This is one of the most dramatic
and most photographed views
00:00:29.46\00:00:33.66
in all the world, it's
the iconic image of the
00:00:33.70\00:00:37.90
Sydney Harbor Bridge and
the spectacular Opera House.
00:00:37.93\00:00:42.10
There is no other building
in all the world like the
00:00:42.14\00:00:45.17
Sydney Opera House, it's one
of the great buildings of the
00:00:45.21\00:00:48.54
20th century, it's an
architectural masterpiece
00:00:48.58\00:00:52.75
with its unique gleaming white
roof of interlocking vaulted
00:00:52.78\00:00:58.12
sail-shaped shells,
its Australia's best-known
00:00:58.15\00:01:02.46
landmark. But, it's not
well-known that the land
00:01:02.49\00:01:07.50
where the Opera House sits
is known as Bennelong Point.
00:01:07.53\00:01:11.30
It's named after a man of
the Eora Tribe an aboriginal
00:01:11.33\00:01:16.44
Koori people the original
inhabitants of this country.
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Bennelong was a local Aborigine
who served as a liaison between
00:01:20.38\00:01:26.18
Australia's first
British Settlers and the local
00:01:26.21\00:01:29.12
population, he was the first
aboriginal man to visit Europe
00:01:29.15\00:01:33.76
and return.
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Bennelong lived in a
small building on this site
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that now carries his name.
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Then in the early 1800's
the New South Wales governor
00:01:41.43\00:01:46.20
Lachlan Macquarie instructed
that a large impressive stone
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fort to be built on the
site to protect the colony.
00:01:50.77\00:01:53.88
By 1902 the stone fort
was replaced by a train depot
00:01:53.91\00:02:00.52
and then a bus terminus
and finally the Opera House.
00:02:00.55\00:02:04.85
Beside the opera house,
you can still see the heritage
00:02:04.89\00:02:09.22
listed jetty built in 1810
called the Man O' War Steps.
00:02:09.26\00:02:14.93
For 150 years The Man O'
War Steps were the landing and
00:02:14.96\00:02:21.30
embarkation point for men
of the British and Australian
00:02:21.34\00:02:25.04
fleets. Right by the steps
were the beautiful Sydney Harbor
00:02:25.07\00:02:30.45
Botanical Gardens that
wrap around this small inlet
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called Farm Cove. It was
here that the early settlers
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planted the first crops to
feed the struggling new colony.
00:02:38.99\00:02:42.96
On the other side of The
Opera House is in Sydney Cove
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the heart of the city,
today it's better known as
00:02:47.06\00:02:50.47
Circular Key, a tourist
precinct, a transport hub
00:02:50.50\00:02:55.27
for the harbor ferries,
hydrofoils, and river cats
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and the historic
Rocks Heritage Area
00:02:58.67\00:03:01.98
but now let's step back
in history about 250 years.
00:03:02.01\00:03:08.22
In the late 18th century Britain
the Industrial Revolution
00:03:08.25\00:03:15.86
caused widespread economic
displacement as new machines
00:03:15.89\00:03:21.06
were invented, people were
no longer needed to do farm jobs
00:03:21.10\00:03:25.50
so people flocked to
the cities looking for work.
00:03:25.53\00:03:29.07
The cities became overcrowded,
the unemployment and poverty
00:03:29.10\00:03:34.34
in the overcrowded
cities saw the crime rate rises
00:03:34.38\00:03:39.48
dramatically desperate people
turned to petty crime just to
00:03:39.51\00:03:44.92
survive. Soon, Britain was
struggling to accommodate the
00:03:44.95\00:03:49.82
prisoners as the jails
became increasingly overcrowded.
00:03:49.86\00:03:53.93
Then under English law
criminals were transported to
00:03:53.96\00:03:59.17
penal colonies.
00:03:59.20\00:04:00.74
At first British prisoners
were sent to the colonies in
00:04:00.77\00:04:04.34
North America but in 1783 when
the American War of Independence
00:04:04.37\00:04:11.08
ended, the newly formed
United States refused to accept
00:04:11.11\00:04:15.68
any further shipments of
British convicts, as a result,
00:04:15.72\00:04:20.66
prisons in Britain
were soon overflowing again.
00:04:20.69\00:04:23.93
The situation became dire
and an alternative was needed
00:04:23.96\00:04:29.50
so the British government
decided that the vast southern
00:04:29.53\00:04:34.30
continent claimed for Britain by
the explorer Captain James Cook
00:04:34.34\00:04:39.21
in 1770 would be an ideal
location for a new penal colony
00:04:39.24\00:04:44.65
it seemed a great idea to
transport your prisoners to the
00:04:44.68\00:04:48.98
the other end of the world.
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The first fleet of 11 ships
carrying more than 752 prisoners
00:04:51.25\00:04:57.43
or convicts as they were called
departed Portsmouth, England
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on the 13th of May 1787.
00:05:02.60\00:05:05.80
After a voyage lasting 250
days and covering 20,000 km
00:05:05.83\00:05:12.81
they arrived in this cove
on the 26th of January, 1788,
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it was the beginning of an era
transporting British prisoners
00:05:19.11\00:05:23.92
to Australia.
00:05:23.95\00:05:25.32
Between 1788 and 1868 in just
80 years about 165,000 convicts
00:05:25.35\00:05:34.63
were transported from Britain
and Ireland to various places
00:05:34.66\00:05:39.03
in Australia. The newly arrived
convicts faced many challenges
00:05:39.07\00:05:44.01
they were isolated from
their family and friends,
00:05:44.04\00:05:47.18
they were transported to
a distant and alien land,
00:05:47.21\00:05:51.28
they arrived
despised and disadvantaged.
00:05:51.31\00:05:54.65
Their lives were filled
with adversity and toil,
00:05:54.68\00:05:59.09
yet in spite of their hardships
and handicaps, many rose above
00:05:59.12\00:06:04.49
the challenges worked hard,
gained their freedom eventually
00:06:04.53\00:06:08.86
and not only succeeded in
proving themselves to be upright
00:06:08.90\00:06:13.57
and reliable citizens of their
new land but also contributed
00:06:13.60\00:06:17.97
enormously to its development.
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Some of their stories are
surprising and truly inspiring
00:06:21.08\00:06:25.85
especially those that
are representative of all who
00:06:25.88\00:06:30.69
transform and survived
and thrived in their adopted
00:06:30.72\00:06:34.82
country, but perhaps
what's even more surprising
00:06:34.86\00:06:38.76
is the common link that
united and influenced them all.
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Join me on a journey
through the annals of early
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European Australia.
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Do you think a convicted forger
could ever be honored with his
00:07:05.49\00:07:09.62
face printed on a
country's banknote?
00:07:09.66\00:07:12.19
Well, it actually happened.
00:07:12.23\00:07:14.36
The first Australian
decimal currency ten dollar note
00:07:14.40\00:07:18.23
in circulation from 1966 to
1993 had the face of a convict
00:07:18.27\00:07:24.81
who committed forgery on it.
00:07:24.84\00:07:27.18
Who was this man? and
why was he considered worthy
00:07:27.21\00:07:31.21
of being remembered with
his face being emblazoned
00:07:31.25\00:07:34.42
on a banknote?
00:07:34.45\00:07:36.08
Francis Greenway was born
near Bristol, England in 1777
00:07:36.12\00:07:41.92
to a family of builders,
stone masons, and architects.
00:07:41.96\00:07:46.29
Greenway set up an architectural
firm in Bristol until
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his business
went bankrupt in 1809.
00:07:50.70\00:07:53.44
In difficult financial
circumstances in January 1812
00:07:53.47\00:07:58.64
Greenway forged a note on
a building contract that said
00:07:58.67\00:08:03.75
the client would pay
Greenway an extra 250 pounds.
00:08:03.78\00:08:07.62
Well, the client was not
impressed and complained to the
00:08:07.65\00:08:11.35
authorities which led
to Greenway being convicted
00:08:11.39\00:08:14.92
and sentenced to death
but this was later commuted
00:08:14.96\00:08:18.56
to transportation to Sydney
for 14 years as a convict.
00:08:18.59\00:08:23.37
Meanwhile in the new colony
the New South Wales governor
00:08:23.40\00:08:28.14
Lachlan Macquarie sent a request
to England for an architect
00:08:28.17\00:08:32.81
to help build the new town of
Sydney, no architect was sent.
00:08:32.84\00:08:37.41
But Francis Greenway arrived
in Sydney in February 1814
00:08:37.45\00:08:42.52
as a convict and a month
later on March 7, he was granted
00:08:42.55\00:08:47.59
a ticket of leave by Macquarie
who had been desperate to have
00:08:47.62\00:08:51.99
an architect to design
the colonies public buildings.
00:08:52.03\00:08:55.03
Governor Macquarie appointed him
as the colony's Civil Architect
00:08:55.06\00:09:00.20
and Assistant Engineer.
00:09:00.24\00:09:01.84
His first commission was to
build the Macquarie Lighthouse
00:09:01.87\00:09:06.11
here on South Head the
entrance to Sydney Harbor.
00:09:06.14\00:09:09.81
Greenway went on to build
many significant buildings
00:09:09.84\00:09:14.32
in the new colony, some of
his works include the Obelisk,
00:09:14.35\00:09:19.12
from this spot they measured
the distances to the various
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settlements in the colony
00:09:22.56\00:09:24.09
Hyde Park Barracks a home for
600 convicts, St. James Church
00:09:24.13\00:09:29.76
which held its first service
on the 6th of January1822,
00:09:29.80\00:09:34.50
the first court buildings in
the colony and the extensions
00:09:34.54\00:09:38.97
to the new Government House
and its stables which are now
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the Conservatorium of Music.
00:09:42.48\00:09:44.38
There are still 49
Georgian style buildings in
00:09:44.41\00:09:48.28
Central Sydney
attributed to his designs.
00:09:48.32\00:09:51.52
Greenway even discussed
the need for a harbor bridge
00:09:51.55\00:09:57.09
a century before it was built.
00:09:57.13\00:09:59.33
Like many freed
convicts, Greenway accepted a
00:09:59.36\00:10:04.13
farming land ground or free
land and settled near Maitland,
00:10:04.17\00:10:08.74
he died of Typhoid on his
property in 1837 and his remains
00:10:08.77\00:10:13.88
are believed to rest in
an unmarked grave in the
00:10:13.91\00:10:17.35
East Maitland Cemetery.
00:10:17.38\00:10:19.31
Greenway's legacy lives on
in some of the finest colonial
00:10:19.35\00:10:23.72
Georgian Architecture
in Sydney and he is honored
00:10:23.75\00:10:26.72
with his face etched
on the ten dollar note.
00:10:26.76\00:10:29.59
A second convict who made
an impact on Colonial Society
00:10:29.62\00:10:34.40
was William Bland, he was
the son of an Obstetrician
00:10:34.43\00:10:38.20
in England and he became a
surgeon in the British Navy.
00:10:38.23\00:10:41.80
In 1809 on the Warship H.
M. S. Hesper in Bombay, India
00:10:41.84\00:10:47.04
Dr. Bland got into a fierce
argument with another officer
00:10:47.08\00:10:52.01
Robert Case, unfortunately,
the two men decided that
00:10:52.05\00:10:56.85
the only way to dissolve
the issue was to have a duel
00:10:56.89\00:11:00.06
with guns, in the duel
Blane killed Robert Case.
00:11:00.09\00:11:05.06
The surgeon was actually
convicted of manslaughter
00:11:05.09\00:11:08.10
and instead of being
hanged he was sentenced to
00:11:08.13\00:11:11.73
seven years
transportation to Australia.
00:11:11.77\00:11:15.10
Dr. Bland arrived in Sydney
in July of 1814 and was sent
00:11:15.14\00:11:21.01
to the Castle Hill Jail for
a short time but the next year
00:11:21.04\00:11:25.31
he managed to get a
pardon and was released and
00:11:25.35\00:11:28.62
started to make an
impact on the colonial society
00:11:28.65\00:11:32.39
by being a part of
the building a nation.
00:11:32.42\00:11:35.36
In 1817, he set up a successful
private medical practice
00:11:35.39\00:11:40.76
on Macquarie Street, but in
1818 he began writing Satires
00:11:40.80\00:11:46.23
that insulted the
governor over his poor treatment
00:11:46.27\00:11:49.40
of the farmers. Governor
Macquarie was not amused,
00:11:49.44\00:11:53.78
and managed to get him
convicted of liable and so Bland
00:11:53.81\00:11:58.25
ended up in prison again for
a few months, this time in the
00:11:58.28\00:12:03.05
Parramatta Jail.
Surely that was too much,
00:12:03.08\00:12:07.06
surely that was the end.
00:12:07.09\00:12:09.56
But somehow William Bland
began focusing on a much bigger
00:12:09.59\00:12:15.76
goal, the building of a nation.
00:12:15.80\00:12:18.27
William Bland believed in
the power of education to build
00:12:18.30\00:12:22.64
a better society and was
the president on the committee
00:12:22.67\00:12:26.47
that founded the prestigious
Sydney Grammar School.
00:12:26.51\00:12:30.05
He also became involved
in New South Wales Politics
00:12:30.08\00:12:33.95
and by 1843 he was elected to
the New South Wales Legislative
00:12:33.98\00:12:39.59
Council. And perhaps the
greatest of his achievements
00:12:39.62\00:12:43.19
was being voted the President
of the Inaugural Australian
00:12:43.22\00:12:47.66
Medical Society in 1859.
00:12:47.70\00:12:50.77
William Bland is also famous
as having the oldest surviving
00:12:50.80\00:12:56.27
photograph taken in Australia
in 1845 and is now held by the
00:12:56.30\00:13:01.54
Mitchell Library
of New South Wales.
00:13:01.58\00:13:03.55
At his death, he was given
a state funeral which isn't a
00:13:03.58\00:13:08.38
bad achievement
for an ex-convict.
00:13:08.42\00:13:10.55
Surprisingly there was another
convict who can be seen on
00:13:10.59\00:13:16.46
the Australian currency,
her name is Mary Reibey,
00:13:16.49\00:13:20.26
she was known as Mollie
Haydock in England and was only
00:13:20.30\00:13:24.37
13 years old when she was
arrested for stealing a horse
00:13:24.40\00:13:28.14
in 1790 and sentenced to be
transported to New South Wales
00:13:28.17\00:13:33.17
for seven years.
00:13:33.21\00:13:34.64
She arrived in Australia in
October 1792 and was assigned
00:13:34.68\00:13:39.75
as a nursemaid in the
household of Major Francis Grose
00:13:39.78\00:13:44.25
two years later when she was
17 she married Thomas Reibey.
00:13:44.29\00:13:49.56
Mary and Thomas moved to
a farming property near the
00:13:49.59\00:13:53.36
Hawkesbury River north of
Sydney farming provided new and
00:13:53.40\00:13:57.47
wonderful opportunities
for freed convicts.
00:13:57.50\00:14:00.64
Mary and Thomas worked
hard on the land and became
00:14:00.67\00:14:04.01
successful farmers,
Thomas soon owned the
00:14:04.04\00:14:07.04
grain carrying business and
three boats for transporting
00:14:07.08\00:14:10.28
coal, cedar, and wheat.
00:14:10.31\00:14:12.45
After his death in 1811,
Mary took on the responsibility
00:14:12.48\00:14:17.19
of the businesses, she
expanded the business interest
00:14:17.22\00:14:21.16
to importing and
mercantile, purchase new ships,
00:14:21.19\00:14:25.06
opened a new warehouse in
George Street, the main street
00:14:25.09\00:14:28.56
of Sydney and leased her
property in Macquarie Place
00:14:28.60\00:14:31.90
to the First Bank in Australia,
the Bank of New South Wales.
00:14:31.93\00:14:35.94
She continued to both
build elegant buildings and
00:14:35.97\00:14:40.08
make extensive investments
in Sydney City property.
00:14:40.11\00:14:43.55
In 1825, she was appointed
as one of the governors
00:14:43.58\00:14:48.35
of the Sydney Free
Grammar School alongside another
00:14:48.38\00:14:52.05
ex-convict Dr. William Bland.
00:14:52.09\00:14:54.39
Mary Reibey was enterprising
in everything she undertook
00:14:54.42\00:14:59.33
and became legendary in the
colony as the first successful
00:14:59.36\00:15:03.37
businesswoman. She is
known for an active interest
00:15:03.40\00:15:06.74
in her church, the
education of the children,
00:15:06.77\00:15:09.20
and works of charity
for the underprivileged.
00:15:09.24\00:15:12.84
Mary Reibey, a horse thief
and one of the youngest convicts
00:15:12.87\00:15:17.45
sent to Australia made a
difference in a new land,
00:15:17.48\00:15:21.22
today she is honored by
having her face on the $20
00:15:21.25\00:15:26.02
Australian Banknote.
00:15:26.05\00:15:27.82
Our next convict lends his
name to the highest-ranking
00:15:27.86\00:15:32.79
High School on academic results
of all Australian Schools,
00:15:32.83\00:15:36.93
James Ruse
Agricultural High School.
00:15:36.97\00:15:39.93
For the past 30
years this school based in
00:15:39.97\00:15:43.84
Carlingford, Sydney
has performed better in the
00:15:43.87\00:15:47.44
final year exams than all other
High schools and private schools
00:15:47.48\00:15:52.31
in New South Wales.
00:15:52.35\00:15:53.72
But how did it start?
00:15:53.75\00:15:55.95
Well, surprisingly it
began an agricultural or
00:15:55.98\00:16:00.56
farming school and took
its name from a convict who
00:16:00.59\00:16:04.49
arrived in Australia on
the first fleet in 1788.
00:16:04.53\00:16:08.16
James Ruse was born in
Launceston Cornwall in 1760
00:16:08.20\00:16:13.00
and worked as a farmhand for
most of his childhood in 1782
00:16:13.03\00:16:18.34
at the age of 23, he was
tried and sentenced to death
00:16:18.37\00:16:22.71
for breaking and
entering the house of
00:16:22.74\00:16:25.11
Thomas Oliver Knight in
stealing two silver watches.
00:16:25.15\00:16:28.75
Luckily James avoided
the death penalty and instead
00:16:28.78\00:16:33.72
was sentenced to transportation
for seven years and
00:16:33.76\00:16:37.29
placed aboard the first ships
to bring convicts to Australia.
00:16:37.33\00:16:40.96
When it was decided to establish
a penal colony in New South
00:16:41.00\00:16:45.43
Wales he was sent out with the
first fleet in 1787 on the ship
00:16:45.47\00:16:50.17
called the Scarborough.
00:16:50.21\00:16:51.94
James Ruse claimed to be the
first English man to step foot
00:16:51.97\00:16:56.28
on the shores of Botany
Bay in 1788 when he carried the
00:16:56.31\00:17:01.08
ships captain
John Hunter ashore.
00:17:01.12\00:17:03.45
In July 1789 Ruse applied
for a land grant that would
00:17:03.49\00:17:09.39
allow him to take up
farming, Governor Philip did not
00:17:09.42\00:17:13.56
give him a land grant
but permitted him to occupy
00:17:13.60\00:17:16.90
in a lodgment at Rose
Hill near Parramatta called
00:17:16.93\00:17:19.97
Experiment Farm.
The title to that grant
00:17:20.00\00:17:23.87
was withheld until
Ruse showed his capacity
00:17:23.91\00:17:27.38
as a farmer and his right
to freedom had been proved.
00:17:27.41\00:17:31.48
In his first year after
being released, James produced
00:17:31.51\00:17:35.62
the first successful
wheat harvest in New South Wales
00:17:35.65\00:17:39.15
and proved that it was possible
for freed convicts to become
00:17:39.19\00:17:44.69
self-sufficient
farmers and landowners
00:17:44.73\00:17:46.63
James Ruse married Elizabeth
Perry, a fellow convict
00:17:46.66\00:17:51.33
at Parramatta in 1790 and they
successfully found their land.
00:17:51.37\00:17:55.97
A plaque at Experiment
Farm commemorates this first
00:17:56.00\00:18:00.38
independent farm. In February
1791 Ruse received 30 acres
00:18:00.41\00:18:07.12
in land grant number one
and by the end of the year
00:18:07.15\00:18:10.52
Ruse, his wife, and child
no longer needed food from
00:18:10.55\00:18:14.72
the government store.
00:18:14.76\00:18:16.12
James Ruse died on
the 5th of September1837.
00:18:16.16\00:18:20.60
During his last months
he occupied himself with the
00:18:20.63\00:18:24.67
rather sad task of carving
his story on his own tombstone,
00:18:24.70\00:18:30.31
he is buried in the cemetery of
St. John's church Campbell town.
00:18:30.34\00:18:34.94
So what was
this convicts legacy?
00:18:34.98\00:18:38.81
Well James Ruse was the
first full-time farmer in the
00:18:38.85\00:18:43.12
new colony and established
successful methods of farming
00:18:43.15\00:18:46.82
in a new land. In addition,
the eminently successful
00:18:46.86\00:18:51.39
James Ruse Agricultural
High-School bears his name
00:18:51.43\00:18:55.43
keeps traditional farming
skills alive in a metropolis
00:18:55.46\00:18:59.57
and is a testament to
his hard work, dedication,
00:18:59.60\00:19:03.74
and commitment.
00:19:03.77\00:19:05.47
These convicts who
sailed to an unknown land have
00:19:05.51\00:19:11.01
remarkable stories of
courage and transformation
00:19:11.05\00:19:15.25
as they work the land, created
a new life and helped to build
00:19:15.28\00:19:20.96
a new nation.
Doesn't that make you wonder,
00:19:20.99\00:19:24.59
is there a way for any
person to really get a new life?
00:19:24.63\00:19:29.66
If those petty
criminals could, surely we can.
00:19:29.70\00:19:34.14
So, how can we find out
about one of the key elements
00:19:34.17\00:19:39.41
of getting a better life?
00:19:39.44\00:19:41.04
Well, come with me down to
the circular key end of Sydney
00:19:41.08\00:19:46.15
on the corner of Blye and Hunter
Streets in a little square
00:19:46.18\00:19:50.45
there is a monument
that's passed by and unread by
00:19:50.49\00:19:54.52
hundreds of people every day.
00:19:54.56\00:19:56.06
Why is there a monument here?
And what does it commemorate?
00:19:56.09\00:20:00.93
Well on Sunday the 3rd of
February, 1788, a week after
00:20:00.96\00:20:07.07
the landing of the
first ships from England,
00:20:07.10\00:20:09.04
the First Christian Church
Service was held on Australians
00:20:09.07\00:20:13.24
soil for the
officers, marines, and convicts.
00:20:13.27\00:20:16.95
The service was led by
the colony's chaplain Richard
00:20:16.98\00:20:21.68
Johnson on a grassy hill under
a tree right near this monument.
00:20:21.72\00:20:26.22
It's hard to imagine the
scene, no skyscrapers, no roads
00:20:26.25\00:20:31.59
or cars, but just 11
ships bobbing in the harbor
00:20:31.63\00:20:36.77
in the background. Richard
Johnson was a man who was
00:20:36.80\00:20:41.17
convinced that the
Bible is the true word of God
00:20:41.20\00:20:44.31
and that we should live
according to its principles.
00:20:44.34\00:20:47.24
And so with great love and
affection, he called the marines
00:20:47.28\00:20:51.81
and convicts alike to have a
faith in Jesus and the Bible.
00:20:51.85\00:20:56.38
Richard Johnson actively worked
to improve the lives of the
00:20:56.42\00:21:00.69
convicts in the colony,
he was responsible for the
00:21:00.72\00:21:04.59
setting up of a fund
to care for the orphans
00:21:04.63\00:21:07.13
and when the second
fleet arrived in Sydney
00:21:07.16\00:21:10.00
with hundreds of sick
and dying convicts on board
00:21:10.03\00:21:13.00
it was Johnson who
risked his own life and health
00:21:13.03\00:21:16.81
and went into the ships
to care for those in need.
00:21:16.84\00:21:20.04
Also, he and his wife had
a special desire to befriend
00:21:20.08\00:21:25.25
the Aborigines who were
being dispossessed of their land
00:21:25.28\00:21:29.02
by the new white settlers.
00:21:29.05\00:21:30.52
In addition, Richard Johnson
was concerned for the education
00:21:30.55\00:21:35.52
of all children whether
they belonged to convicts or
00:21:35.56\00:21:39.13
Free Settlers and he became a
pioneer in providing education
00:21:39.16\00:21:44.13
in the new colony.
00:21:44.17\00:21:45.50
On the 18th of February, 1793,
five years after the arrival
00:21:45.53\00:21:51.91
of the first fleet, Reverend
Johnson and his wife Mary
00:21:51.94\00:21:55.88
opened the first
school in the colony in their
00:21:55.91\00:21:59.35
newly finished church on the
corner of Hunter and Castle Race
00:21:59.38\00:22:03.22
Streets with about 200 students
which is commemorated today
00:22:03.25\00:22:07.82
by a plaque. The first
generation of colonial children
00:22:07.86\00:22:12.76
owed their schooling to
the influence and efforts of
00:22:12.79\00:22:16.36
Richard Johnson, they
all attended church schools
00:22:16.40\00:22:19.73
and received a
Christian education.
00:22:19.77\00:22:22.40
He recruited teachers
from among the convicts,
00:22:22.44\00:22:25.81
raised funds for
their employment,
00:22:25.84\00:22:28.08
provided reading books
and taught lessons himself.
00:22:28.11\00:22:32.01
He also spent countless
hours visiting convicts,
00:22:32.05\00:22:36.72
distributing spelling
books and Bibles and encouraging
00:22:36.75\00:22:40.66
the literate to
help the illiterate.
00:22:40.69\00:22:44.13
What remarkable
stories began in this harbor?
00:22:44.16\00:22:51.00
It began with convicts
sailing in and ended with
00:22:51.03\00:22:55.20
new lives, new identities
and with the new nation
00:22:55.24\00:22:58.71
growing so dramatically
doesn't that make you wonder
00:22:58.74\00:23:03.35
what made the difference?
00:23:03.38\00:23:06.05
What had such a huge influence
on the early settlement?
00:23:06.08\00:23:10.49
Well, amongst other things,
it was the Christian Churches.
00:23:10.52\00:23:15.19
They assisted people in
need and educated the children
00:23:15.22\00:23:18.76
they promoted
Christian principles and values.
00:23:18.79\00:23:22.30
They proclaimed the good
news of God's unconditional love
00:23:22.33\00:23:26.00
and helped to turn a
penal colony into a progressive
00:23:26.03\00:23:31.11
nation. They helped turn
convicts into upright citizens
00:23:31.14\00:23:36.71
and gave them a new identity.
00:23:36.75\00:23:38.08
Christianity proclaims that
faith in Jesus is the biggest
00:23:38.11\00:23:44.12
source of transformation
in all of history.
00:23:44.15\00:23:46.45
It claims Jesus
Christ's sacrifice on the cross
00:23:46.49\00:23:50.49
can change us more
powerfully than anything else.
00:23:50.53\00:23:54.66
But, that doesn't
happen automatically
00:23:54.70\00:23:57.83
there are challenges for
many people in our world today
00:23:57.87\00:24:02.60
the life of Jesus Christ and
His sacrifice hasn't come alive.
00:24:02.64\00:24:07.28
It's a misty event in the
past and here's one big reason,
00:24:07.31\00:24:12.51
The cross doesn't seem
to have their name on it
00:24:12.55\00:24:16.62
many people see the
cross in generic terms,
00:24:16.65\00:24:20.36
sure it was
something done for humanity,
00:24:20.39\00:24:23.32
may be a heroic gesture, but
it doesn't have my name on it,
00:24:23.36\00:24:28.46
I wasn't there.
00:24:28.50\00:24:30.07
You know, these criminals
or convicts who sailed into
00:24:30.10\00:24:34.37
Sydney Harbor
had to have a pardon,
00:24:34.40\00:24:37.07
a reprieve with their name
on it to get their freedom.
00:24:37.11\00:24:40.91
It had to be legal. Now the
Bible talks about the pardon
00:24:40.94\00:24:46.55
that Jesus
offers each one of us.
00:24:46.58\00:24:48.92
When Jesus Christ stretched
His arms out on the cross
00:24:48.95\00:24:53.72
his reach was very wide indeed,
even wider than Sydney Harbor,
00:24:53.76\00:24:58.96
even wider than the
Australian Continent.
00:24:58.99\00:25:02.36
Now you're probably not a
convict sailing to another land
00:25:02.40\00:25:06.40
but here's where
the cross gets personal.
00:25:06.43\00:25:09.80
We all have problems, the
cross is about your problems,
00:25:09.84\00:25:15.24
your weaknesses, your
addictions, your challenges,
00:25:15.28\00:25:19.75
and your feelings
of low self-worth.
00:25:19.78\00:25:22.55
How could Jesus transform us?
How do we get a new identity?
00:25:22.58\00:25:28.72
Well, the cross of Christ
is about your new identity.
00:25:28.76\00:25:33.60
The cross has your name on
it, it speaks to you personally,
00:25:33.63\00:25:38.93
it's a message that comes
out of the shadows down through
00:25:38.97\00:25:43.94
the years and tells you,
God loved you then and God
00:25:43.97\00:25:49.31
loves you now.
00:25:49.34\00:25:50.68
That's a wonderful message
to receive even in a very
00:25:50.71\00:25:55.28
secular world, God the
creator holds you in His hands.
00:25:55.32\00:26:01.59
He holds your unique
human identity in His hands and
00:26:01.62\00:26:07.86
He held you in His
hands when He died.
00:26:07.90\00:26:11.40
If you would like to
make a personal response to
00:26:11.43\00:26:17.81
God's gift to you, if
you would like to find out
00:26:17.84\00:26:20.68
more about how you
can transform your life
00:26:20.71\00:26:24.18
and find true inner
peace and happiness,
00:26:24.21\00:26:26.72
then I'd like to
recommend a free gift we have
00:26:26.75\00:26:30.15
for all our Incredible
Journey viewers today.
00:26:30.19\00:26:34.29
It's the booklet Does
God Really Make a Difference?
00:26:34.32\00:26:39.36
This booklet is our gift to
you and it's absolutely free
00:26:39.39\00:26:44.13
I guarantee there are no
costs or obligations whatsoever
00:26:44.17\00:26:49.00
so make the most of wonderful
opportunity to receive the gift
00:26:49.04\00:26:55.24
we have for you today.
00:26:55.28\00:26:56.91
Phone of text 0436.333.555
in Australia or 020.422.2042
00:26:56.95\00:27:06.96
in New Zealand or
visit our website TIJ.tv
00:27:06.99\00:27:11.89
or simply scan the QR Code on
your screen and we'll send you
00:27:11.93\00:27:16.06
today's free offer totally
free of charge and with no
00:27:16.10\00:27:19.50
obligation. Write to us
at GPO Box 274 Sydney NSW
00:27:19.53\00:27:25.47
20001 Australia, or
PO Box 76673 Manukau
00:27:25.51\00:27:31.88
Auckland 2241, New Zealand.
Don't delay, call or text us
00:27:31.91\00:27:37.15
now. Be sure to join us again
next week when we will share
00:27:37.19\00:27:41.96
another of Life's Journey
together, until then let's pray
00:27:41.99\00:27:46.56
and ask for God's blessing
and guidance in our lives.
00:27:46.59\00:27:50.80
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the gift of Jesus
00:27:50.83\00:27:56.10
and for your promise of a
new identity, a new life when we
00:27:56.14\00:28:00.58
believe and trust in
You. We need to be redeemed
00:28:00.61\00:28:04.75
free from our past
problems and challenges.
00:28:04.78\00:28:08.08
We pray for forgiveness and
peace and the assurance of a new
00:28:08.12\00:28:13.52
identity in Jesus. We ask
this in Jesus' name, Amen!
00:28:13.56\00:28:19.56