Catalpa – Escape to Freedom: The Book

On Monday 23 March, a very significant piece of Shipping News was revealed at Fremantle Prison with the launch of a new book, Catalpa – Escape to Freedom by local writers Mike and Joy Lefroy. 

And most appropriately, Catalpa’s Captain, George Anthony’s great grandson Jim Ryan was on hand to launch the book and open the Fenians Fremantle Freedom Festival. Jim and his wife Cyndi, from Catalpa’s hometown of New Bedford USA, were special guests as part of the 150^th anniversary of the escape on board Catalpa here in Fremantle. 

From left: Jim Ryan, Mike Lefroy, Joy Lefroy, Cyndi Ryan at the book launch

In 1876, when the American whaling ship Catalpa arrived to pick up passengers, no welcome came from Fremantle Shipping News! The inner harbour, as we know it today, was still a dream, but Catalpa’s Captain George Anthony wasn’t worried by the lack of a safe anchorage and he was delighted to arrive unannounced. He was very comfortable hovering off the coast beyond Garden Island in international waters as his passengers were to include six Irish Fenian political prisoners of Britain, who were languishing in Fremantle Prison.

Catalpa – Escape to Freedom is the true story of this world-first ‘Crowd Funded’ jailbreak. The audacious plan hatched in America with money flowing in from Irish sympathisers, was to purchase an American whaler Catalpa as the rescue ship, send spies to Fremantle to organise the escape, and then link with Catalpa by coded messages to arrange the pickup at sea.

This beautifully designed and visually rich book follows the breathtaking escape from its political origins in Ireland and England, to the remote prison in Fremantle. Breakout boxes add depth to this maritime tale without interrupting the flow of the story. A timeline at the ends helps navigate the ebb and flow of this extraordinary tale that could have come to grief so many times ‘but for the luck of the Irish’.

Catalpa – Escape to Freedom is published by Fremantle Press.

Authors Mike and Joy Lefroy and Fremantle Press CEO Alex Allen at the launch

The book launch was followed with a performance by Theatre 180 (Stuart Halusz, Artistic Director) of their wonderful play, Catalpa – Flight to Freedom, in Fremantle Prison’s East Workshops, following a sell-out season. Here are the actors Myles Pollard, Tadhg Lawrence and Taran Knight with Jim and Cyndi Ryan.

Catalpa – Escape to Freedom is available at local Fremantle bookshop’s Paperbird, New Editions, Fremantle Prison and WA Maritime Museum, online through Fremantle Press, and elsewhere at all good bookshops.

 Michael Barker, Editor, Fremantle Shipping News

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