Norfolk Island Foundation Day

Foundation Day is an annual public holiday in Norfolk Island commemorating the arrival of the original British settlers on 6 March 1788.[1]

Foundation Day
Observed byNorfolk Island
TypeLocal
SignificanceDate of landing of the first European settlers in 1788
Observancesre-enactment ceremony
Date6 March
Next time6 March 2021 (2021-03-06)
FrequencyAnnual

Background

Because the United States stopped accepting convicts from Britain after gaining independence, Britain needed new penal colonies. London thus commissioned Captain Arthur Phillip to head a group of 11 ships, known as the First Fleet, to do just that and establish a new penal colony in New South Wales.

After the First Fleet's landing in New South Wales, Captain Phillip instructed Lieutenant Philip Gidley King to take a small team of convicts and free men to colonise Norfolk Island. They reached the uninhabited island on 6 March 1788.[1]

Celebration

Each year on Foundation Day, local residents gather at the beach in Kingston and re-enact the arrival of the First Fleeters. They put on costumes to dress up as British sailors and row boats.[2]

References
  1. "Key events and dates". Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  2. "NORFOLK ISLAND - FOUNDATION DAY 6TH MARCH 1788". www.norfolkonlinenews.com. Retrieved 3 February 2021.


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