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20/10/2010 The stories of Port Arthur’s
convicts have proven to be one of the World Heritage listed historic
site’s enduring appeals for visitors, with a popular book of the lives
of 52 of those convicts now in its sixth reprint.
One of the most memorable and engaging experiences for visitors to Port Arthur is the Convict Gallery, where they play the Lottery of Life, which allows each visitor the opportunity to get to know a real Port Arthur convict.
Each visitor to the Site is offered a playing card representing a
real convict, which they take into the Site’s convict gallery to
discover the true story behind their villain. Then they can see displays
showing daily life for inmates, including the various trades practised
by convicts at Port Arthur.
Such was the popularity of the gallery that the stories of the 52 villains that constitute the Pack of Thieves
were compiled into a book of the same name, which has become one of the
most popular souvenirs of the Port Arthur Historic Site.
The stories were compiled from original convict records and other
historical documents by Hamish Maxwell-Stewart, now with the School of
History and Classics at the University of Tasmania, and long-time Port
Arthur Historic Site Resource Centre Manager and authority on convict
research, Susan Hood, with illustrations by renowned Tasmanian artist
Tom Samek.
“Since it was first published in 2001, it has sold 25,000
copies,” said Ms Hood. “I think that its popularity lies in the way that
the whole experience brings distant historical characters to life for
the visitor. People today can relate in a very personal way to the life
stories and fates of these individual convicts, adding impact and
meaning to the broader history of Port Arthur and Van Diemen’s Land that
they hear when they visit.”
Pack of Thieves is available from the Port Arthur
Historic Site Gift Shop and from quality bookshops around Tasmania. A
pack of cards depicting the 52 convicts is also available
Co-author of Pack of Thieves, Susan Hood, celebrating the sixth reprint of the popular Port Arthur publication. |