Captain Hunter of the First Fleet
Annually on 29 August Mosman Council celebrates Hunter Day – the anniversary of the birth date of Captain John Hunter, second captain of the First Fleet and commander of the HMS Sirius, who is credited as being the first European to set foot on Mosman soil.
The Hunter Day Luncheon is co-hosted on board HMAS Penguin by the Mayor of Mosman and Commanding Officer of Penguin and is attended by local school leadership. Each year a guest speaker talks about different aspects of Hunter’s life and career.
This year’s speaker was Ms Linda Groom, former Curator of Pictures at the National Library of Australia, and author of a number of historical works, including her most recent volume on John Hunter himself, entitled A Steady Hand: Governor Hunter and his First Fleet Sketchbook.
Ms Groom’s speech and PowerPoint presentation are attached.
- Captain Hunter of the First Fleet - slide presentation (PDF 7MB)
- Captain Hunter of the First Fleet - transcript of Ms Groom's talk (PDF 107KB)
Pictured above, left: Portrait of Vice-Admiral John Hunter, Governor of New South Wales, by William Mineard Bennett, oil on wood panel; right: John Hunter, King parrot (Alisterus scapularis) in Birds & flowers of New South Wales drawn on the spot in 1788, ’89 & ’90, watercolour. Originals held at the National Library of Australia.
