Published 06 March 2026
Help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Catalpa rescue at the Bunbury Museum.
150 years ago, a group of Irish political prisoners – sent to WA as convicts on life sentences for treason against the British Government – escaped from Fremantle prison following elaborate planning by sympathisers to their cause, including Captain George Anthony of the Catalpa.
The great-grandson of the Catalpa's captain, Mr Jim Ryan, joins us at the Bunbury Museum to share about the daring voyage, rescue and re-present to the museum collection a model of the Catalpa beautifully restored by Tim Sutherland.