A melodrama based on the sinking of the Dunbar, wrecked (with the loss of all but one life) at the entrance to Sydney Harbour in 1857.
'The hero of the story, Jack Glenster, son of Farmer Glenster is in love with the squire's daughter, Dorothy. Her cousin, Ralph, proposes to her, but is rejected, and, apprehending trouble, Jack and she decide to elope. Once over the English border, the pair seek a friendly blacksmith, and a romantic marriage is celebrated by that important individual. Dorothy's father reaches the scene a few minutes too late, and In his rage he disinherits her. Bad seasons fall on the land, and Jack's father gets behind in his rent. Leaving his young wife with his parents, Jack ships to Australia, and in the same vessel meets his wife's cousin, Ralph. The latter, having been hard pressed by moneylenders, had attempted to steal money from the squire's safe, but had been caught In the act, and ordered to leave the house, hence his appearance in the ship. Once in Australia, Jack, to use an American phrase, 'makes good,' and is journeying to Sydney to meet his wife and his aged parents, who are to settle on the land, and who have written to say they are journeying in the Dunbar. During his journey he is 'stuck up' by bushrangers, one of whom is the worthless Ralph, and who in a subsequent fight is killed. Mistaking the Gap for the Sydney Heads, the Dunbar is dashed on the rocks, and only one survivor lives, to tell the tale. Arriving on the scene, Jack offers to perform the feat of descending the cliff to rescue the survivor. This he accomplishes after a great struggle, and finds that he is the squire's old servant, who brings a message of forgiveness. Jack at the same time learns that his people did not sail ln the Dunbar, and soon all are reunited in the old home.'
Source:
'The Wreck of the Dunbar', The Daily News, 16 October 1912, p.4.
First performed at the Royal Standard Theatre on Saturday, 3 September 1887.
See 'The Royal Standard Theatre.–The Wreck of the Dunbar', Sydney Morning Herald, 5 September 1887, p.5.