Cirrus@Austlit

'Despite his name, the Murrumbidgee whaler had nothing to do with whales, and never used a harpoon in his life. He was a member of an amphibious race of wanderers, who roamed Australia's inland waterways from 1880 until the advent of the petrol-driven vehicle ended river traffic and made their way of life no longer possible. Cheerful, work-shy, restless and shiftless, the 'whaler' was yet a picturesque figure who, if he did no good for himself, at least did no harm to anyone else. In this amusing article, an old-timer conjures up recollections of a youth spent in that leisured past among people for whom time did not exist.' (p. 9)

'What manner of man was Pontius Pilate? Historically, we know little of him except that he was a senior Roman civil servant who happened to be Governor of the Province of Judea at the time of the Crucifixion. In this poignant story, Dale Collins, famous Australian author and keen student of the Scriptures, penetrates the mask of the stern official and gives us a glimpse of the human being behind it.' (p. 16)