E15: Australia's First Political Scandal - The Baughan Affair

Governor John Hunter arrived in Sydney in 1795 with instructions directly from King George III to clean up the perceived mess in New South Wales. Hunter had first come to Sydney with the First Fleet in 1788 but he hadn’t been in Sydney for four years and so was surprised and delighted to find that, rather than being a mess, New South Wales was thriving. Hunter wrote back to London in praise of the colony and the leadership of Francis Grose.

At first John Macarthur and Governor Hunter were friendly. It appeared Hunter would go along with the easy-going policies of Francis Grose … but then some soldiers smashed up the home of John Baughan in The Rocks. Governor Hunter was utterly appalled by the behaviour of British troops and so he put his foot down and demanded the NSW Corps get into line. Macarthur appeared to be withdrawing from public life … but it was merely a strategic retreat.

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The Hon. John Ruddick MLC is a member of the NSW Legislative Council. 

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Produced by Sean Masters

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