Each March on Norfolk Island we celebrate Foundation Day to remember that day in 1788 when Lt Philip Gidley King landed on Norfolk Island to establish the first European settlement here.  A plaque to the west of the pier at Kingston commemorates this notable event.  With King were 22 people (including 15 convicts).

“Prior to sailing to Norfolk Island on 14th February 1788 King addressed the nine male and six female convicts who had been chosen to go with him.  He told them that he would reward them for hard work and that if they obeyed orders they would find life on the island easier and more enjoyable than Port Jackson.   He promised not to work them too hard and to return them to England when their terms expired if any so desired”.  (from Philip Gidley King - A Biography of the Third Governor of NSW by Jonathan King and John King 1981)

While Norfolk Island is famous as the home of the descendants of the Bounty mutineers, it is also renowned in historical circles and a growing travelling public, for its remarkably preserved convict era buildings and ruins.  While most of the existing Georgian buildings come to us from the second convict settlement on Norfolk Island, the first settlement provided foundations for some of these buildings, including the current Government House.  The second settlement also benefited from the well stocked gardens that the free men and convicts developed before 1814.  Most of these were still producing when the second settlement began in 1825.

The first settlers had a very hard time establishing themselves on Norfolk.  While the soil was rich, the seasons were not consistent and pests of all descriptions beset the first crops.   Convicts were not gaoled, but rather worked as free labour in the gardens and farms that were established.   A number were granted land as a reward for their good behaviour.
First Fleet descendants from all over the world gather on Norfolk Island to celebrate Foundation Day, so why don’t you. 

Last year’s event took on special significance because it happened only a few weeks after it was announced that the Kingston area and its convict heritage had been nominated for World Heritage listing in 2010 along with 10 other sites across Australia. 

So, we hope to see you on March 6.