Street memorial in Campbell Town

On the way to Coles Bay we stopped for an excellent lunch, coffee and gelato at Zeps in Campbell Town.
We were at the small Peter Byers butcher, where we could get kangaroo meet and sausages. Great little butcher shop.
While waiting, maree went into the street and looked at the street 'decoration'.
This was actually a memorial for the convicts that had been in the Campbell Town area.
Terrible to read their names, ages, what they were sentenced for, how long their sentence was, and where they ended up.
Eks.
Stole flour. 7 years.
Stole pig. 7 years.
Stole child. 7 years.
Stole silk handkerchief 14 years.
Stole gown 7 years.
Stole saddled horse 14 years.

Some of these people were 9 years old, 10, 14, 17 years old. Most of them under30.
The English people needed to get the colony to grow. So they didn't sent the 'old' people over 40.

These convicts were sent here on slow moving boats. It must have taken months to get here. Over filled. Smelly. Hungry. No fresh air or food.

And then upon arrival they had to work under terrible conditions. If they behaved, they could get probation (ending their sentence early). If they did not behave, they were punished or hung.

And there we were, walking on the street, on these bricks, in memory of these people that might have stolen flour or sheep back in England, because they were hungry, cold, desperate. Maybe trying to get food for their poor families.

And we licked our excellent gelato ice cream. Put the good barbecue meet in the car. And headed to the 'shack' waiting for us in coles bay.