Cirrus@Austlit

'In a small Riverina township in the 1950s, an unmarried white woman entered hospital to give birth. Her baby was Aboriginal; the father's identity was unknown. The young mother checked herself out as soon as she could, leaving her newborn daughter behind.

'For Linda Burney, life began tough in the tiny NSW township of Whitton. Her birth had been a scandal and caused her to be mocked and reviled by some — yet she was also loved by the elderly relatives who took her in and quickly won friends and admiration.

'From these humble beginnings in country NSW, Linda grew to become a successful teacher, then a leader in a vital community organization, an inspiring political leader, Director General of a state department, and was an outstandingly successful minister in NSW government while her party crumbled around her.

'But while her professional life flourished, her personal world imploded, a victim of prolonged domestic violence, left unsupported to bring-up two children. Finally, the tragic illness and death of the man she has called 'the love of my life' and the debilitating illness of a child have not diminished her capacity for friendship, loyalty, and generosity.

'This is the story of a woman who has overcome extraordinary adversity to become a great leader in the Australian community, described by the author as 'the most remarkable woman I've ever met'. ' (Publication summary)

'When a teenage boy is killed in a targeted shooting, the events that unfold rock the lives of the migrant families of Cringila. School friends Jimmy and Piggy have witnessed the violent crime, but need to protect their fledgling drug business.

'After seasoned police detective Gordon Winter is assigned the murder case, his investigations uncover long-buried secrets and an entrenched culture of loyalty and fear.

'On Cringila Hill weaves a gripping story of power, racial tensions and blood ties in a once-vibrant industrial community.' (Publication abstract)

'As a successful trader and merchant in Sydney in the late 1870s, "Young James" Beckett believes he has put his past behind him. When the enigmatic bushman Lancaster reappears in his life, Beckett knows he must confront the haunting truth of his early years.

After arriving in New South Wales in 1832, Young James and his father, the Captain, set out with an expedition of convicts and a guide called Lancaster to claim property on the Morrombidgee River in Wiradjuri country. Lancaster's unusual knowledge of the Wiradjuri initially helps the Becketts to peacefully establish their pastoral holding, Yalda Waters. But after Young James meets Tomawirra, a local Wiradjuri man, and witnesses some of his culture, he begins to see why this land will never truly be theirs.

As land is opened up for further settlement, more whites arrive and the delicate balance that has been in place between the Beckett family and the Wiradjuri is shattered. When the new settlers destroy sacred sites and hunting ground, the Wiradjuri retaliate with attacks on settlers and their stock. What happens next is so shocking it will torment Young James for life and it is only his chance encounter with Lancaster decades later that provides the final clue to those terrible events.' Source: www.uqp.uq.edu.au/ (Sighted 02/07/2012).