Patricia Sumerling Patricia Sumerling i(A137474 works by)
Born: Established: 1945 ;
Gender: Female
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1 y separately published work icon Bert Edwards : King of the West End Patricia Sumerling , Kent Town : Wakefield Press , 2019 20532463 2019 single work biography 'Albert Augustine Edwards, usually referred to as 'Bert', was one of Adelaide's most flamboyant characters. Reputedly the illegitimate son of Charles Cameron Kingston, premier of South Australia, he was born in obscurity in the slums of Adelaide's West End in 1888.
'A self-made man, Bert was a city councillor, parliamentarian, and philanthropist, a friend of the poor and scourge of the establishment. He had connections and influence everywhere - in the markets, pubs, sporting clubs, churches and prisons - and soon enough he became known as the 'King of the West End'. Flash in dress and loud in manner, he brooked no opposition.
'Bert's future looked rosy, until 1924, when the Labor Party took office and his enemies began to stack up quickly. It all came crashing down in 1931. In a sex scandal engineered against him, Bert was imprisoned for nearly two-and-a half years for gross indecency with an underage male.
'And they say Adelaide was dull!
'Here, dark and bright, is Bert Edwards in the full biography that his colourful life deserves.' (Publication summary)
 
1 3 y separately published work icon The Noon Lady of Towitta Patricia Sumerling , Kent Town : Wakefield Press , 2010 Z1745890 2010 single work novel mystery

'Bertha Schippan, beautiful but headstrong daughter of a Wendish-German family, is murdered on New Year's Day, 1902. A posse of Adelaide police arrive at the family's lonely Murray Flats farm thirty-six hours later, but by the time an Aboriginal tracker can start his work, a gale has blown all clues away. An inquest sends her elder sister Mary to trial. But why would she kill Bertha when everyone knew them as loving companions?

The Noon Lady of Towitta, a novel based on real events, entwines fact and folktale to delve into the secrets of a family haunted by its past and ruled by a devout and tyrannical father.' (Wakefield Press website)

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