Norfolk_Island_Foundation_Day

Norfolk Island Foundation Day

Norfolk Island Foundation Day

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Foundation Day is an annual public holiday in Norfolk Island commemorating the arrival of the original British settlers on 6 March 1788.[1]

Quick Facts Foundation Day, Observed by ...

Background

Because the United States stopped accepting convicts from Britain after gaining independence, Britain needed new penal colonies. London thus commissioned Captain Arthur Phillip to head a group of 11 ships, known as the First Fleet, to do just that and establish a new penal colony in New South Wales.

After the First Fleet's landing in New South Wales, Captain Phillip instructed Lieutenant Philip Gidley King to take a small team of convicts and free men to colonise Norfolk Island. They reached the uninhabited island on 6 March 1788.[1]

Celebration

Each year on Foundation Day, local residents gather at the beach in Kingston and re-enact the arrival of the First Fleeters. They put on costumes to dress up as British sailors and row boats.[2]

References

  1. [1]
    "Key events and dates". Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  2. [2]
    "NORFOLK ISLAND - FOUNDATION DAY 6TH MARCH 1788". www.norfolkonlinenews.com. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
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