Removalist Canada Bay

Man and His Van Movers Canada Bay

Man and His Van furniture movers are the removalists for the Canada Bay area of Sydney. Man and His Van have been removalists for Canada Bay for the last 17 years. We move the whole spectrum from the larger Strathfield House to one bedroom units. We have storage for both long and short term storage.

Contact Man and His Van Removals on 02 99073300

Man and His Van cover the following Canada Bay suburbs:

Abbotsford 2046 Abbotsford Point 2046 Birkenhead Point 2047 Breakfast Point 2137 Cabarita 2137 Cabarita Junction 2137 Canada Bay 2046 Chiswick 2046 Concord 2137 Concord East 2137 Concord North 2138 Concord Repatriation Hospital 2139 Concord South 2137 Concord West 2138 Drummoyne 2047 Five Dock 2046 Homebush 2140 Liberty Grove 2138 Mortlake 2137 North Strathfield 2137 Rhodes 2138 Rodd Point 2046 Russell Lea 2046 Schnapper Island 2047 Strathfield 2135 Uhrs Point 2138 Wareemba 2046 Yaralla 2138

History of Canada Bay

Exile Bay and France Bay

Names like Exile Bay, Canada Bay, France Bay, Chateauguay Walk have a fascinating place in the history of the area known as Concord and Cabarita today.
Concord, being the halfway point between Sydney and Parramatta, has a long and rich past dating back to the very earliest days of settlement.

By 1793, an overnight detention centre for convicts moving between the two townships, had been established, approximately where the Pavilion at Concord Oval now stands. This stockade was called Longbottom. Over the next 40 years or so it was to be used as an overnight stopping point, a local prison, a work camp, police barracks, government farm and timber mill, and agistment land for police horses and government oxen. By 1840 much of the area lay unused and derelict.

In that year it took on a new role as the detention centre for a group of French Canadian political exiles.

The political, social, and economic grievances of the French Canadians of Quebec came to a head in 1837, when their claims for constitutional reform was rejected. Outright rebellion broke out in November of that year. However, the rebels were no match for the British troops, and were soon captured and tried. Some were executed, some were sent to Bermuda, the remainder sentenced to be exiled to Australia.

Fifty-eight French Canadians arrived in Port Jackson in February 1840 after a 5 month long journey in the hold of the “Buffalo”. The exiles’ dismay at the first sight of Sydney is described by one of the prisoners, “On the 26th and 27th we came on deck as usual, and gazed with horror on this land…..looking down from the deck we saw miserable wretches harnessed to carts, engaged in dragging blocks of stone for Public Buildings, others were breaking stones: the sight of this brought to us many sad thoughts for we believed that within a few days we too would be employed in exactly the same way” Leon Ducharme.

The prisoners were transported up the Parramatta River to Longbottom, where they were housed in cramped and filthy quarters. François-Maurice Lepailleur wrote in his journal, “There is nothing in the world more painful and wretched than an exiled prisoner.”`

For up to 12 hours a day the convicts worked in quarry gangs, firing bricks, felling trees and sawing wood. Over time, they became involved with the settlers of Concord, becoming well regarded because of their “exemplary” behaviour. Around 1890 “their general courtesy and industry” was still remembered by the older residents.

From 1843 to 1844, free pardons were awarded to all the Canadian prisoners. Eventually all but three returned to Canada, two having died during their exile and one marrying an Australian woman.