Paul Bushell, Second Fleeter "a gripping, informative and humane view of early colonial life"  Paul Bushell is widely cited in cameo portraits as one of the successful convicts of the Second Fleet. He arrived in Sydney in June 1790 after surviving the horrors of that infamous journey. Despite all the passing references to him within the work of other people, this is the first comprehensive biography of his life. He settled at the Hawkesbury, and lived to a grand age. Only four of the Second Fleet's maltreated male convicts outlived Paul in New South Wales. He became a successful farmer and enterprising businessman, based on his farm beside Bushell's Lagoon (pictured on the book's cover). Stubbornly independent, he believed in the value of education and the ideas of a moral life and good citizenship. He stood up for the rights of others and was ahead of his time with his ecumenical views and attitude to women's rights. A remarkable character has emerged, almost an archetype of the 'tough old bugger' of Australian folklore, the type we honour each year on Anzac Day for stoicism, loyalty to one's mates and the ability to triumph over adversity.Note that the book is a biography of Paul Bushell. So much information about the Bushell family has been unearthed that a separate book has been drafted covering the lives of the ten children born to Paul Bushell and his second wife Isabella Brown, and her son William Brown. Claims of some earlier researchers have been disproved - Paul had no children with Jane Sharp, but raised one foster child with her, Isabella Jane Forrester. Forrester descendants will find much to interest them in the Bushell book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Bushell book, not finding it dull or tedious in any way. There was certainly a lot of information that surprised and delighted me and I have great respect for your research skills as well as your writing style. You have presented the history in a lively way and related the Hawkesbury experiences to the Colony as a whole. I think it is better than the Robert Forrester book, probably because of Paul's more diverse and successful life - it is more cheerful. Member of Reading Panel, March 2010 Thanks for the opportunity to read and share your inspiring work. You have made it really a wonderful time and place to have been alive. Your research and writing skills are exemplary and have contributed to what is a gripping, informative and humane view of early colonial life. Member of Reading Panel, March 2010 Thanks for sending me the draft of the book which I have read with great interest. You've done a great job both with the research and in presenting Paul's life in its English and NSW historical context. You've paid rigorous and detailed attention to testing evidence and making inferences based on properly cited sources. You try and explain the reasons for the inferences you're drawing. You've accessed a great range of sources. Member of Reading Panel, April 2010 Well done! An interesting and educational history of one man and his impact in the early days of European habitation of this country. Member of Reading Panel, July 2010 I must apologise for not writing sooner to thank you for my copy of the Paul Bushell book, but I must admit that I have been far too engrossed in reading and absorbing it all. Many thanks for a wonderful read. Jenni Baker, Albury, Aug 2010 I have just finished your new book. Well done. I like the way it was presented and laid out. Lots of history for all - not just from the Bushell side of the family either. Will look forward to your next book. Barry Brown, Perth, Aug 2010. Just finished reading your new Paul Bushell book. Another beautifully told piece of detective work into Australia's early convict settlers. Well done and thankyou for putting the pieces together so well. Let me know when your next book is ready, there are plenty of readers for these wonderful insights into early colonial Australia. Stuart Hamilton, Canberra, Aug 2010. Congratulations. First, on finishing a job that you started so many years ago. Second on finishing a book that keeps you interested from page to page, which I think is the aim of every author, well done, I could not put it down. I have learnt a lot about my family that I did not know. It was well worth the wait. Tony Bushell, Sussex Inlet, Aug 2010 Photo 56 on page 258 was marked in an old album as that of Paul Bushell's wife Isabella, but is more likely to be a photo of his daughter Isabella. Can anyone positively identify these Bushell/Brown family photographs? |
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