24/03/03
The daring escape of Fenian prisoner John Boyle O'Reilly in March 1869 is to be a highlight of a major historic exhibition about the Fenians and their escape to the USA, planned by the State Government for next year.
Housing and Works Minister Tom Stephens today said the exhibition, titled 'From Fremantle to Freedom' would also focus on the escape of six Fenians on the whale ship Catalpa, a rescue which O'Reilly helped organise after his successful arrival in Boston.
"The famous Catalpa rescue of these Irish liberationists could not have happened without O'Reilly leading the way seven years earlier with his own ride to freedom on the whaler Gazelle out of Bunbury," Mr Stephens said.
"The exhibition will tell the amazing story, and include a display of memorabilia from O'Reilly, the other Fenian escapees, the Catalpa and the American captain who skippered her, Captain George Anthony.
"It will be unique, the only such exhibition ever mounted to tell an extraordinary episode in Western Australian history, involving Ireland, Britain, the USA - and the universal fight for freedom from tyranny."
Mr Stephens said that after a period in Fremantle Prison, the exhibition would move to other parts of the State, notably Bunbury, and to other States.
The exhibition might also be displayed overseas.
There was great enthusiasm for the project from the State Government and many other quarters, but Government funds were limited and he was seeking corporate sponsorship to cope with the expense of bringing out precious treasures from Ireland and America.
"The Fenian and Catalpa story is not merely one moment in time or one story, but a myriad of daring, dangerous and amazing adventures," the Minister said.
"It started with O'Reilly escaping from the convict road gang near Bunbury on February 17, 1869, with the help of Father McCabe and a number of brave settlers.
"When an arrangement with one whale ship failed, O'Reilly had a terrifying two-week wait, hiding out in a thicket north of the Australind Estuary, where his memorial now stands, before successfully rowing out to another whale ship departing Bunbury, the Gazelle."
Mr Stephens was the keynote speaker at the annual ceremony at the memorial in Buffalo Road, Australind, where he paid tribute to the daring, loyalty and special talents of O'Reilly, who went on to become a man of standing in Boston as a poet, newspaper editor and orator.
He said as a prologue to next year's exhibition, there would be a Catalpa Day held in Fremantle Prison and harbour this Easter Monday, the 127th anniversary of the escape.
There would be Fenian tours of the prison and the opening night of a season of Brendan Woods' play 'Cashman's Diary', which would later travel to Rockingham and Bunbury.
As well, the STS Leeuwin would become the Catalpa for the day, taking schoolchildren around the harbour and telling them about this little-known episode which contributed to the State's cultural history.
"This is the beginning of a Government-led series of initiatives to reinstate the Fenian story to its rightful place in our early history," Mr Stephens said.
"I call on the private sector to join us as partners in what will create renewed international interest in Fremantle, Bunbury and Rockingham."
Minister's office: 9213 6500
