An audio-visual presentation shown on the boat as we sailed along the Gordon River (one of a many river trips as it happens) described how the valiant Capt Matthew Flinders had mistaken the entrance of Macquarie Harbour for the river mouth - he was pressed for time which explains the blot on his hitherto excellent mapping of the Australian coastline. Later another worthy captain by the name of James Kelly navigated the 200-metre opening and named it Macquarie Harbour in honour of the NSW Governor and named Sarah Island in honour of his boss’s wife. Our James was only 23 at the time but obviously had political nous beyond his years. As is often the way of these presentations, a picture of the good Captain Kelly was flashed up and a voice was required to speak the words of his journal. Judging from the accent, the bold James came from the land of ‘Mary Pawpins’ so had been coached in English accents by ‘Dick Vioyn Dioyke’. Now I simply cannot believe that it is too difficult or too costly to find a UK actor to do this work – what is it about Johnny Colonial that makes him think he can ‘do’ an English accent? – it must be the same affliction that Johnny Londoner contracts when doing a Scottish accent!
More bizarrely yet, it turns out that the cunning James Kelly was actually born and bred in Parramatta just outside Sydney over 10000 miles away from ‘Mary Pawpins’.
