ACT 3 Scene 2 – Buckley Escape Plans. Introduction by 1 Girl.
SCENE 2. Buckley is “pumping” Collins about the trip to Sydney Cove, and how dangerous it could be. The convicts have escaped. The Marines are contemplating what action should be taken
PLAYERS. William Collins Ex Navy Master, Free Settler. William Buckley, Convict.
Daniel McAllenan, Convict friend of Buckley and fellow escapee.
Captain of Marines William Sladden. Lieutenant James Johnson
ACT 3 Scene 2 – Buckley Escape Plans.
Buckley, an ex soldier, probably worked as a Trustee for Lt. Collins, so he would have been able to circulate across the Lines that separated, various parts of the community, particularly as he was building the Ammunition Storeroom. Several Convicts had run away so Buckley would have been cautious to whom he confided.
Lots of questions. What did the sailors on the boats do. What about exploration, Would Buckley have looked at drawings or charts. What about the convicts laboring at Arthurs seat cutting timber that the Ocean was supposed to take back to England.. What about the building of the jetty to help load up the ships with cattle, livestock, farming tools etc. to help departure to Risden Cove. Would Buckley have known of Mr. William Collins, the Free Settler ex Master Sailor who Captained the six oared open cutter with 7 convicts to row to Sydney with the news for Governor King that Lt. Colonel Collins had formed a Settlement at Sullivan’s Cove Port Phillip Bay.
The whaleboats Captain free Settler Mr. William Collins, could have been asked by Buckley about the voyage. Maybe the delay waiting to get out of Port Phillip Bay could have deterred Buckley and his mates from going out of the Bay. Would Buckley have been able to peruse Grimes or Tuckey’s drawings of their travels around the bay? Any way Buckley and friends cut loose a boat, and rowed away, eventually reaching the Yarra River. The convicts decided they wanted to walk to Sydney. Not Buckley though.
Note that Captain Sladden and a small detachment of Marines had to stay behind for several weeks to guard the 100 or so Convicts who could not be accommodated on the Ocean or lady Nelson to go to Risdon Cove. The Free Settlers Mr. and Mrs. Miller also volunteered to stay behind and collect seedlings for the new Colony.
PLAYERS. .Mr. William Collins- Master Mariner and Free Settler. Convict William Buckley A Convict Escapee. Marine Captain William Sladden. Marine Lieutenant James Johnson.
Commence the Slide or Picture show for ACT 3 Scene 2
MR. WILLIAM COLLINS. Ex Navy Master and a Free Settler. That’s a fine job of bricklaying for the Ammunition magazine !
WILLIAM BUCKLEY. CONVICT. I used to be a bricklayer, before I joined the army.
WILLIAM COLLINS. What crime did you commit to be sent here. ? Anyway it doesn’t matter, you will be working on the Jetty to load up the animals and stores onto the Ocean very soon. Maybe in Van Diemans Land you can build a brick chimney for me!.
WILLIAM BUCKLEY. Is it true Sir, that you commanded the ships boat to go from here, to Sydney Town. to let Governor King know that the Ocean and Calcutta had arrived here?
WILLIAM COLLINS. Yes it’s true. Lt. Governor Collins provided a 6 oared cutter and 7 trusted convicts as crew. By the way, when they were returned with me on the Calcutta, lt. Governor Collins rewarded them and will look after them. It was an awful voyage, we nearly capsized several times. We started badly it took us 3 days to get out the entrance of this Bay. The ebb tide was strong but the winds were blowing hard from the south west making a large rough sea area. Anyway we finally got out of the Heads in this Bay, along to the two headlands at Westernport Bay, then down around the bottom of this big country, and up along the coast that runs north. Horrible mountains on the land, and horrible big sea swells.
WILLIAM BUCKLEY. What happened Sir.
WILLIAM COLLINS. Luckily for us the Ocean saw us on her way to Sydney Cove, rescued us and took us to Sydney Cove. She was going to report that all passengers and cargo had been unloaded here at Sullivan’s Bay, and she could now be discharged from duty.
WILLIAM BUCKLEY. Seems like a dangerous voyage Sir.
WILLIAM COLLINS. It was very dangerous. It would have been a lot quicker and easier simply to walk overland heading in a north easterly direction. Lt. Governor Collins has rewarded my crew, all of whom were convicts and had to come back here on the Ocean with me, by setting them free when we reach Van Diemans Land.
WILLIAM BUCKLEY. Anyway why do we have to go to another place and not Sydney Town?.
WILLIAM COLLINS. A Settlement has already been formed at Risdon Cove in Van Dieman’s Land, and the English Government wants an establishment at the bottom of Australia to stop the French. Anyway I’m off in the schooner Francis soon to explore Port Dalrymple with Mr. Humphrey and Mr. Clark the Agricultural Supervisor.
…………….. Later William Buckley talking to a Convict friend Daniel McAllenan…….
WILLIAM BUCKLEY. If we steal a long boat we should only row it up the eastern side of this Bay, before they send a ship or a boat after us.
DANIEL McALLENAN. Why can’t we just row across this Bay to the western side?
WILLIAM BUCKLEY. I heard that Lt. Tuckey of the Calcutta after he came back from going around the Bay in a ships boat, said that he could not find water on the western side of this Bay. If we head for Sydney at least we should find water on the way and we will be going to a Town, even if they still treat us as runaway Convicts. Not like this sandy desert. All alone and the Natives looking to kill us.
DANIEL McALLENAN. Have you told the others about our plan. Are they ready? I’ll steal the food and a Musket from the Commissary Store. But we had better escape soon after that because the Marines will start a big search and they might fins me. We can get water towards the North of the Bay.
Later that night on the shore of Sullivan’s Bay…….
CAPTAIN WILLIAM SLADDDEN. Marine Captain Well some Convicts managed to steal a ships boat. The night watch under Rev. Knopwood is useless The Calcutta marines have left a big hole in our patrols. At least my Marines managed to shoot at some of them when they were rowing away. Corporal John Sutton shot one, Charles Shore. He is pretty ill. Serves him right! Its no good looking for the others on this very dark night Lieutenant, it will have to wait until morning.
JAMES JOHNSON. Marine Lieutenant.. I agree Sir. They might have escaped tonight Sir, but looking at the maps that have been made by Lieutenant Tuckey of the Calcutta of the Bay, and the map Surveyor Grimes made of this Bay, they can only go on this eastern side of the Bay if they want water.
WILLIAM SLADDDEN. An escaped convict got as far as the big river that Grimes found, and then he even came back. Anyway , I think we will recover our boat. I don’t think they will spend time sinking it. If they tried burning it, they would waste a lot of time, and the smoke would give their position away. They will be more scared of us coming after them, and scared of the Natives on the Land.
JAMES JOHNSON. I support that Sir, even if they get to that big river, fear of the Natives will drive them back here, or they might just die of starvation.
WILLIAM SLADDDEN. Alright I will inform Lt. Governor Collins of the escape, and write it up in my Log Book.
I’m going to get a severe reprimand from Colonel Collins. You find out who the other Marine’s were who were on duty here at the shore and the boats. I’ll have them flogged severely for dereliction of duty
