A released convict who had served time in Tasmania.
the new arrivals were three Derwenters
Example sentencesExamples
There were bushrangers, Derwenters, and Pentonvillains only too eager to relieve the diggers of their gains.
This peculiar satisfaction in contemplating the past, and loyal to the island in which they had served their time, may be said to have been general with the Derwenters.
The one prominent cause of crime there was the presence of runaway convicts, known commonly as Derwenters.
I'm a Derwenter, and I don't care who knows it.
Here we engaged a new steward to work his passage to Sydney, who I think was a Derwenter.
Origin
Early 19th century: from the Derwent River, a major river in Tasmania.