Image credit ABC
I had a gathering on the last night of my residency. I learnt that there was a connection between Iceland and Oatlands. Go figure!
An adventurous Dane by the name of Jorgen Jorgensen sailed to Iceland in 1809 and declared it independent of Denmark and proclaimed himself ruler. However, prior to this he had visited Van Diemen’s land in 1804 and boasted he was the first man to harpoon a whale in the Derwent River.
In 1825 Jorgensen was transported to Van Dieman’s land as a punishment for failing to observe parole conditions relating to charges of theft. He arrived in Van Dieman’s Land in 1926 and by 1927 had obtained a ticket of leave. He was employed by the Van Diemen’s Land Council as a Constable. His connection with Oatlands is his participation in the Black Line , a line of soldiers and others, which moved across white settled areas attempting to intimidate, capture, disp,lace and relocate the remaining First Nations residents. More on this bit of dark and still largely unknown history can be found here: https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/the-black-line
Here are some link to articles on Jorgensen which gives more detail about this amazing character https://www.ourtasmania.com.au/northwest/history-jorgensen.html and https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-13/exhibition-tells-story-of-convict-iceland-king-jorgen-jorgenson/11582422
