Who was Arthur Phillip?
Arthur Phillip was a British naval officer who commanded the First Fleet and became the first Governor of New South Wales, founding the settlement at Sydney Cove in 1788.
Born in London in 1738, Phillip joined the navy as a young man and served in the Seven Years' War and with the Portuguese navy. He was chosen in 1786 to lead the expedition to establish a penal colony.
As governor from 1788 to 1792, Phillip faced severe food shortages, convict unrest and conflict with Aboriginal people. He tried to establish friendly relations, kidnapping Arabanoo and later Bennelong to learn their language.
Later life
In September 1790, Phillip was speared in the shoulder at Manly Cove during a tense meeting with Aboriginal men. He survived and ordered that there be no revenge, though relations later worsened.
He returned to England in 1792 because of ill health, taking Bennelong and Yemmerrawanne with him, and he died in Bath in 1814 as an admiral.
Many places bear his name, including Phillip Island and the Sydney suburb of Phillip Bay. A statue of Phillip stands in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, and a memorial to him was placed in Westminster Abbey in 2014.
Did You Know?
Port Phillip Bay in Victoria is named after Arthur Phillip.