I’m Elizabeth Haywood, and I’m 13. I was an apprentice to a shoe-maker, and  I stole a bonnet and a shawl to make a living. Immediately I was sent to jail from stealing. I took a wrong choice and I messed up.

The jail was filled with loads like me, poor and hungry.  All of a sudden, they didn’t have anymore room for me in jail, so I was sent on a ship with about 700 people on board, with 17 children included. Some kids encountered diseases along with them, as well as the weather being hot and humid, with pests and water rationing.

After a while , we stopped in Rio de Janeiro, South America. It took us 6 months to get to New South Wales, and when we did, 20 of us didn’t survive. I wasn’t very familiar with New South Wales, and it looked strange and different, but it was okay.

In the blink of an eye, we were sent to work hard in New South Wales. I was sent to sew clothes and cloth together. It was hard work. Every night I thought of home, and how much better it was here in New South Wales. I kind of like it. When my sentence is over, I might stay here, who knows?

The link to our class blog is here.