Friday April 24 2026 sees a webinar on The Reinterment of Devonshire Street Cemetery. "Established in 1820, Devonshire Street Cemetery was the main burial ground in Sydney until the passing of the Sydney Burial Grounds Act in 1866. Under the Act, interments in Sydney burial grounds were discontinued in an attempt to protect public health... in 1901, the cemetery was resumed by the state to make way for Sydney’s Central Railway Station...leading to the exhumation and reinterments…...
Friday April 24 2026 sees a webinar on The Reinterment of Devonshire Street Cemetery. “Established in 1820, Devonshire Street Cemetery was the main burial ground in Sydney until the passing o…
27/03/2026
Yesterday the Fellowship conducted its March 2026 Board meeting from First Fleet House and via MS Teams. We noted the damage from the January 2026 storm - we are awaiting advice from our insurance company so that we can proceed with repairs. It is still obvious that it continues to be a challenging time for the First Fleet House volunteers who have returned - in one room they are operating under plastic covering the ceiling. Not all volunteers have returned however. We hope that the insurance company will very soon approve the repairs to be carried out. We have to acknowledge the efforts of FFF volunteers during this challenging time including Denis Smith. This experience also points to the benefits of having digital records stored in the "Cloud" and not just paper based records. This is something the Board is grappling with. See latest Founders issue for images of the damage -
27/03/2026
Western Sydney Records Centre – Searching Early Colonial Records 1788 – 1856 Seminar
Have you seen that the Western Sydney Records Centre has organised a Seminar for Friday May 29 2026? Covering Searching Early Colonial Records 1788 - 1856. It will feature talks by renowned expert historians Adjunct Associate Professor Carol Liston AO, Gary Sturgess AM, Dr Terry Kass, Bonnie Wildie, and Michael Flynn. There will also be the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Western Sydney Records Centre. For more information: click here
Have you seen that the Western Sydney Records Centre has organised a Seminar for Friday May 29 2026? Covering Searching Early Colonial Records 1788 – 1856. It will feature talks by renowned …
24/03/2026
Connecting with the Fellowship’s Chapters
Back in 2022, the Fellowship began a Strategic Planning Project which continued until 2024. We were concerned about the Fellowship's future in a changing world. One of the key aspects of the 2022 - 2024 project related to our Fellowship's Chapters. From that project of 2022 - 2024, our Fellowship's Chapter Liaison Officer Paul Gooding has been a lynch pin in connecting the Fellowship's Board and its Chapters across the country....
Back in 2022, the Fellowship began a Strategic Planning Project which continued until 2024. We were concerned about the Fellowship’s future in a changing world. One of the key aspects of the …
23/03/2026
An invitation - some of the Followers of this page are also Full Members or Associates of the Fellowship - if you aren't yet - why not join us -
There are several categories of membership available to descendants who wish to join the Fellowship of First Fleeters. Ordinary, Associate, Pensioner, Student and Junior memberships are available t…
22/03/2026
Australian UNESCO Memory of the World – Documents now on-line
Have you heard of UNESCO Memory of the World and the Australian documents inscribed in it? Back in 2022 I organised a program of lectures on the UNESCO Memory of the World which also featured Australian content. Now the Old Registers 1794 - 1824 Australian Documents in the UNESCO are available on line and these are searchable: click here....
Have you heard of UNESCO Memory of the World and the Australian documents inscribed in it? Back in 2022 I organised a program of lectures on the UNESCO Memory of the World which also featured Austr…
21/03/2026
Manly, Warringah and Pittwater: First Fleet Records of Events, 1788-1790 – Sheelagh and George Champion
Photograph of Portrait of Governor Arthur Phillip in National Portrait Gallery London 2024 - photograph by KA Christian
Article supplied by Gillian Doyle, a former President of the Fellowship of the First Fleeters, and also of its Arthur Phillip Chapter. Gillian has carried out a great deal of research on Governor Arthur Phillip – as can be seen on the Arthur Phillip page in the Fellowship’s main wordpress website.
During their term as Secretary and President respectively of the Manly, Warringah and Pittwater Historical Society, the Campion's conceived the idea of gathering together and making available to the general public, for their information, the primary source material from the First Fleet records pertaining to Manly, Warringah and Pittwater....
Photograph of Portrait of Governor Arthur Phillip in National Portrait Gallery London 2024 – photograph by KA Christian During their term as Secretary and President respectively of the Manly,…
20/03/2026
AI and Fellowship of First Fleeters
At its March 2026 Board meeting, the Fellowship will review a draft AI policy, following several suggested amendments. Consideration of the draft policy was deferred from November 2025, to be reviewed in early 2026. Unfortunately, the storm damage to First Fleet House Roof in mid January 2026, meant dealing with the repairs had taken precedence. Coincidentally, I noticed a post…...
At its March 2026 Board meeting, the Fellowship will review a draft AI policy, following several suggested amendments. Consideration of the draft policy was deferred from November 2025, to be revie…
18/03/2026
Could Jay Russell please apply to join the group again please. There was a glitch in the system.
18/03/2026
The Gentleman’s Magazine – March 1789 via Hathi Trust
Tuesday, 31 March 1789 - Domestic Occurrences An Authentic Account of the Arrival at Botany Bay - Source - Gentleman's Magazine March 1789 An authentic account has been received, that his Majesty's ships the Sirius and Supply , under the command of Commodore Phillips , with the transports under their convoy, having the convicts on board for Botany Bay, have made good their passsage. ...
Tuesday, 31 March 1789 – Domestic Occurrences An Authentic Account of the Arrival at Botany Bay – Source – Gentleman’s Magazine March 1789 An authentic account has been rece…
16/03/2026
Irish on the First Fleet
It may not be so well known that there were Irish on the First Fleet - convicts, seamen, marines & their families, and possibly even a surgeon. In fact there were as many as 141 Irish, or people with Irish heritage, on the First Fleet, comprising nearly 1/10th of those who sailed. Although predominantly English, over 200 or about 1/6th of those on the First Fleet also had other ethnic origins ( see FFF Diversity blog post). And 2/3 of those were Irish or of Irish heritage. Who were they?
It may not be so well known that there were Irish on the First Fleet – convicts, seamen, marines & their families, and possibly even a surgeon. In fact there were as many as 141 Irish, or…
10/03/2026
Changes in Leadership – Fellowship of First Fleeters
Resignation of FFF President Gillian Doyle - replacement by Kerrie Anne Christian as Acting President until 2026 FFF AGM From the President's Desk After careful consideration, I have decided to resign from the Board and from the office of President, vacating the position on Friday 6 March 2026 to allow for an orderly handover. I have been a member of the Fellowship since 1985, serving as President of the Arthur Phillip Chapter for seven years until 2018, when I joined the Board....
Resignation of FFF President Gillian Doyle – replacement by Kerrie Anne Christian as Acting President until 2026 FFF AGM From the President’s Desk After careful consideration, I have d…
Address
First Fleet House, 105 Cathedral Street Sydney, NSW 2011
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Our Founders Newsletter has been the main vehicle to communicate with our current financial members about what is happening in FFF Inc and in all of our chapters across Australia. It is sent out about 6 times each year to our current FFF Inc financial members - via email or by Australia Post to those without email.
This page and the Facebook group have been set up to supplement the Founders newsletters. The Facebook presence is also to engage with people who may be First Fleet descendants, but who have not yet joined as Financial members, or do not wish to become a financial members at this time.
We are a not for profit and all-volunteer run group. FFF Inc members' fees pay for the running of the organisation, including the costs of First Fleet House in Sydney, ie rates, water, electricity, insurance, organisation registrations and repairs including the necessary substantive repairs to the roof this year. First Fleet House holds FFF Inc's records, library, and is where volunteers respond to research inquiries. It is possible for people to come in on one of the three opening days/week and there they can seek advice on their FF ancestors - though we recommend people contact FF House in advance.
We always welcome new members to FFF Inc and to participate in our Chapters - membership of FFF Inc is via one of 3 categories - full membership for those who can prove their FF ancestry by documentation, associate membership for the partners of descendants and also we have a Friend Category for others.
Like any such organisation, FFF Inc is there to serve people who have chosen to become members in the three categories of FFF Inc as described above. Where there is available capacity, some of our internal FFF Inc activities may be open to others who have not joined FFF Inc.
If you would like to join FFF Inc in one of these 3 categories, or learn more about joining the FFF Inc, then here is where you can find more information. http://www.fellowshipfirstfleeters.org.au/join.html
