|
|
Francis MacNamara (Frank the Poet) (1810-1861)
Francis MacNamara was a convict from Ireland. He was sentenced to seven years transportation for breaking a shop window and sealing a piece of cloth. He arrived in Australia in 1832, and was flogged fourteen times; receiving 650 lashes over an eight year period. He only stayed in Newcastle for a short time, while assigned to the Australian Agricultural Company and in 1839 was moved to Newcastle to work in the Company’s coal mines. MacNamara refused to work in the mines, and penned the poem, For the Company Underground. He also wrote A petition from the Chain Gang at Newcastle to Captain Furlong and the satire The Convict's Tour to Hell. His writings reflect the struggles of a convict, through humorous rhyming verse. He died in Mudgee in 1861.
