Bart Bear's Blog

The convict era on Norfolk Island was a terrible time, but today the islanders are proud of their history and celebrate it. One of the fun things that visitors can do is spend an evening at a convict dinner. Part of the fun is to dress up in convict clothes and get bossed around by gaolers. The Oldies get their convict suits when they pay for the evening, but since there were no small bear convicts (as far as history records) mine had to be made specially. Unka Paddy made it for me before we went on the trip and it was a big hit on the night. The "gaolers" were Commandant Hatt (that's him in the black) and Sergeant Philby (the redcoat). They kept us running, dancing and generally mucking up all night and everybody had lots of fun, especially Dad who ended up as the only bloke on a table with 16 women. And one thing is for sure, the food was far better than what the poor convicts had to put up with back in the penal settlement days.

Labels: Norfolk Island