Cirrus@Austlit

'The course of John Russell’s life was set when, aged 12 and hungry for knowledge of Antarctica, he took afternoon tea with Lady Shackleton. He learnt of the importance of the men who not only knew how to operate machinery in the Antarctic, but how to maintain them. From that moment, he knew he would be an engineer with Antarctica his goal.

'Antarctic Engineer: Memoir of John Russell, told largely in John’s words and illustrated with photos from his private collection, is the result of an oral history project carried out by Trevor Luff (National Secretary, ANARE [Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions] Club) over the past five years.

'John is the only surviving member of the original Mawson party of 1954, and his stories of landing on the only bare rock for thousands of kilometres to establish Australia’s first Antarctic station make very interesting reading. It gives an insight into the details of this important and historic occasion.

'This account was written in his 99th year.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Beside the forestry road to Mount Delusion, on the edge of the Victorian High Country, stand two old huts known as Strobridge's huts. The two-roomed hut facing the track, built of milled timber around 1935, is the more recent. This was Lucy's hut. Behind is a much older miner's hut built of slab walls and bark roof with a dirt floor-Ella's hut. Mother and daughter lived side by side but never spoke. When Ella died, Lucy learned she must use her wits to survive in this harsh landscape.
This story is based on the life of Lucy Strobridge from Brookville in the Gippsland mountains of Victoria. Very little is known of this enigmatic woman.
'While I have tried to be true to the facts of her life, it is, nevertheless, a work of fiction.'  (Publication summary)

'Fran, a thirty-something chisel-wielding woman, encounters a group of men restoring a High Country hut whilst escaping the Queensland summer. She inveigles her way into the work party - a weekend that changes her life.

'The ghosts of the pioneer family and a young Aboriginal woman visit Fran during the weekend, and gradually reveal their lives and secrets. Love also pays her a brief visit when she follows Kelvin into the wilderness.' (Publisher's blurb)

'This dramatic political novel features a cast of rogues, opportunists and idealists set against a background of corruption, strikes and union bashing. Yet this is not the 1980s but the 1920s and Jack O’Leary — socialist, railway worker and fiery unionist — befriends Fred Paterson, a young lawyer who has joined the newly-formed Communist Party of Australia.

'They face two very powerful opponents; Queensland Premier and Labor big man Bill McCormack is trying to bully his party into following his line, supported by his mate Ted Theodore. Years of behind-the-scenes dealings and manipulation of government contracts have cemented their friendship and turned them into wealthy men.

'When McCormack and Theodore direct members of the ALP to sign an anti-Communist pledge or be expelled, Jack and Fred lead a campaign to hold the Party true to its socialist roots. Ultimately, McCormack and Theodore fall victim to their own vendettas when Jack’s union exposes their crooked dealings, ending their political careers.

'Thinking he can make a difference for his members, Jack becomes organiser for the Australian Railways Union but lives with a secret that, if uncovered, will end his political aspirations. However an altogether different danger stalks his future.'

Source : publisher's blurb