'
Blue Brander opens with Brander of the Middle Fifth leading a scrimmage against the Upper Fifth. As a result, the new master, Mr Doohan, unjustly punishes Johnson, the School rowing stroke, banning him from rowing for three weeks, meaning the school's chances of winning the upcoming Head of the River Race are severely diminished. Brander plots revenge on Mr Doohan during the Easter holidays, even though Mr Doohan is dating his sister, Daphne.
Blue Brander is similar to its contemporaries in that it sets the adventure storyline during a holiday period. The Branders, Mr Doohan and the Gang set off to the Jenolan Caves where Mr Doohan is going to search for his grandfather's treasure hoard hidden years ago. When an old man the Gang befriended on the train trip turns out to be a bank robber, the Gang decide to foil his plans as well'. Source:
Bonza Schooldays.
The Gang on Wheels
London
Melbourne
:
Ward, Lock
,
1930
Z1371253
1930
single work
children's fiction
children's
Continues the story of the 'Gang' from Blue Brander. 'The story opens with
typical school minutiae, a fight between Johnson and Kidman, a newly
appointed prefect. There is some antagonism between the pair as much of
the school feels that Johnson, the popular sportsman, should have been
made a prefect instead of Kidman. The adventure part starts when Hyde
finds a roll of forged florins and with the school having to close due
to the Influenza epidemic, the Gang decide to investigate. The inclusion
of this real life incident is distinctive; Thompson would have been not
many years out of school when the epidemic occurred. The Gang travel to
the [Wingecarribee] Swamp in Brander's ramshackle car as Hyde thinks this
would be the perfect location for a counterfeiting forge to be hidden.
At the same time Kidman and his family are embarking on a holiday to the
same area and the two groups meet when they are involved in an
accident'. Source: Bonza Schooldays. 
