Picturesque Greens Beach will be overrun with convicts and wenches for an annual running event.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Convicts and Wenches Beach Run had a record year in 2018, with more than 300 participants taking up the challenge.
Event organiser Ian Cornelius is a descendant of a First Fleeter, and said the run was a way to remember the convict men and women of Tasmania.
"To have descended from convict stock is not a stain, it's an honour," he said.
"Let us remember them in the light of the incredible hardship they endured and the will and tenacity with which they eked out a living and then built this great nation."
Mr Cornelius said many were not hardened criminals, but from poverty-stricken families. Many were convicted of stealing a loaf of bread or a pound of mutton to survive.
"Or, in my case, a silk dress and a small quantity of copper from the spire of the local church," he said.
"They were the real heroes, let us remember them as such."
Mr Cornelius said many of those with a convict background went on to become high achievers, land owners, successful businessmen, and politicians.
"Thomas Archer of Woolmers Estate was the largest private employer of convict labour in Australia and did a great job assimilating the transportees back into everyday life in Australia," he said.
Distance options include 50-kilometre, 25-kilometre, 12-kilometre, or five-kilometre events, and 25-kilometre relays.
As part of the event, participants are encouraged to dress in period costume
The 30 best dressed participants will receive a commemorative bottle of wine from Holm Oak Vineyards and a free pass to Woolmers Estate.
The judging panel will consist of West Tamar Council mayor Christina Holmdahl, Holm Oak winemaker Bec Duffy, Woolmers Estate's Kaye Pickett, Wombat Rescue Tasmania president Bea Mayne, and former radio presenter and Greens Beach resident Rod Stone.
Mr Cornelius said this year's event would support Wombat Rescue Tasmania, an organisation that is working to eradicate wombat mange.
FAST FACTS
- WHEN: Sunday, April 28.
- WHERE: Greens Beach.
- INFO & REGISTRATION: convictsandwenches.com.
RELATED STORIES: