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Mediator of the 1821 Revolution, there was an insignificant 25-year-old Hydraean, who was deported… 14,000 kilometers from his home, to serve a long prison sentence. He had been convicted of piracy and would become the first Greek to set foot in distant Australia, albeit against his will.. He was not particularly surprised by the sentence that was imposed on him, since his whole life was an adventure as we will see.
The attack on the merchant ship
Sunday July 29, 1827, South Cretan Sea. The two-masted pirate sailboat “Iraklis” sails through the Mediterranean seas in search of prey. The nine members of the crew, all Greek, know the art of grabbing well all these years. Suddenly, they see a British-flagged merchant ship on the horizon. It is the “Alceste” (“Alkistis”), heading to Alexandria, Egypt, loaded with pepper, ropes, and sulfur. Seeing it, they rub their hands in satisfaction.
With skillful movements, the Pirates they approach the hull and climb onto its deck. After immobilizing the crew, without killing any of the passengers, they remove part of the cargo and in a short time they are satisfied.
Roles are reversed
Twenty-four hours later, however, the roles are reversed, as they are detected by a second ship in the British fleet, the “Gannet”. This time, however, it is not commercial, but patrol. It belongs to the maritime empire of the British Empire and has suitable weapons not only to defend but also to attack. Turn the heavy cannons against “Hercules” and start chasing him near the coast of Crete. He immobilizes him and the armed English arrest the 9 Greek pirates.
Before Admiral Codrington
They are handcuffed in Malta and are on trial. According to an investigation by the late Australian Ambassador to Greece (1968-1972) Hugh Gilchrist, the president of the court was the experienced Admiral Edward Codrington, commander-in-chief of the British Mediterranean fleet and hero of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1905.. In the following weeks he would take command of the allied fleet in the victorious naval battle of Navarino (October 20, 1827) defeating the Ottoman fleet. In their apology, the pirates will claim that they attacked “Alceste” because he was carrying supplies for the Ottomans and that they were also fighting the Turks and Egyptians.
The death sentence and the role of the koundouriotis
Your excuses are not convincing. Seven of the nine pirates will be sentenced to death on charges of piracy against a British-flagged ship. Antonis Manolis (captain), Georgios Vasilakis, Gikas Voulgaris, Georgios Laritsos, Damianos Ninis, Nikolaos Papandreas and Konstantinos Strompolis were to be hanged.
The Greek revolutionary administration will continue intensive consultations behind the scenes to avoid executing the sentences. The powerful Hydra family of the Koundouriotis (ss Lazaros Koundouriotis was at that time the richest in the Balkans, while his brother-in-law Georgios, was former president of the Executive – Prime Minister we would say with today’s data) contact the data. Don’t forget that pirates come from Hydra.
After pressure, the death sentences are commuted to exile. For Britain, a common place of exile for those sentenced to severe penalties was Australia, which she had made her possession. Thus, the Hydraean sailors were transported to the southern part of the eastern hemisphere.
The first record of a Greek in Australia
Thursday, August 27, 1829 Convicted pirates arrive by ship in Sydney’s natural harbor. Once landed, they are recorded one by one in the archives. The beginning will be done by “Antonios de Manolis”. The young “Antonios Manolis”, as typically mentioned in Australian state documents, was to be the first recorded Greek to set foot in Australia. For him it goes without saying that this first meant nothing, yet today he came to be honored by the Greek community as an iconic figure. In fact, one of the streets of the city of Picton in the state of New South Wales bears his name, where he lived free.
But let’s continue the story to see how it got to the point of being released. The Greek pirates were not stacked in a cell from the beginning, but were used in crops, something like a rural prison. Manolis, as all shows, contributed significantly to the formation of the historic Elizabeth Farm located in Norfolk (Sydney suburb) and from 1820 had a country house and 1,000 acres of land. During forced labor, he allegedly transformed the estate’s vineyards into pergolas, modeled after those in the Peloponnese.
England’s Goodwill Movement
Over the years, Greece gains its independence in 1830 with the London Protocol and four years later, the newly formed kingdom of the Balkan Peninsula demands the repatriation of its seven convicted sailors. England maintains good relations with our country and in 1837 makes a move of goodwill. It also gives Greek pirates the right to return home, provided their transportation costs, estimated at 4,921 drachmas, are paid. The Regency of Otto I, who ruled the place, accepts. Five of the seven are actually amnestied.
The other two, however, think that it might not be a bad idea to stay in Australia after returning. After all, in Greece they would have nothing to do and on the British Commonwealth island they saw opportunities for a better life. Thus, Antonis Manolis and his compatriot Gikas Voulgaris remained in Oceania.
From a pirate, a cultivator of his own land.
The former worked as a gardener and winegrower, this time in 1854 at age 50, he would become the first Australian of Greek descent, and with the money he saved he managed to buy his own land in Picton (two parcels on Hill Street and Upper Picton) . According to the relevant documents, in 1843 he had married Elizabeth Corey at St. Bede Catholic Church in Appin and together they had a son, James. His marriage did not seem happy, since in January 1864 his wife requested abandonment, a charge that was prohibited since neither party appeared in court.
The engraving on the tombstone
Manolis died on September 22, 1880, while working on his farm. It is estimated that he was well loved by the area, however, because there is still a headstone on his grave. It has a verse from a local, Henry Hooke, who liked poetry. He characteristically writes: “In a strange land, the stranger finds a grave, far from his home beyond the rolling wave” (in free translation: “In a strange land, the stranger finds a grave far from home, more beyond the wave “).
Gikas Voulgaris, for his part, who also chose to stay in Australia, married the Irish Mary Lyons with whom he had … 10 children and 52 grandchildren, became an Australian citizen in 1961, learned English well and changed his name to Ziger.
- Georgios Sarris is a journalist – member of ESIEA, honored by the President of the Republic with the Ath Award. Botsis for the objective and comprehensive presentation of historical political issues.
