University of Tasmania alumnus Alistair Scott has been awarded one of Australia’s most significant history-writing prizes for his book Urchin Convicts.
Dr Scott’s account of boys transported from the streets of Britain’s towns and cities to Van Diemen’s Land has won the prestigious Dick and Joan Green Family Award for Tasmanian History.
The $25,000 biennial award recognises works that make a significant contribution to our understanding of Tasmania's past. Urchin Convicts: The Point Puer Boys in Van Diemen’s Land (FortySouth) is the fifth work to win the award.
Judging panel chair Professor Kristyn Harman said Dr Scott’s work continued to resonate.
“Juvenile justice is at the heart of Urchin Convicts and continues to be topical in Tasmania today,” Professor Harman said.
“The judges admired the deep insights Alistair Scott shares with readers.”
Alistair Scott was born and raised in northern Lutruwita/Tasmania. A former journalist, ministerial adviser and public servant, Alistair is a past general manager of natural and cultural heritage with the Tasmanian Government. In 2022, he gained a PhD at the University of Tasmania with a thesis on the life courses of the male juvenile convicts held at Point Puer. Alistair is currently a director of National Trust Tasmania.
Urchin Convicts tells the story of the 2,100 street boys transported to the Point Puer Boys Establishment near Port Arthur in the early 19th century amid fears they were a threat to public order. The aim was to turn them into productive colonial workers.
Despite the rhetoric of reform, most endured unrelenting punishment and maltreatment. For some, transportation to Point Puer became a death sentence, with one in 30 dying there.
“I am delighted to receive this award for my book about the boys held at Point Puer in the first half of the nineteenth century,” Dr Scott said.
“In writing the book, I endeavoured to pay tribute to the Point Puer boys, many of whom struggled to integrate into colonial society after gaining their freedom.
"In some ways, they were our forgotten convicts, and it has been very rewarding to bring some of their stories to life.”
The biennial Green Family Award was established in 2016, commemorating the important contributions of the late Dick Green AM and Joan Green OAM to Tasmanian culture and history.
The award seeks to celebrate and promote books on Tasmanian history and cultural heritage, including historical fiction based on research.
Speaking on behalf of the Green family, Caroline Johnston OAM, one of Dick and Joan's daughters, said her parents would be delighted to know the award continues in partnership with the University.
“We are so pleased to hear that Alistair Scott’s Urchin Convicts has won the fifth award for Tasmanian History and extend our congratulations to Alistair,” Ms Johnston said.
“The family also recognises the contribution of the publisher FortySouth which has been responsible for the publication of all three short listed books. This award would not be possible without the support of the University and the contribution of the judging panel.”
Ms Johnston thanked the judging panel of historian Professor Marilyn Lake, Head of History and Classics at the University of Tasmania Associate Professor Alessandro Antonello, and former Senior Librarian, Collections at the State Library of Tasmania Ian Morrison.
Also shortlisted were:
- Umarrah & George: Friendship and Conflict in Van Diemen's Land by Angela Baker (FortySouth)
- Tasmanian Anzacs: Those Who Served, Their Families and The Impact of WW1 by Stefan Petrow (FortySouth)
The award’s previous winners are Rebe Taylor (2018), Tim Bonyhady and Greg Lehman (2020), Alison Alexander (2022) and Robbie Arnott (2024).
Dr Scott will discuss his work in the 2027 Dick and Joan Green Family Award for Tasmanian History Lecture.
More information about the award is available on the University of Tasmania and Green Family Award websites.