Robert Towns
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Robert Towns was a British master mariner who settled in Australia as a businessman, sandalwood merchant, colonist, shipowner, pastoralist, politician, whaler and civic leader. He was the founder of T
Robert Towns, by unknown artist
Cranbrook House in 1917, home of Robert Towns 1864 to 1873
Robert Towns Monument atop Castle Hill, Townsville
Robert Towns Gravestone, Detail of monument atop Castle Hill, Townsville
Blackbirding
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Blackbirding was the trade in indentured labourers from the Pacific in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is often described as a form of slavery, despite the Slave Trade Act 1807 and the Slavery A
Robert Towns
…politician, whaler and civic leader. He was the founder of Townsville, Queensland and named it after himself. He is also known for his involvement in blackbirding and labour exploitation of immigrant workers. After a career at sea as a master mariner based in Britain, Towns came to Australia in 1843 as the agent…
In 1869, HMS Rosario seized the blackbirding schooner Daphne and freed its passengers, who were bound for Queensland, Australia.
Kanaka workers in a sugar cane plantation in Queensland, late 19th century.
Vanuatuan recruits for sugar plantations in Australia, Vanuatu, c. 1910