In the Footsteps of Captain Patrick Logan

In 1824 Captain Patrick Logan of the British Army's 57th Regiment of Foot was chosen to be the commandant of the harsh new penal colony of Moreton Bay, the forerunner of Brisbane, the capital of the Australian state of Queensland, because he was thought to be of strong character and impeccable credentials. He was by official reports, a very successful overseer of the fledgling settlement, and may be said to be the father of Brisbane. Yet his charges, the incorrigible old lags - convicts with repeat offences - saw him as a heartless tyrant who routinely ordered unconscionable punishments. He met with a grisly, mysterious end. Was it related to his treatment of convicts? Local author John Tilston takes us on a journey to discover the true character of the man behind so many myths.