In 1875 a Tasmanian devil left Hobart aboard the American ship Swatara, bound for San Francisco Bay. I was fascinated, and very moved by the background story. In the 19th century the USS Swatara was involved in transporting scientific parties to the South Pacific, to observe the
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When the troopship Geelong left Hobart on October 20 1914, it carried the Tasmanian contingent of the 12th Battalion to Egypt, and thence to Gallipoli and France. There was a unique mascot on board, a Tasmanian devil. I’m not sure whether the practice was officially sanctioned, but
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I grew up on a farm on the north west coast of Tasmania. In the late 1950’s a man came to see my father on some business or other. While he was there he produced a sugar bag which he carefully opened to show us what appeared to be the most
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