The Republic of Ararat

shiftygiant

Gone Fishin'
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The History of The Republic of Ararat
Foundations, 1788-1825


On a warm Wednesday Morning on December 15th, 1824, the Reverend Rupert Seafield landed upon the shores of what would become the City of New Zion with roughly fifty colonists. The City would grow in the Province of and later Republic of Ararat, and finally disbanded on August 3rd, 1875, following a lengthy struggle with independence and against the British in the Anglo-Ararat Wars. Ararat's position in history will primarily be remembered for its brutal, expansionist, oppressive, and authoritative approach to governance, and as the predecessor of the European and Latin American Dictatorships of the 20th Century. However, to understand the Republic, we must first understand its leader and founder, Rev. Rupert Seafield, and how he came to found this unlikely State.

Rupert Seafield was born on March 17th, 1788, to Lewis and Martha Seafield (née Martha Smith) in Chichester, Sussex. Reportedly a bright child, he showed a keen interest in the world around him, with a fascination for maps and atlases. In school he excelled in bible studies, reportedly his favorite story being that of Noah’s Ark. He also found fascination with the English Civil War, particularly with Oliver Cromwell. At 16, Seafield began studying to become a priest in the Protestant Church; in 1812, the young Priest in-training was shown a copy of the Freycinet Map, as well as descriptions of the land's of Terra Australis. Whilst intrigued, shortly after completing his training in 1816, Seafield was voluntarily assigned to a position in Milbank Prison, a new state-of-the-art facility that was used as an alternative to transportation. There, Seafield was well liked by Prisoners, primarily concerned for their safety and well being, both spiritually and physically. Described often as Charismatic and a wonderful orator, Seafield was said to convert even the staunchest atheist to God. Despite his comfortable position, the allure of the new world was not lost on him, and in 1818, Seafield proposed to several High-ranking Officials in the Church the establishment of a Christian Penal Colony in the New World.

The Church would approve of his idea, and Seafield contacted the Governor of New South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie, with his proposal. Macquarie would decline the proposal, much to Seafield’s despair, although would remain on Macquarie’s desk. When his successor, Thomas Brisbane, took office as Governor, he approved Seafield's proposal as part of his 1823 plan to expand Convict Settlements north; the Redcliffe Peninsula in Moreton Bay was delegated for Seafield’s colonists. Resigning from his position at Milbank, Seafield would depart from London in late-1823 upon hearing of the colonies acceptance along with two-dozen colonists recruited from Seafield congregation. Seafield arrived in Sydney, where he would recruit another two-dozen, mainly labors, with promise of their own land along the Brisbane River. Soon, when John Oxley’s survey team came back from Moreton Bay, Seafield was given the all clear and set off, a few days later landing and setting up an outpost on the shores of the Redcliffe Peninsula.

In preparation for his first Prisoners, Seafield ordered the building of several temporary huts and a church. The original Church of New Zion, by far the largest building on site, would house Seafield and the guard’s quarters, functioning further as an office. The infamous pier would also enter the beginnings of construction; however this was little more than planning and initial ground-breaking, much of the construction to be left for the prisoners. Almost half the colonists Seafield had bought with him were carpenters and builders by trade, the others ex-Military, a couple Doctors. Seafield himself, the Commandant of New Zion, would make himself the Reverent of the Church. In addition to this, he also began to cultivate his soon to be famous image, taking to shaving daily, wearing his hair short, and dressing in a white shirt and blue breeches when not conducting Church; the point of this exercise was to create an immediately recognizable image for the Convicts. This would extend to the guards, who he ordered to dress in blue uniforms, keeping a clear distinction on who-is-who in the colony. By the time construction on the temporary facilities were completed, and the guards had adjusted, the first batch of Convicts arrived in early 1825.

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shiftygiant

Gone Fishin'
ok...what?

Where tyhe hell is this? is this an alternate QLD, or Victoria or a Tasmania?

The Redcliffe Peninsula is what IoTL became the City of Redcliffe, which is in Queensland and part of Brisbane. So yes, this is an Alternate Queensland.
 
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shiftygiant

Gone Fishin'
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The History of The Republic of Ararat
Growth and expansion, 1825-1831


With the arrival of the first convicts, the regime of Rudolf Seafield began. From what can be divulged of the colonies early years, it simply operated much like any other convict colony, albeit with an emphasis on Seafield’s belief that faith in god and purpose in a society will cure mankind’s sin. It can be summarized that the first year was a crude caricature of what was to come, with a mandatory biweekly congregation at the church (Wednesday and Sunday) and the start of Convict Projects, in which Seafield hoped to give the Convicts a purpose that would distract them from sinful behavior. This project would involve the construction of the pier, farming, and the building of the permanent settlement. However, the situation at Redcliffe proved quickly unacceptable. Mosquito’s, which were called ‘Chick-a-boo’s by Seafield (Of course the coinage for the Racial Epithet ‘Chick-a-boo’), had a population explosion and were a constant plague for the Colony; In his sermons, Seafield often drew comparison between the Prisoners and Ancient Egypt, declaring in one of his first recorded sermons that “This plague and this disease is the punishment of the lord for your sins, and the only way that you will repent and become free of this plague is to give yourself to the Lord!” Additionally, Aboriginal tribes who inhabited the area resisted the Colony, leading raiding parties to steal items such as sugar, and the water supply would prove itself to be unreliable. In light of this, New Zion was abandoned and moved south to the Brisbane River, reliving the water problem substantially. Following the construction of several temporary huts, Seafield ordered the construction of a new Church, which was finished in a matter of weeks. This Church, the Second Church of New Zion (and now a LNIHS) would act as the beating heart and capitol of New Zion and Ararat.

This new colony was built on an escarpment bound on two sides by the Brisbane River, as to more easily protect the colony from Aboriginal raiders and Convict escape attempts. The colony was further divided, with the Church and guards housing segregated from convicts. After the first group of Convicts, only the most dangerous criminals and radicals were sent to New Zion, which posed a challenge for the Colony. Instituting Chain Gangs, Seafield had these men segregated and sent to construct the Convicts Projects, replacing the previous generation in the construction of the Pier, a windmill, minor mining operations, the building of a school house for illiterate convicts and their children, and the spread of the colony in general. The guard’s hierarchy would also evolve, with the most brutal and feared rising up through the ranks. To subvert any subversive activity, Seafield would begin what he called the ‘Perks Policy’. A basic and simple policy, the idea was to reward prisoners, who reported any subversive behavior, whilst punishing those who didn’t. One of the first deaths in the colony occurred as a result of this Policy- Mark Green, a petty thief from Hull, died of heat stroke following his punishment for not reporting the writing of a subversive letter. A separate facility on the escarpment would be built, a Female Ward. This also operated on the Perks Policy, and was notable for its female guards, recruited mainly from the first generation of Convicts. The Female Ward was little more than a sweatshop and factory for clothing and general items, with many deaths resulting from over exhaustion and unsanitary work conditions; In the Doctors notes, during May-August of 1828, there was a spike in tinnitus related deaths.

The Perks Policy would also be expanded to the Guards themselves, and any Free Citizens who entered the area. This Policy was used as to enact Common Law and Colony Law in the area, as well as keep all loyalty to Seafield. By 1831, the Convict population of the Colony had swelled dramatically from 35 to 742 Convicts, and 50 to 200 guards and roughly 20 free citizens. In addition to this, New Zion began to expand up the Brisbane River, Seafield sending missionaries into Aboriginal Land (more often than not a Guard who had broken the rules) to spread the faith among them, many of these missionaries never returning. It can be easily said that Seafield’s actions during this period of the colonies history was an abuse of power, however within context, his reasons become clear. The Perk Policy was derived from a need to control the convicts on an individual basis with only a fraction of the man power he desired, and its expansion a need to control the possibility of guards and free citizens rebelling. Additionally, much of his command during this period was influenced the the Governor Ralph Darling, who saw New Zion as a model Colony (although privately had his reserves over the level of control Seafield showed during visits, and had issues over the conditions of the female conflicts). Seafield's intentions are therefore still for what he believed to be the greater good; and that by controlling his prisoners with the Perks Policy, he could more easily mold them into god fearing, law abiding citizens that could one day return to society.

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