Joseph Bradley was born in New South Wales about 1809. He went to sea as a boy in July 1822, graduating to seaman in the following year. Bradley made two separate voyages in 1831-32, off the coast of north-eastern Australia. On both of these trips, on the whaling ship the Lynx, he became separated from the main vessel during whaling operations. Bradley became captain of the Ariel and during this time accompanied Ben Boyd (q.v.) (on the yacht Wanderer) on his last voyage among the Pacific Islands in 1851.
Bradley had limited literacy skills; though he had enough to read instructions, charts and navigation manuals and to complete log entries. Bradley had a deep fear of 'bush' Aborigines which bordered on paranoia. He did, however, have some ability with the East-Coast Aboriginal/English pidgin as is evident in his logs.
Source: Cobcroft, M.D in Adventures of a Native of Australia When Astray from His Ship, the Barque "Lynx' (a Whaler), and His Consequent Cruise in a Boat on the Ocean : A True Narrative. St Lucia, Queensland : Amphion Press, 1988, p.p . 5-6.
Walsh, Kay and Joy Hooton. Australian Autobiographical Narratives : An Annotated Bibliography. Canberra : Australian Scholarly Editions Centre, University College, ADFA and National Library of Australia, 1993, pp. 25-26.
