5 April 2008
The Convict Streak
|
Bernie Matthews was a 'serial escapee' - the thought of incarceration too much to bear. Yet every time he escaped, his sentence (for armed robbery) was extended, and the punishment made more severe. Until he escaped through the pen.
Bernie likens himself to the convict George Howe - one of the thousands of criminals transported to New South Wales between 1819 and 1848. The life of a convict in early 19th century Australia was gruelling and desperate, as it is for those incarcerated today. Punishment for escaping included solitary confinement and being sent to the harshest of prison environments - Van Diemen's Land then and the supermax prisons now. Yet some still managed to get away...
The first in a series of the 'Global Perspectives' exchange on the theme of escape
Music details Track 6, 'Dawn' by Bruce Mathiske from the album Acoustically Speaking. Sandstock Music 1994 SSM048CD Track 1, 'The Wide Open Space' and Track 8, 'Walk to Destiny' from the album soundtrack to the film The Tracker 'Swaggies Joy' Production Music BBXCD005
Composer: Gordon Tardif. Mana Music Productions
Festival Records 334932
From Colonial Australia composer M. Fix
Publisher PMS
Further Information
Publications
Title: Great Convict Escapes in Colonial Australia
Author: Warwick Hirst
Publisher: Kangaroo Press, Sydney, Australia 2003
Title: Intractable
Author: Bernie Matthews
Publisher: Pan Macmillan, Sydney, Australia 2006
Title: Punishment Short of Death
Author: Margaret Hazzard
Publisher: Hyland House, Melbourne, Australia 1984
Presenter
Brent Clough
Radio National often provides links to external websites to complement program information. While producers have taken care with all selections, we can neither endorse nor take final responsibility for the content of those sites.
