Michael is joined each week by Aussie historian, author & entertainer Jim Haynes, for his unique knowledge of the not-so-famous characters from Australia’s history.

This week Jim shines the spotlight on James ‘Jim’ Kelly – Our First Home grown Hero.

James Kelly was an Australian mariner, explorer and port official born on 24th December 1791 at Parramatta, New South Wales, probably the son of James Kelly, a cook in the convict transport Queen, and Catherine Devereaux, a convict transported for life from Dublin in the same ship.

He was in the first generation of native-born children of migrant settlers and convicts called ‘currency lads’ and ‘currency lasses’, to distinguish them from the non-convict British settlers, who were known as ‘sterling’.

In his day Jim Kelly was about as famous as you could be in the colonies of New Holland. He was so famous that ballads were written about him. His name was given to the steps Battery Point in Hobart, which he built, as well as Kelly Island and Kelly Basin at Macquarie Harbour. Kelly Point on Bruny Island was named after him but the name was later changed to Dennes Point as his memory faded.

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