On 26th January 1808, exactly 20 years to the day after the arrival of the first Fleet, Governor William Bligh (of the Mutiny on the Bounty infamy) was deposed in a coup d’etat by the New South Wales Corps - under the command of Major George Johnston and with the backing of John Macarthur.

The history we learned at school was that Macarthur and Johnston were the heroes of the day. Bligh was a villainous and cruel tyrant.  The real story is far more complex.  The Rum Rebellion was really about political and economic control of the colony of New South Wales.

Music courtesy of Dano at: www.danosongs.com

Thanks to Ken Dampier for post production.

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