Beer and bells, hats and horses – interpreting one man in the museum

For archaeologists, broken ginger beer bottles are a dime a dozen in the stratigraphy of the urban centres they excavate. Every now and then, one of those pieces of the past reveals more than just an assumed love of a brewed beverage. While familiarising herself with TMAG’s archaeological collections in recent months, Jody Steele noticed several stoneware objects with the same name emblazoned across them. The next few days sent her down a rabbit hole of research to learn about the man whose name was printed on the bottles. It turns out that he was a man of many hats (both literal and figurative) - a convict, a hatter, a publican, a brewer and a bellringer, an advocate, a racetrack habitué, a son, a husband, a father, and a Champion. This is his story.

Jody is currently the Head of Cultural Heritage at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, she has 25 years of experience working across all facets of heritage including archaeology, built heritage, collection management, exhibition design, and interpretation. She has worked across Tasmania, nationally and internationally, but has called this island home since 2004. An archaeologist by training, her PhD focussed on public engagement with archaeology, and her passion to understand and share the past has remained an integral part of every one of her professional roles.