Australian History

Thursday, January 20, 1803. :   Superintendent of public works, Charles Grimes, arrives at the Mornington Peninsula, now a popular holiday spot, where he pronounces it unsuitable for settlement.

In 1802, Governor King, governor of the colony of New South Wales, sent acting lieutenant John Murray to survey Port Phillip Bay. Murray explored some parts of the Bay and was responsible for the discovery of Corio Bay, where Geelong now stands. However, when it was discovered that Murray had not served the full six years required by regulation when he passed his examination for lieutenant, he was unceremoniously dumped in disgrace. King then appointed Charles Grimes, the superintendent of public works at the Hawkesbury River, to complete the survey.

Grimes entered Port Phillip Bay and arrived at Mornington Peninsula on 20 January 1803. He was turned off the thought of settlement in the area due to the sandy soil and lack of water, and his report to Governor King reflected his adverse reaction. It is ironic that the Mornington Peninsula is now one of Victoria’s premier sites for both tourists and residents.

Australian History

Tuesday, January 20, 1880. :   Bushranger Captain Moonlite is hanged.

Captain Moonlite/Moonlight, aka Andrew George Scott, was originally a preacher at the small Victorian town of Egerton. An admirer of Ned Kelly, he made a sudden decision to become a bushranger. His first target was the manager of the Egerton Bank, who was fully aware of Scott’s identity. Scott tied him up, with orders to tell police he had been robbed by Captain Moonlight.

Scott was caught and imprisoned at Ballarat. Upon his release from gaol, he continued his new bushranging career. He recruited several other gang members and walked to New South Wales. Some stories claim he was hoping to find employment at Wantabadgery Station, well known for its hospitality. Being in the grip of a severe drought, and also having changed hands, Wantabadgery could offer them nothing. In desperation, Moonlite took 35 people hostage. In the resultant shootout with police on 18 November 1879, gang members James Nesbitt and Augustus Wernicke, together with Constable Bowen, were all shot dead. Moonlite and the surviving gang members were tried and charged with the murder of Constable Bowen. Moonlite was hanged on 20 January 1880 at Darlinghurst Court.

Australian History

Monday, January 20, 1958. :   After almost 28 years, the Royal Australian Naval College returns to Jervis Bay.

From the time that Australia was first colonised in 1788, up until 1859, Australia’s naval defence depended on detachments from the Royal Navy in Sydney. A separate British naval station was established in Australia in 1859, while a Royal Navy squadron, paid for and mainatined by Australia, was maintained in Australian waters through to 1913. In 1909, the decision was made to establish an Australian Fleet Unit. The first ships comprising this fleet arrived in Australian waters during November of 1910. These Commonwealth Naval Forces became the Royal Australian Navy on 10 July 1911, following the granting of this title by King George V.

Late in 1911, the Federal Parliament of Australia selected Captain’s Point, Jervis Bay, as the site of the future Royal Australian Naval College (RANC). As the Australian Capital Territory was inland, it was determined that the national seat of government needed access to the ocean, so the Jervis Bay Territory was surrendered by New South Wales to the Commonwealth in 1915 under the “Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915”.

The Australian Government was forced to cut funding to the naval college in 1930 as a result of the Great Depression. The RANC was closed and relocated to Victoria. Some of the buildings at Jervis Bay were maintained by the Navy, while others were leased as hotels and holiday accommodation. The decision was made in 1956 to return the RANC to Jervis Bay. This finally occurred on 20 January 1958.

World History

Wednesday, January 20, 1841. :   China cedes the island of Hong Kong to the British.

Britain invaded China in 1839, during the First Opium War. After Britain occupied Hong Kong, China ceded the island to the British under the Convention of Chuenpi (Chuanbi) signed on 20 January 1841. Hong Kong Island then became a Crown Colony on 29 August 1842 under the Treaty of Nanking. Following the Second Opium War (1856-1860), China was forced to cede the Kowloon Peninsula, adjacent to Hong Kong Island, along with other area islands. In 1898, the UK commenced a 99-year lease of Hong Kong and surrounding islands and territories, increasing the size of the Hong Kong colony. The lease would expire at midnight on 30 June 1997.

Negotiations on the future of Hong Kong were initiated between Britain and China in 1982. On 19 December 1984, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang signed the Joint Sino-British Declaration approving the 1997 turnover of the colony. The Declaration allowed for the formulation of a “one country, two systems” policy by China’s communist government, permitting Hong Kong to have a capitalist economy and enjoy existing rights and freedoms. Democratic elections for the new Legislative Council were held in 1995. On 1 July 1997, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Tung Chee-hwa, was sworn in as the new leader.

World History

Thursday, January 20, 1887. :   The British ship Kapunda, laden with immigrants bound for Western Australia, sinks off the Brazilian coast, killing 300.

The “Kapunda” was a 1095 ton sailing ship, built on the Clyde in 1875 and owned by Messrs. Trinder, Anderson, and Co of London. Departing Plymouth on 18 December 1886, the ship held Captain John Masson, 272 passengers, a ship’s Surgeon and a crew of 40. The ship was bound for Western Australia, its passengers being primarily immigrants. Many of these were Scottish and Irish peasants hoping to make a better life for themselves in the relatively new land. Many of the passengers were “nominated” emigrants, sent for by family or friends already in the colony. Around thirty passengers were travelling under the auspices of the West Australian Land Company, which had been formed to construct a 320 kilometre long railway from Beverley to Albany.

It was not the first time the Kapunda had carried passengers to Australia, but it was to be the last. On 20 January 1887, the Kapunda collided with the Ada Melmore of Belfast, south of Maceio off the Brazilian coast, and sank within five minutes. Only 16 of those aboard the Kapunda survived, whilst several passengers from the Ada Melmore also perished. Total loss of life was 304 people.

World History

Monday, January 20, 1964. :   The trial of the perpetrators of Britain’s Great Train Robbery begins.

For 125 years, the Post Office train, known as the Up Special, had run its nightly service. On 8 August 1963, the train was carrying over 2.6 million pounds ($AU7.5 million) in used, untraceable bank notes destined for burning at the Bank of England, when it was stopped by a red light at 3:15am local time in Buckinghamshire. Police investigators later found that the signals had been tampered with and telephone wires had been cut. After the train was stopped, thieves attacked driver Jack Mills, 58, with an iron bar, uncoupled the engine and front two carriages and drove them to Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn, near Mentmore. There they loaded 120 mail and money bags into a waiting truck.

Thirteen of the thieves were caught and tried five months later, their trial beginning on 20 January 1964. Ronnie Biggs became the best known of the criminals when he escaped from prison and headed for Australia, where he stayed in a secret location, then Brazil, remaining free for 28 years. He returned to England needing medical treatment, but knowing he would be arrested as soon as he arrived back in his home country. Biggs continued to serve out his sentence until his death on 18 December 2013.