CHARLOTTE BADGER

One of the more intriguing stories from our region – considered Australia’s first female pirate – is that of Charlotte Badger. Convicted in 1796 and sentenced to 7 years transportation, there are varying stories on Charlotte’s colourful convict history in Australia, but the best comes from Tasmania and what happened there. Charlotte incited a mutiny and inspired her fellow mutineers to take control of the ship Venus, anchored in the Tamar River, and sail it to New Zealand to start a new life, free from convict bonds. The ship contained many supplies for the fledgling colony of Yorktown, (the year was 1806), leaving them in the unenviable position of a) no supplies and b) a girl stole their ship! Legend has it that Charlotte, her fellow convicts and the crew had a rollicking time with the ships spirits while the Captain was ashore and when found by the Captain, was entertaining the crew with quote ‘an enthusiastic dance’. Disguising herself as a man while the Captain was distracted she then flogged the Captain with a pistol, raided a nearby vessel and merrily sailed down the Tasman to New Zealand. On reaching New Zealand Charlotte caught the eye of a Maori Chief in the Bay of Islands area who promptly took her in… in exchange for the crew……to eat. Perhaps a slight embellishment but one very good account has it the Maoris burned the ship Venus to retrieve the scrap metal, cooking the crew over the fire while it burned. Even with a modicum of truth bending, it’s a great story.