The King of Iceland

One of the Heritage Highway's most colourful characters was the self-proclaimed, 'King of Iceland' who ended up as a convict constable in the field police at Oatlands.

Jorgen Jorgenson was an intelligent, quick-witted adventurer who was born in Denmark.  As a young man, he served in both the British and Danish navies and subsequently travelled to Iceland.  Whilst there, he saw an opportunity to overthrow the government and during a return visit with a group of armed British seamen, he arrested the Danish governor.  Jorgenson enjoyed control over the government for several weeks before the Danish military forced him out.  He returned to England, and to prison. 

Heavy drinking and habitual gambling saw Jorgenson fall on hard times, but eventually he fought his way back to some sort of respectability and was employed as an English spy.  Ultimately though, his bad habits got the better of him; he was arrested for theft and sentenced to transportation for life. 

Arriving in Van Diemen's Land in 1826, Jorgenson redeemed himself once more, rising to the ranks of field policeman. His duties take him to other Midlands towns including Campbell Town and Ross.

In 1829, he married an ex-dairymaid from Limerick, Norah Corbett who was addicted to ginger beer and gin! By all accounts it was a marriage made in hell and Jorgenson was often seen on the streets of Oatlands trying to escape his irate and abusive wife. Twelve years later, this 'larger than life' character was dead.