Did you know the first Englishman to set foot in Australia was a pirate? And there’s a dance called Dampier in his honour.
Do you know about the convict pirates of Moreton Bay in 1831?
Pirates loved to dance, so here’s your chance to join the fun!
All the dances will be taught – you don’t need to come with a partner, and you don’t need a special costume, though a swashbuckling outfit won’t be out of place!
Be ready for some teamwork with social group dances.
Live music by the jolly Phillip’s Dog, followed by tea & cake (byo grog & ship’s biscuit!)
All for only $4, thanks to Moreton Bay Regional Council’s Healthy & Active
Tickets online HERE or pay cash at the door
When: 23rd August, 2024
Time: 7:30-9:30pm
Where: Hills District Community Centre, 291 Dawson Pde, Arana Hills QLD 4054, Australia
Pirates of Moreton Bay
On the 16th of December 1831, the Caledonia was taken by a large band of convicts from its moorings in Moreton Bay, sending its entire crew ashore with the exception of its captain, Mr. Browning. The convicts sailed away to Fiji, forcing Captain Browning to navigate. Along the way, the pirates had a terrible row amongst themselves and murdered nearly half of their number, Captain Browning being spared in order to navigate the ship.
On arrival at Fiji, the pirates decided that they needed to also do away with Browning for their own safety, but the Captain overheard their conversation and crashed the ship in order to escape.
Browning was taken in by one of the local tribes, which he got on well with and taught to dance in the style of Europeans using the ship’s fiddle which he had rescued from the wreckage of the ship.
He was eventually rescued by an American whaler and returned home to Moreton Bay.
Read the original account here: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12844491
