It was England, 1784… a guy named Thomas Orford was just strolling along, minding his business…
When he heard someone yell out, “Oi mate! Would you mind helping me carry some clothes and stuff into this house? In return I’ll give you a pint of beer!”
Thomas accepted, and helped the guy.
But, suddenly Tom found himself in handcuffs. 🙁 It turns out the clothes were stolen, and Thomas got framed as a thief with stolen goods in his possession!
Later at the Old Bailey Courthouse, poor old Thomas told the judge his story, but nobody believed him. And he got sentenced to “transportation” for a 7 year sentence.
That’s how Thomas Orford ended up on the First Fleet of ships, along side 774 other convicted criminals. They were exiled from England in 1787, sent on a risky 9 month sea trip to a remote island country, now called Australia. 🇦🇺
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Today is Australia Day! Woohoo!
If you know any Aussies, shoot them a message and buy them a beer!
🇦🇺 Happy Australia day! 🇦🇺
– Joel
PS. last year’s Aussie Fun Facts here if you’re interested! 🙂
Sadly, i’m not drinking alcohol right now. So I’m brewing up a delicious batch of hibiscus tea!
*feature photo by Srikant Sahoo!