Robert McJannett
| First name | Robert |
|---|---|
| Last name | McJannett |
| Country of Origin | Scotland |
| Date of Birth | 5/5/1807 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1837 |
| Submitted by | Colin McJannett |
Story
Robert was born on 5 May 1837 at Drumglass, in Balmaghie Parish, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, the second child and first son of farmer and crofter David and his wife Janet McJannett (nee Crosbie). Robert joined the British Army in 1827, and later came to NSW with the 80th Regiment as a guard aboard the convict transport John. He was later assigned to the NSW Mounted Police, and from 1850 to 1858 was the Chief Constable at Yass. He arrested Frank Gardiner in 1854 for horse stealing and Gardiner was sent to the notorious Cockatoo Island Prison. Robert retired as Yass Chief Constable in December 1858 and was given a testimonial dinner by the citizens of Yass.
The voyage to NSW took 130 days. There were 260 male convicts embarked, and five died on the voyage. The ship\’s Master was Adam Dixon and the Surgeon was Charles Inches. The vessel arrived in Sydney on 7 February 1837.
In late February 1837, Robert was posted to the Cox\’s River, a Convict Road Gang Stockade west of the Blue Mountains, where the grey-brown alien landscape was a stark contrast to the soft green and rolling hills of bonny Galloway. There were four iron gangs at the stockade, numbering between 500 to 800 convicts. When Robert was offered the chance to be deployed to the NSW Mounted Police, he was happy to take the offer.