Black Jack Anderson

Black Jack Anderson was a real-life pirate who was at one time known as the scourge of the Southern Ocean. He was the leader of a motley gang of escaped convicts ticket-of-leave men and adventurers of all descriptions. For ten years from 1825 to 1835 he lived on Middle Island which is six nautical miles off the south coast of Western Australia. He and his fluctuating band of men regularly raided ships as they made their way tentatively through the treacherous rocky islands and narrow straights of the Recherche Archipelago. He had chosen Middle Island as his base because its only sheltered bay was well hidden from any approach from the sea however he obeyed the unwritten rule of the sea that should anyone be in peril of their life he must give them the basic necessities. However when Dorothea Newell and her party of survivors virtually washed up on his shore Andersons life would change forever.This is an exciting story of a real historical figure from the era of sailing ships uncharted oceans and rugged coastlines unexplored by Europeans. It is suitable for everyone interested in excitement danger and surviving against the odds.