For the Australian tree commonly known as "Billy Blue", see Acacia sclerosperma

Acacia sclerosperma

Acacia sclerosperma, commonly known as limestone wattle or silver bark wattle, is a tree in the family Fabaceae. Endemic to Western Australia, it occurs on floodplains and along water-courses throughout the arid north-west corner of the State.Limestone wattle grows as a spreading, tall shrub up to...

.

Billy Blue or William Blue (c.1767 - 1834) was an Australian convict. Although Billy Blue’s place and date of birth are uncertain, convict records suggest he was born in Jamaica around 1767.

Conviction

By 1796 he was living at Deptford, London, and working as a chocolate

Chocolate

Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...

-maker and also labouring on ships on the Thames.

On 4 October 1796 he was convicted, at Maidstone, in Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

, of stealing raw sugar and sentenced to seven years transportation. After serving over four years in the convict hulks (ships used for housing criminals), he was transported to Botany Bay, Australia, in the convict ship Minorca. He was described in the ship’s records as 'a Jamaican Negro sailor', aged 29 in 1796.

In 1818, tolerance of his practices temporarily waned. Billy was found to be carrying liquor on his boat, and was accused of smuggling. Billy protested that he had found the liquor floating in the harbour and was simply bringing it to shore. It seems his story was vaguely believable because he was stripped of his right to be a bailiff, but was still allowed to operate his ferry service.

Personal life

He arrived in Sydney in 1801 and served out the remaining part of his sentence. In 1804, records show him living in ‘the Rocks’, then a very tough part of the city. There he met Elizabeth Williams, a 30-year-old convict from Hampshire, England, who had arrived in June 1804. On 27 April 1805, they were married at the old St. Philip's Anglican church

St Philip's Church, Sydney

St Philip's Church, Sydney is the oldest Anglican church parish in Australia. The church is located in the Sydney CBD, between York Street, Clarence and Jamison Streets on a location known as Church Hill. St Philip's is part of the Diocese of Sydney, Australia...

 in Sydney, where 5 of their 6 children were later christened.

Career

He became a boatman that ferried passengers across Sydney Harbour. He was also made a water bailiff and watched boat traffic on Port Jackson

Port Jackson

Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...

from a special tower. Despite being a bailiff, it seems Billy didn't do everything by the book. It was said that his law infringements were frequent, but due to his colourful personality, they were looked upon with a "benevolent air" by the authorities.

Legacy

Aside from providing a valued service to the colony, Billy's eccentric nature helped him attain the status of what could be defined as Australia’s first celebrity. Billy was a very popular member of the community. Governor Macquarie once remarked jokingly: "I shall have to make you the Commodore". For the rest of his life, he was referred to as “the Commodore." In tribute to his legacy, many streets, landmarks, hotels and businesses in Nth Sydney have been named in his honour. These include Blues Point, William Street, Blues Point Road, The Commodore Hotel, and the Billy Blue Design School.