Cirrus@Austlit

'In 1892, the people of Orroroo asked Sir Charles Todd, head of the Posts and Telegraphs Department, whether a postal service could be provided at Orroroo. Facetiously, he replied that a post office wouldn't be necessary as there would only ever be two letters in Orroroo. Only Two Letters in Orrorroo proves Todd wrong. During World War Two, many letters arrive in Orroroo as Rose Walsh, mother of seven children and stepmother of two, housekeeper and lover of sheep farmer Pask, receives mail from the various theatres of war to which her family is posted. Australia is at war; the Japanese relentlessly advance south. When Fortress Singapore falls and Darwin is bombed, fear grips the Australian nation. The letter Rose's son Harry, a policeman in Darwin, writes after the town is bombed cannot be sent. All communication from Darwin is closed lest the nation panic. But Harry needs to tell his mum what has happened. He writes words she will never read. Other letters come from the Middle East, from London, from Paris, Germany and New Guinea, bearing news of both the senders and of the conflicts in which the writers are involved. The novel's theme is dark but there are flashes of light and humour. Rose, not always a reliable witness, is unwilling to accept defeat. She will, with the use of kerosene, optimism and fruit cake, win most battles. Much of the story takes place in Australia. It opens in Norwood at Rose's family home, when Rose receives a telegram announcing the death of her son Brian, fighting with the AIF at the Battle of Bardia in the Middle East. A flashback takes the tale to the Umpherston Cave at Mount Gambier where Rose's putative grandson is born, but most of the Australian sequences take place at Orroroo, where the drought that plagued Australia during the war years rages. Only Two Letters in Orroroo is not a war novel; it is an anti-war novel. I have attempted to tell the history of the war years from the Australian point of view, but this is a work of fiction. I decided to write it because some younger people are unaware of events that took place in our recent past. And yet, I wanted to show the indomitable hope that lives in all of us.' (Publication summary)

'Terra nullius means 'empty land'. It is the title of the first story in this collection, which is related by Hugh Foulkes, bullock driver to Captain Charles Sturt, as the men of the expedition wait at Depot Glen for Sturt's return from his final push in search of the mythical inland sea. Subsequent stories in the collection illustrate how Australia was populated by migrants from many places, their reactions to their new home and the blending of their diverse cultures. There are stories that celebrate migrants of British background, of Greek and Italian and Chinese origins. And the last story tells the story of a refugee family that is as pertinent today as it was in 1956, the year in which it is set.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Terra nullius means 'empty land'. It is the title of the first story in this collection, which is related by Hugh Foulkes, bullock driver to Captain Charles Sturt, as the men of the expedition wait at Depot Glen for Sturt's return from his final push in search of the mythical inland sea. To the early explorers, the land appears empty and they try to ignore the presence of the indigenous people who inhabit the vast plains through which they pass. The explorers and colonists believe the land is theirs for the taking. Subsequent stories in the collection illustrate how Australia was populated by migrants from many places, their reactions to their new home and the blending of their diverse cultures. There are stories that celebrate migrants of British background, of Greek and Italian and Chinese origins. And the last story tells the story of a refugee family that is as pertinent today as it was in 1956, the year in which it is set. Many of these stories have won awards or been published in anthologies. They represent a body of work that has grown over many years. ' (Publication summary)

'Something is killing the sheep on Epsom Downs. With her father sprawled on the sofa in an alcoholic haze, Lizzie Epsom and her siblings set out in the family ute armed with guns and spotlight to save the farm. However, it is not the expected wild dogs that they find on the edge of Magnetic Hill but a creature far more threatening. Soon Lizzie holds the fate of an entire species in her hands. At stake are not only the lives and livelihood of the community of Bullyacre but also Australia’s global reputation and balance of trade. Incidents proliferate as Bullyacre is brought to national and international attention. Is the Beast of Magnetic Hill marsupial and, if so, does the Beast’s survival transcend human interests?

'Margaret Visciglio’s second novel is not only hilarious but confrontational, addressing the ethics surrounding the extinction of the Tasmanian tiger, ecological versus pastoralist interests, the reaction of a rural community to an overwhelming threat, and how education should be addressed in the twenty-first century.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.