The Wild Goose: A Collection of Ocean Waifs was a hand-written newspaper created in late 1867 byFenian prisoners aboardHougoumont, the last ship to transportconvicts to Australia.
Seven issues of the newspaper were produced, and each issue was carefully laid out and decorated by hand. Only one copy of each issue was made, which was then read to the convicts aloud. The aim was to provide entertainment and encouragement aboard the ship during its long and arduous voyage toFremantle. The title refers to theWild Geese: the Irish soldiers who had left to serve in continental European armies since the 16th century.
The major contributors wereJohn Flood,John Boyle O'Reilly and John Sarsfield Casey. The documents provide insight into life aboard ship. The documents contain songs, stories, articles, advice, poems, and even comedy. In addition to the diaries ofDenis Cashman and the journals of Casey andThomas McCarthy Fennell, the journey ofHougoumont was well recorded.
One passage describes Australia and its history with more than a little sarcasm:
This great continent of the south, having been discovered by some Dutch skipper and his crew, somewhere between the 1st and 9th centuries of the Christian era, was, in consequence taken possession of by the government ofGreat Britain, in accordance with that just and equitable maxim, "What's yours is mine; what's mine is my own." That magnanimous government in the kindly exuberance of their feelings, have placed a large portion of that immense tract of country called Australia at our disposal. Generously defraying all expenses incurred on our way to it, and providing retreats for us there to secure us from the inclemency of the seasons…
O'Reilly penned several poems for the paper, includingThe Flying Dutchman andThe Old School Clock.
All seven issues survive, and were passed by Flood's granddaughter to theState Library of New South Wales and have all be digitised and areavailable online.[1][2]
On 9 September 2005, a memorial was unveiled atRockingham beach to commemorate theCatalpa rescue. The memorial is a large statue of six wild geese.
