George Hewland

An interesting article appeared in the North Australian newspaper on 7 April 1857 giving details of the cancellation of George Hewland's Ticket of Leave. The article gave an interesting insight into views on Ticket of Leave holders coming to Ipswich.

Ticket of Leave Cancelled - It appears that the Sydney Government are still bent upon forwarding the off-scourings of the gaols to this district whenever an opportunity offers. Convicts holding tickets of leave are now regularly landed by nearly every steamer that arrives in Brisbane, and the evil consequences that will most assuredly result to the district from this inundation of metropolitan felony, will soon become apparent by the increase of crime, and the insecurity of life and property. We had a fair specimen of the kind of vagabonds the district is being deluged with the other day, in the person of an old sinner named George Hewland, a trebly convicted prisoner, of about sixty-five years of age, and about as ill-conditioned a specimen of the genus homo we have seen for some years past. This worthy has just been released from Cockatoo Island, and has had a pass granted for this district. On his arrival by the Boomerang, he proceeded to this town, where he immediately signalised his debut by getting drunk, and failing to report himself to the authorities. The vigilant eyes of the police, however, were upon him, and he was apprehended, and lodged in the watchhouse. On the following day he was brought before the Magistrates, when he had nothing to say in extenuation of his conduct, and was ordered to leave the town within twenty-four hours, and seek employment in the bush. But, instead of complying with this order, the prisoner remained lurking about the tap-rooms, again got drunk, and was apprehended for making use of obscene and disgusting language in the public streets on the 1st instant. The Bench having heard the evidence against him, directed that he should be sent back to Sydney, with a recommendation that his ticket-of-leave should be cancelled.