The Mimosa

On May 28, 1865, the ship detained The Mimosa from the port of Liverpool with about 153 passengers and 18 crew onboard; no one is sure how many the cohort was as there is no one complete list of all the names.

They had hoped to leave in April on a much more passenger-friendly vessel, the Halton Castle, but for some reason that ship was unavailable and so they set about converting the tea clipper, the Mimosa, which had already seen 12 years on the seas transporting tea from China to British ports, for them.

There was a cross-section of the population on board the ship: mothers and their children, preachers (of course), miners, quarrymen, shoemaker, teacher, and doctor ñ something necessary on such a long journey with so many people living and being so close to each other there were few farmers in the cohort. Five children died on the journey but two babies were born.

After an exhausting two-month voyage, on the morning of July 28, 1865, the first contingent landed in New Bay (near Porth Madryn today) and Edwin Roberts and Lewis Jones were there to welcome them to the new country. For people who may not have been out of their villages before the long journey, the scene that welcomed them was incredible.