Colourful character, former convict Billy Freeman shows side to SA history

At 32, he owned and managed his own farm just south of Strathalbyn.

It is a story shared by former ABC journalist and freelance editor Alan F Atkinson, who began researching the history of Billy after discovering a surprise connection.

Alan, who grew up in England and moved to SA several decades ago, thought all his connections to the state were through his wife.

But about four years ago, his sister, Joy Dunn, called him at 4am about her family history discovery.

"She said 'we've got a relative in SA and he's a convict'," Alan said.

It inspired him into looking into the life of Billy Freeman, a "colourful character".

While the initial appeal was the family connection, Alan says the story goes wider than that.

"It's a South Australian story and an Australian story," he said.

"I thought I knew a lot about South Australian history but clearly I didn't."

While a big part of the appeal of Billy's story for Alan was it demonstrating the real life of every day people in SA, it was also true Billy had plenty of contact with some of the big names in the state's history.

Upon his arrival in NSW as a convict on transport ship the John in 1832, Billy "struck it lucky".

He was indentured with "gentleman-pastoralist" John Hawdon at Cowpastures - modern day Camden, south of Sydney.

It was here he learned about farming, while Hawdon had a reputation for looking out for his workers.

The Hawdons were also notable for being entrepreneurs - brother Joseph Hawdon was the first to drive cattle cross-country from NSW, first to Melbourne and then to Adelaide.

After working there for five years, aged 14 to 19, Billy got his Certificate of Freedom - second only to an absolute pardon.

His connection with the Hawdons continued to pay off, with him going to work for their neighbour - and famed Australian explorer - Charles Sturt.

This was how Billy first came to SA, as part of what Alan calls Sturt's "forgotten journey" in 1838, taking 300 head of cattle to Adelaide on an expedition with Sturt, Captain John Finnis, Giles Strangways and 10 other men.

Alan said he was quite surprised to discover this connection, but it was laid out in later court documents.

Sturt even provided a testimonial for Billy and his wife Sarah Freeman (nee Stacey), during later legal troubles, as did Billy's next employer, Edward Stirling.

Stirling had property near Strathalbyn and Woodchester, as well as Nalpa Station on Lake Alexandrina.

Alan said the evidence showed Billy began working on the Strathalbyn area properties as early as 1839.

Billy met his wife Sarah in 1840, marrying her at the Trinity Church on Adelaide's North Terrace just months after she and the Stacey family arrived on the ship the Charles Kerr.

During the next few decades, he worked as a farm labourer, mail carrier and delivered wheat, was engaged in local sports, even stood for local council, and worked his own leased property at Sandergrove, south of Strathalbyn, before buying his own farm in 1850.

Alan said there was evidence a loan from Stirling had helped in this purchase.

But it was not smooth sailing for the Freemans, even without drought, bushfires and the other issues associated with farming.

They were to come across another colourful character in Australian history - Paul Foelsche, a German soldier, who would later set up the NT police after spending time as a mounted trooper at Strathalbyn.

In 1862, he arrested Billy and Sarah for arson, with them accused of burning down their daughter and son-in-law's house.

Billy and Sarah - then pregnant with her 10^th child - were to spend two years in Adelaide Gaol. The lenient sentence seems to have been influenced by references from Edward Stirling and Charles Sturt.

Once out, Billy took on the butchery at Macclesfield, with the building still standing in the town, and they continued farming.

For Alan, another interesting aspect of the story, apart from the colourful nature of Billy's life, was the way it shook against the concept of SA as being "convict-free".

"Although they didn't come by ships, convicts did come in hordes across the land," he said.

"And these ex-convicts knew how to clear and work the land because of their experience in NSW, while the guys off the ships had very little experience."

Alan said collecting this story had been a "labour of love", in learning more about the "tough characters" involved.

He said there were a lot of hours spent working with the Macclesfield History Group and the Alexandrina Library at Strathalbyn to collect the information and get the full picture - as much as he could.

There was also help from other descendants of the Freeman family.

Alan said he could get caught in a lot of "rabbit holes", including learning about the years SA spent exporting wheat to Victoria during the gold rush, the importance of copper discoveries to keep the state functioning, and even about a prison hulk floating off the coast of Largs Bay, where two of Billy's grandchildren spent some time.

"It was a real rollercoaster of a ride through the 19^th century," he said.