (Hons) in History and Social Studies from the Open University at a time in her life when most women would be content to sit back and enjoy their grandchildren!

She spent some years living in Australia where she read as much as she could find about the first arrivals. This was spurred on by attending classes in Australian History at Dee Why school for Seniors where the tutor was Geoffrey Falkenmire.

Reay has a son and daughter who are Australian citizens and two small grandsons living there but seldom sees them now. She also has two daughters and three other grandchildren in Britain.

Her admiration for the Australians is unlimited because of the love and friendship offered to herself and her husband while there, and for the many opportunities for those willing to work hard.

Excerpts