Who was Lieutenant John Shortland?
Q: Who was Lieutenant John Shortland?
A: Lieutenant John Shortland (1769-1810) was an English naval officer who explored and named the Hunter River in Australia.
Q: What did his father do?
A: His father, Captain John Shortland (1739-1803), organized many of the details for the First Fleet which took the first convicts to Australia in 1788.
Q: Where did he serve in the Royal Navy?
A: He joined the Royal Navy in 1781 as a midshipman and served in Quebec and the West Indies.
Q: What ship was he on when it wrecked on Norfolk Island?
A: He was on HMS Sirius with Captain John Hunter when it wrecked on Norfolk Island in 1790.
Q: What did he explore while searching for escaped convicts?
A: In 1797 Shortland found and named the Hunter River while searching for escaped convicts. He explored the area which is now the city of Newcastle.
Q: How was he honoured after his death?
A: After his death, The Newcastle suburb of Shortland, and the Division of Shortland - an electoral division in the Australian parliament were named after him. He was also honoured with a postage stamp for the 150th anniversary but there was a mistake and it featured his father's image instead of his own.
