History and currency will combine at the Quadrant Mall on Wednesday as the Royal Australian Mint comes to Launceston.
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The Mint’s Rascals and Ratbags Roadshow commemorates 150 years since the last convict ship’s arrival in Australia and acknowledges the contribution of convicts to the nation’s history.
Tasmania is the first stop of the national tour that also includes Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia .
Royal Australian Mint communications manager Alice Brown said the state was a natural starting point for the roadshow.
“We really wanted to come to Tasmania, because the state has a strong connection to convicts,” she said.
We really wanted to come to Tasmania, because the state has a strong connection to convicts.
- Alice Brown
“You can see the rich history behind places like Port Arthur.”
It was in 1806 when convicted forger William Henshall made his way to Australia on board the The Alexander, only to be enlisted to make Australia’s first coin when he arrived.
By 1868, more than 162,000 men, women and children had been transported to Australia by the British Government, with nearly 20 per cent of Australia’s population descended from convicts.
The Rascals and Ratbags Roadshow invites members of the public to create their own unique piece of history through striking an Australia counterstamp onto one of the $1 coins made especially for the tour.
The coin’s reverse features an artistic depiction of a tree with a canopy representing Australia and the convict symbols of the broad arrow and chains at its roots.
Collectors will also have the opportunity to swap their own coins and cash for freshly-minted currency and browse new products from the Mint.
Ms Brown said the products were inspired by those who left their own mark on Australia’s past.
“Some of the convicts that came here were rascals, while others may have been ratbags,” she said.
“Each had their own special stories and made unique contributions along the way.”
The Rascals and Ratbags Roadshow will be at the Quadrant Mall from 9am until 4pm on Wednesday, May 23.
It will be the penultimate stop on the Tasmanian stage of the tour which will finish in Devonport on Thursday.
More information on the tour can be found on the Royal Australian Mint website.
Sean Slatter
Journalist at Fairfax Media based at Launceston.
Journalist at Fairfax Media based at Launceston.
