PAPAROA MARAE

PAPAROA MARAE

Living conditions in France were harsh in the past. In the 17th Century there were any diseases and always very little food. Ruled by a King, the lower classes of people in France were treated very poorly, and sometimes worse then slaves. More often than not, half their crops went to pay taxes leaving very little to sustain themselves.
Conditions on board ships were even worse still. Those travelling by sea often suffered from an inadequate diet and malnutrition; desperate for food, they would eat anything when rations would run out, including rats, spoiled scraps and sometimes they even boiled the leather of their boots for food. That was the era in which Emile Borel lived. Born on a crisp Saturday morning at 8:00am on the 4th June 1814, at Touques on the French Coast, Emile Borel was the son of Franocis Borel and Marguerite Lemone.
In early July, 1841, Emile left France for Australia onboard the French whaler called Roland. He wasn’t a sailor but worked making barrels that were used to carry whale oil. While on the open sea, Emile and the rest of the crew onboard the Roland came across a burning ship, the India. Emile was a part of the crew that plucked the survivors from near death. Whilst in a deplorable state themselves, Emile and the others still afforded a great kindness to the newly boarded survivors until they arrived at Rio de Janeiro on the 24th July.