"Ballycurragh to Tasmania 1649 – 1868" Grey Family and Innes Clan . Volume One

Author: Ian Broinowski
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2018-09-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 0992373565

This is a narrative about three Gray families and their new lives in their chosen home of Van Diemen's Land in the late 1820s There are two volumes: the first written by Kate Dougharty in the early 1950s and the second more recently by her great nephew Dr Ian Broinowski. The former sees the world through the eyes of the fours Grey girls who arrived in 1829. Their preparation for such an adventure to a remote colony 12000 miles from Ireland was to be sent to finishing school in Paris to learn music, dancing and French. Necessary attributes for catching a suitable husband. We are given a unique insight into their ethos, loves and losses while living on their property, Eastbourne, near Avoca. It is both entrancing and revealing. On their way out Margaret is proposed to by the Governor of Rio de Jenerio but realises in time that her future residence would provide all the comforts of a harem. Fifteen year old Catherine is forced to cut off the finger of her groom and falls in love with William Talbot who gives her a Claddagh ring passed down from Queen Elizabeth I. Elizabeth meets young Frederick Maitland Innes who eventually becomes Premier of the Tasmania and whose family line is also followed.Volume Two offers background to the social and economic theatre on which their lives are staged. Their family journey originated centuries before in Ireland during the tumultuous English Civil War when their ancestor Lt Colonel John Grey stepped ashore at Ringsend, Dublin as part of Cromwell's Army on the 15th August 1649. It goes onto explore the many events since which have steered and influenced the lives of one family and its descendants.

"Ballycurragh to Tasmania 1649 – 1868" Grey Family and Innes Clan . Volume Two

Author: Ian Broinowski
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 146
Release: 2018-09-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 0992373557

This is a narrative about three Gray families and their new lives in their chosen home of Van Diemen's Land in the late 1830s and the reasons which propelled each one into such a momentous change. However, their family journey originated centuries before in Ireland during the tumultuous English Civil War when their ancestor Lt Colonel John Grey stepped ashore at Ringsend, Dublin as part of Cromwell's Army on the 15th August 1649. Their story embraces just about all of our human emotions, through the quest for a better life, not only for themselves but for their children and future generations. In essence, like most emigrants, this was their primary motivation although compelling events such as war, economic and social challenges beyond the individual were also at play. The Greys were no different from thousands of other families who chose to travel to Australia and by exploring their lives, experiences and destinies we can learn just a little more about life in early colonial Tasmania.

A Cargo of Women

A Cargo of Women
Author: Babette Smith
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2008-10-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1741766095

Intrigued to discover a convict ancestor in her family tree, Babette Smith decided to investigate her life and the lives of the 99 women who were transported with her on the ship Princess Royal in 1829. Piece by piece she reveals the story of her ancestor the indomitable Susannah Watson who, trapped in the crowded filthy slums of Nottingham, stole because she could not bear to see her children starving'. Separated forever from her husband and four children, she was transported to Australia for 14 years. She endured the convict system at its worst, yet emerged triumphant to die in her bed aged 83 singing Rock of Ages'. Babette Smith reconstructs the lives of the women from the Princess Royal from fragments of information in shipping lists, official records, newspapers and court transcripts. Her research overturns stereotypes of women convicts as drunken whores and criminals. Caught in an England convulsed by change, they become the unwitting and unwilling pioneers of a new land. Many proved to be resourceful and resilient, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by a new society. First published two decades ago, A Cargo of Women became a bestseller and remains one of the most valuable accounts of convict life in Australia. This new edition includes further information about the women from the Princess Royal and new illustrations. 'Smith comes as close as any historian has come to reconstructing the complex experience of a convict woman an absorbing story.' - Kay Daniels, Australian Historical Studies

Ching Chong China Girl

Ching Chong China Girl
Author: Helene Chung
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
Total Pages: 487
Release: 2011-03-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0730498751

In the tradition of Amy Tan, an hilarious and bittersweet memoir of growing up different in a very eccentric but traditional Chinese-Tasmanian family. Warning: Not to be read by convent girls not wearing their gloves. 'Ching Chong Chinaman' girls taunted Helene Chung in her Catholic school playground. An Australian-born Chinese growing up in 1950s Hobart, Helene not only dealt with being different from her blonde-haired, blue-eyed classmates but suffered the shame of having divorced parents. And she kept a shocking secret - her mother, Miss Henry, was a nude model, who also lived in sin with a foreign devil and drove a red MG. Surviving the embarrassment of childhood, Helene discovered the thrill of the theatre, fell into journalism and travelled the world. She became the first non-white reporter on Australian tV and the first female posted abroad by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. CHING CHONG CHINA GIRL is filled with honesty, humour, love and loss, and gives insight into life that traverses cultures East and West.

A Bone of Fact

A Bone of Fact
Author: David Walsh
Publisher: Picador
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2014-10-01
Genre: Art, Modern
ISBN: 9781742612911

David Walsh - the creator of Mona in Hobart - is both a giant and an enigma in the Australian art world. A multi-millionaire who made his money gambling, David has turned a wild vision into a unique reality; he is in turns controversial, mysterious and idolised. A Bone of Fact is his utterly unconventional and absorbing memoir, about which he says:'By some great good fortune (mine, not yours) you hold in your hands my story, credible I think, but not extraordinary (despite what those avaricious publishers might have you believe). I have captured your attention: maybe you have some resonance with Mona, or maybe good graphical design partly seized your day. To extract 55 bucks from you I need to say something clever, but I can't think of anything.So I'll seduce you with a tale of another, cleverer, writer. Stanislaw Lem, noted Polish science fiction author and notorious smartarse, once told an American colleague that his new collection of short stories would be published in a paper bag. This conjured a mental picture of the stories beingselected by lucky dip. The idea that my life story could be told that way, without a disabling manifesto, is appealing. Unfortunately Mr Lem had actually said 'paperback' (his meaning concealed beneath his thick accent), a wholly ordinary practice to deliver extraordinary stories. My story lacks Mr Lem's magical reality and philosophy, and it also lacks a paper bag. You should buy it anyway, if you are at least mildly curious as to why I want you to give me more money, even though I'm already rich. But if you happen to read Polish you could probably do better reading Lem. Incidentally, Polish is one of the few words that changes its pronunciation when you change the first letter from upper case to lowercase. If you are in Natal or Nice you can probably think of another. But surely, if you are in Natal or Nice you have better things to do than lurk in bookshops. Get out of here, but take me with you. I promise to treat you nice. But not so nice that you'll need to go to a natal clinic.'

Maatsuyker Through Our Eyes

Maatsuyker Through Our Eyes
Author: Paul Richardson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2018-03-23
Genre: Islands
ISBN: 9780648168843

We had seen the island from a distance, read as much as we could about the island's history and heard about all the grass. We knew the scenery would be spectacular, the Southern Ocean swells an awesome sight, the wind a constant and that we would be alone. We did think the cold and wind might get us down at times but never having been on Maatsuyker, we couldn't quite imagine what it might be like. We just knew it would be different - which is in part, why we wanted to go. We went without any real expectations or imaginings, and found it was wild, spectacular and grand. We also found calm, peacefulness and joy.Island life was physically hard compared to home, but we thrived in that environment, living moment to moment. Never alone, the island birds were our companions and the seals' antics made us feel part of a family, bringing our own family closer; and through our care the lighthouse and island become our friends too.