<p>After getting caught swiping a few chickens from a neighbour, James Squire was sentenced to seven years in Sydney Cove. You could say it was the best thing he ever did - it led to him become a brewer, policeman, property tycoon, respected citizen and a bloody rich guy. All because of the theft of a few chooks.<br />
But if all you know about James Squire is what you&#39;ve read on labels on beer bottles, then you really don&#39;t know that much at all.<br />
This book - the first biography of Squire - separates the facts from the well-known myths about his life.<br />
For instance, he never stowed away on the First Fleet ship carrying female convicts, didn&#39;t get lashed for stealing the ingredients to make beer and might not have been the first person to grow hops in Australia. He was also a man who may have used a false name on his daughter&#39;s birth certificate, loathed people who cut down trees on his property and got along far better with the natives than most of the other white newcomers.<br />
Along the way you&#39;ll also discover a few other things about Sydney Cove, including Captain Arthur Phillip&#39;s efforts to get his hands on some Aboriginal heads for a friend, early Australian&#39;s fondness for cider rather than beer, the fight rival brewer John Boston had over a dead pig and the marine who tried to trade his hat for an Aboriginal child.</p>