Tim Stone Awarded Churchill Fellowship to Pursue Pirate Tale

Media release – Winston Churchill Trust, 18 October 2023

Aussie journalist sets sail on a pirate chase of a different kind

Timothy Stone, Victorian journalist and new recipient of a Churchill Fellowship is about to embark on a pirate chase, looking for a very different type of treasure, including in Samurai records of Japan.

Tim will retrace the journey of escaped convicts who sailed a hijacked ship from Tasmania across the Pacific to Japan, before their return to England in 1830.

“When five escaped convicts on trial for piracy in London in 1830 claimed they visited Japan, their daring escape from Tasmania across the Pacific made headlines around the world,” said Tim.

​Already an accomplished storyteller, Tim is excited to expand on this tale of daring as he embarks on his Churchill Fellowship to Japan, Marshall Islands, the UK, and Tonga to research the Cyprus Brig pirates in archives across these nations.

“Convict William Swallow would testify at his 1830 trial at London’s Old Bailey that he and four other escaped convicts mutinied and hijacked the Cyprus Brig in Van Diemen’s Land. Swallow’s account detailed a voyage across the Pacific to England, with an 11 day sojourn in Japan along the way.”

The pirate’s story was not substantiated until 2017 by Japan based historian Nick Russell. Nick unearthed and translated a series of illustrated Samurai manuscripts, adding immense detail to what had previously been dismissed as a pirate’s tall tale. Tim intends to expand on Nick’s work, digging deeper into this fascinating episode of history.

Adam Davey, CEO of the Churchill Trust said “Fellowships like Tim’s are incredibly engaging, and we at the Churchill Trust are excited to watch on as Tim delves into this intriguing moment in history,”

Retracing the convict’s steps will take Tim deep into archives across the Pacific, Japan and the United Kingdom. Tim hopes to unearth artefacts connected to what he calls “Australia’s greatest convict escape story.”

​“We wish Tim the best of luck on his travels and cannot wait to see what treasure he unearths from those archives!” said Adam.

Tim will be bringing this tale of mutiny and adventure back to Australia where he, along with Aya Hatano intend to develop it into a major touring exhibition.

​“These discoveries and the exhibition will shed new light on Australia’s first cross-cultural contact with Japan and our Pacific neighbours.” said Tim.

​This project will allow a glimpse of Australia’s first contact with Japan and earliest encounter with the Pacific to be staged at major Australian cultural institutions ahead of the bicentenary of the Convict’s daring escape.

​Tim is one of the newest group of Australia’s most passionate and determined people and proud recipients of the prestigious Churchill Fellowship for 2023. Each of the 104 people awarded a Churchill Fellowship is driven by the desire to make positive change in Australia in an area of importance to their communities.

Churchill Trust Fellows – 2023

Tasmania

• Niamh Chapman – (TAS) To educate people to measure blood pressure at home to prevent heart disease
• Chris de Bono – (TAS) The Saskia Beer Churchill Fellowship to investigate miso, tamari and soy sauce production in different scale and cultural contexts
• Andrew Denman – (TAS) The Park Family Churchill Fellowship to research skills preservation, technology, and sustainable resource use in wooden boatbuilding
• Anne Gigney – (TAS) To investigate best-practice distilling training to apply to Australia via in-house or other models
• Scott Hardie – (TAS) To investigate approaches to monitoring, disentangling and managing impacts on inland waterways
• Jim Lovell – (TAS) The Churchill Fellows Association of TAS Churchill Fellowship to learn how to implement a user-ready acoustic observation system for wildlife conservation
• Shampa Sinha – (TAS) The MPST Foundation Churchill Fellowship to investigate innovative palliative and aged care models potentially applicable to Tasmania
• Amanda Wilson – (TAS) The Gallaugher Bequest Churchill Fellowship to study literacy education methods that help adults overcome psychological barriers to learning

Australian Capital Territory

• Michelle Ainsworth – (ACT) To investigate declining trust in democracy and how the news media can slow this trend
• Michelle Cheah – (ACT) To investigate community-outcome driven models and benefits of scalable carbon reduction investments
• Kylie Johnson – (ACT) The Auto Skills Australia Churchill Fellowship to learn how to communicate the benefits of zero emission heavy vehicles in a fossil-fuelled world
• Michael Jones – (ACT) To study best practice for Defence collaboration with First Nations Rangers on cross-border crime
• Samuel Norman – (ACT) To research world’s best practice in multi-agency case management of recidivist criminal offenders
• Bronwyn Orr – (ACT) To evaluate programs designed to attract, recruit and retain veterinary professionals

New South Wales

• Lorena Allam – (NSW) The Barbara Dunstan Churchill Fellowship to investigate the relationship between Indigenous truth-telling initiatives and the media
• Liesel Badorrek – (NSW) To investigate the processes of creating opera with and for marginalised audiences
• Deborah Bower – (NSW) The Lamington National Park Churchill Fellowship to learn cutting-edge techniques for conservation of threatened freshwater turtles
• Bronwyn Carlson – (NSW) To investigate community approaches to rethinking colonial commemorations and their wider impacts
• Shane Carroll – (NSW) The Gilbert Spottiswood Churchill Fellowship to gain critical skills for the creation, delivery and innovation of audio description for performing arts
• Jennifer Chen – (NSW) To investigate trauma informed legal services for people experiencing vulnerability
• Julianne Chong – (NSW) To develop a model of anticoagulation stewardship for implementation across Australian hospitals
• Nina Earl – (NSW) To investigate how museums can engage audiences with contemporary issues and increase STEM literacy
• Laura Greaves – (NSW) To evaluate dog-assisted therapy programs for children in foster care and determine best practice
• Kathy Karatasas – (NSW) To investigate practice tools to achieve better outcomes for multicultural children in foster care
• Annie Knox – (NSW) To study innovative pathways toward improved welfare for Australia’s off-the-track racehorses
• Andrew McCullough – (NSW) The Churchill Fellows Association of NSW Churchill Fellowship to learn new approaches for mobilising communities during disasters
• Melinda McDonald – (NSW) To study co-designed fire and emergency risk reduction programs for culturally diverse communities
• Laura McManus – (NSW) To examine best practices in responsible recruitment to reduce forced labour among migrant workers
• Anna McVinish – (NSW) The Dr Dorothea Sandars Churchill Fellowship to investigate injectable opioid agonist treatment models and best practice implementation
• Eamonn Moore – (NSW) The Blakeney Millar Foundation Churchill Fellowship to investigate best practice in delivering innovative Stage 6 curriculum through virtual learning
• Lena Nahlous – (NSW) To develop Australia’s first open-access digital archive of culturally diverse artists and creatives
• Tim Senior – (NSW) To investigate how to provide high quality primary care to disadvantaged communities in Australia
• Lucy Shepherd – (NSW) To investigate positive behavioural architecture to eliminate environmental restraints in schools
• Jessica Luyue Teoh – (NSW) The Peter Mitchell Churchill Fellowship to investigate the role of early pregnancy assessment service clinics in domestic violence screening
• Robert Urquhart – (NSW) To explore best practice in supporting children’s healing journeys from the harm of family violence
• Edward Washington – (NSW) The Northern Districts Education Centre (Sydney) Churchill Fellowship to investigate how museums teach contested or challenging history and perspectives to primary students

Victoria

• Antoinette Braybrook – (VIC) To study organisations to inform the establishment of a business model for Djirra’s expansion
• Polly Britten – (VIC) To investigate programs encouraging girls and women and underrepresented others into skilled trade careers
• Dannae Campbell – (VIC) To investigate regulatory best practice on safe handling of hydrogen and ammonia at large scale
• Amber Collins – (VIC) To investigate practices to increase accessibility of digital media for people with disability
• Joseph Doyle – (VIC) To investigate public health systems to link people with newly diagnosed hepatitis C with treatment
• Cassandra Embling – (VIC) To determine best practice for teaching blind and vision impaired people independent living skills
• Lauren French – (VIC) To study Indigenous Elder-guided relationship and community repair after youth sexual violence
• Lyndon Galea – (VIC) To learn from the most impactful school lunch programs, to support Australia’s highest needs kids
• Chandni Gupta – (VIC) To research the impact of deceptive online design practices on wellbeing and strategies to mitigate harm
• Matthew Gutman – (VIC) The Dr Lena Elizabeth McEwan and Dame Joyce Daws Churchill Fellowship to develop advanced neuro-modulation and lesioning techniques for epilepsy and brain tumour surgery
• Hilary Hall – (VIC) To investigate technology and policy approaches that enhance the beneficial use of biosolids
• Christopher Hayes – (VIC) The NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust Churchill Fellowship to improve road user safety by assessing alternatives to enforcement on high-speed roads
• Madeleine Healy – (VIC) To improve dementia assessment and management for people living with an intellectual disability
• Petra Kalive – (VIC) The Stuart and Norma Leslie Churchill Fellowship to learn how to create extraordinary professional ‘public theatre’ with, for, and by community
• Grant Liddy – (VIC) To research international digital forensics strategies to inform future operating models
• Gina Milgate – (VIC) To learn how First Nations women change the Public Service to be inclusive of their leadership
• Kylie Moore-Gilbert – (VIC) To explore international best practice to improve Australia’s approach to wrongful detention
• Judy Ryan – (VIC) The Sir William Kilpatrick Churchill Fellowship to learn how drug-impacted communities engage governments to save lives using health-based solutions
• Elicia Savvas – (VIC) To investigate child centred legal services in child welfare law
• Tim Stone – (VIC) To research the Cyprus Brig pirates in archives across the Pacific, Japan and the UK
• Joanna Sumner – (VIC) To investigate best practice techniques for cryopreservation of Australia’s unique wildlife
• Chelsea Tobin – (VIC) To investigate family violence crisis response for children as victim survivors in their own right
• Peter Trott – (VIC) To research the manufacture of woodworking hand tools for traditional craft and furniture making
• Emily Wilson – (VIC) To learn how music teacher educators and music teachers are decolonising their practice

Queensland

• Jacob Birch – (QLD) To connect with First Nations people of North America to learn from their experiences with Manoomin
• Katie Acheson – (QLD) The Bob and June Prickett Churchill Fellowship to examine how involving young people in decision-making can help address rising mental ill-health
• Kathy McLeish – (QLD) To investigate programs that increase gender equality for women working in and represented by media
• Daile Kelleher – (QLD) To investigate abortion advocacy models for government policy change to increase public access
• Debbie Brittain – (QLD) To investigate best practice museum programs sustaining wellbeing of people with dementia
• Maia Cavendish – (QLD) The Peter Mitchell Churchill Fellowship to investigate the implementation of informal urban art in residual urban spaces
• Meriel Chamberlin – (QLD) To investigate the latest global best practice in commercialised and scaleable zero waste textiles
• Bryce Corbett – (QLD) To investigate international best practice for teaching media literacy to primary school children
• Rachel Downie – (QLD) To develop an anti-bullying program for schools that supports and empowers students to effect change
• Ingrid Marshall – (QLD) The James Love Churchill Fellowship to investigate international house-like residential aged care models and their Australian viability
• Virginia Nelson – (QLD) To study crises of trust in policing organisations, leadership and change
• Michael Newman – (QLD) To investigate police agencies cybercrime responses worldwide and the networks supporting them
• Lucas Patchett – (QLD) To learn about innovative NFPs and social enterprises supporting and reducing homelessness
• Christie Cole – (QLD) To investigate emerging intensification technologies for wastewater treatment plants
• Nigel Poulton – (QLD) To expand my movement methodology by auditing practitioners who have demonstrated unique practices
• Alex Raineri – (QLD) The Dame Roma Mitchell Churchill Fellowship to research performance practices embodied within contemporary art music
• Melissa Smith – (QLD) The Hort Innovation Churchill Fellowship to investigate approaches for reduction of on-farm food waste in horticulture

Western Australia

• Jay Emmanuel – (WA) To develop skills in collaborative theatre-making and directing by immersing in the world’s best practice
• Anni Ruth Clarke Fordham – (WA) The Bob and June Prickett Churchill Fellowship to investigate the provision of highly accessible information to people impacted by emergencies
• Mace Francis – (WA) To investigate organisational structures and presentation methods of international jazz organisations
• Nils Hay – (WA) To research the impact of large-scale renewable & low-carbon energy projects on regional communities
• Shelley James – (WA) To mobilize Australian historical and type collections at the Cambridge University Herbarium
• Rebecca James – (WA) The Churchill Fellows Association of WA Churchill Fellowship to benchmark shipping recycling practices to apply to waste from the cruise industry in Australia
• John Lehane – (WA) To investigate community awareness strategies concerning race hate and violent extremism
• Drew Mayhills – (WA) To investigate the potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve teacher effectiveness
• Melissa Perry – (WA) The WA Department of Communities Churchill Fellowship to investigate best practice models to residential domestic violence men’s behaviour change programs
• Iain Robbie – (WA) To transform percussion education in Australia by studying the world’s best pedagogy in Taipei and the USA
• Renae Tapley – (WA) The AV Jennings Churchill Fellowship to research innovation in green building materials manufacturing and supply in global markets
• Ros Thomas – (WA) The Paul Tys Churchill Fellowship to study effective community models for the treatment of chronic loneliness
• Scott Whiting – (WA) The Dr Dorothea Sandars and Irene Lee Churchill Fellowship to conserve Australia’s sea turtles through shared capacity across the Indian Ocean

South Australia

• Martin Burke – (SA) The Donald Mackay Churchill Fellowship to research methodology in countering and disrupting organised crimes use of cryptocurrencies
• Ryan Doig – (SA) The Dr John and Mrs Joy Yeo Churchill Fellowship to advance molecular imaging of the spinal cord to predict neurological outcomes following injury
• Christina Ly – (SA) The Dr Dorothea Sandars and Irene Lee Churchill Fellowship to explore accessible and sustainable models of eye care delivery for refugees
• Andrew Garth Polkinghorne – (SA) The Caroline Welsh Churchill Fellowship to investigate how farmers use fluid fertilizers on calcareous soils in their farming systems
• Travis Saunders – (SA) To investigate models of support that enable autistic people to access and enjoy bushwalking
• Lama Shono – (SA) To explore innovative models that respond to complex trauma on systemic and therapeutic levels
• Kim Syrus – (SA) The Hort Innovation Churchill Fellowship to research the propagation and growing of cutting-grown roses versus traditional budded types
• Melanie Turner – (SA) The Churchill Fellows Association of SA to investigate the use of emergency mental health centres for suicidal patients

Northern Territory

• David Collins – (NT) The Bob and June Prickett Churchill Fellowship to research how mural arts and restorative justice projects intersect
• Norman Daymirringu – (NT) To study best practice for Defence collaboration with First Nations Rangers on cross-border crime
• Katie Hagebols – (NT) To investigate First Nations communities maintaining sustainable staff retention and continuity
• Freya Mulvey – (NT) To implement best practice soil and landscape regulation into Australia’s legal and policy frameworks
• Rosemary Nabulwad – (NT) To investigate First Nations communities maintaining sustainable staff retention and continuity
• Amy Nicholas – (NT) To explore best practices in prevention of vicarious traumatisation in trauma-exposed workforces

Norfolk Island

• Sorrel Wilby – (ET) To develop my skills, expand my research base, and publish a book on the biodiversity of Norfolk Island