Author(s): Rob Wills

Australian History | Best Sellers

Dublin-born Lawrence Frayne was convicted at a young age for stealing a rope and sentenced to seven years' transportation to New South Wales, where he repeatedly absconded from his assigned work and in consequence was transported to the new settlement at Moreton Bay. Returning to Sydney after two years he was involved in a violent robbery, sentenced for life and sent to Norfolk Island, the colony's penal institution of last resort. There, he took part in the 1834 mutiny, which he later recounted in a frank and fascinating 'Narrative' of his life on the Island.