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John Mara (c. 1751–?)

John Mara (c.1751- ) was a gunner's mate when he arrived at Sydney aboard the Sirius in January 1788 as part of the First Fleet. He was the same John Mara who accompanied (as John Marra) Captain James Cook on HMS Endeavour (joining the crew at Batavia), and served as a gunner's mate on the second voyage of the HMS Resolution.

Mara almost died in November 1789 after becoming lost in the bush when the Sirius lay at Careening Bay for repairs. He was found three days later — 'exceedingly faint, and scarcely able to get into the boat'. He was later stranded at Norfolk Island, along with other crew members, when the Sirius was wrecked on the island in March 1790. 

John Mara returned to England on the Waaksamheid in March 1791.

information from

  • Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 235
  • 'John Mara, Gunner Mate, HMS Sirius 1788', HMS Sirius 1786-1790, https://hmssirius.com.au/john-mara-gunner-mate-hms-sirius-1788/ — accessed 28 January 1790

Citation details

'Mara, John (c. 1751–?)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/mara-john-31446/text38899, accessed 4 December 2024.

© Copyright People Australia, 2012

Life Summary [details]

Alternative Names
  • Marra, John
Birth

c. 1751
Cork, Ireland

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