A Golden Era in World Travel

 

In the late 70s adventure bus journeys were the most exciting form of international travel. Buses crossed continents to the fabled cities of Asia, Europe, Africa and South America, carrying adventurous travellers across scenic lands and harsh deserts. Many of the passengers were Australians, going to and from Britain and Europe.

Faraway Places with Strange Sounding Names brings this magical era of travel back to life, thanks to Gerald Davis’s determined efforts to gather people’s stories, photos, maps and memorabilia. His book tells the story of the leading operator of the time, the Penn Overland Company, which pioneered the overland travel routes in the 50s, and spread to five continents and 50 countries, as buses crossed the world with passengers in search of discovery and adventure.

Penn Overland, Indiaman and other companies traversed scenic lands and harsh deserts, tours lasted weeks and months and crossed borders freely, until unrest and warfare put a stop to it, and the golden era of overland travel came to an abrupt end. Operators disappeared, and even the records of the Penn company have been lost.

This book is a window into that time, and for the thousands who travelled, a chance to relive their journeys of a lifetime. Drawing on memories and mementos of former Penn staff and passengers the world over, Gerald Davis has saved the story from disappearance, and told it in this evocative book.

RRP $55

The only woman executed in Queensland. Was it a fair trial?

At 8 o’clock on Monday morning, 13 June 1887, Ellen Thomson was hanged at Her Majesty’s Brisbane Gaol for the murder of her husband. She is the only woman to be executed under Queensland law.

But did she receive a fair trial, and did she deserve the ultimate punishment?

Author Vashti Farrer’s latest book reveals a tropical Queensland alive with goldrush excitement, and the hard lives of pioneering communities in Port Douglas, from English immigrants to Chinese settlers, all looking to make a better life.

Into this world stepped a young widow, Ellen Thomson, who married an older farmer, Billy Thomson. After many years of working the farm on the Mossman River together, on the night of 22 October 1886, Billy Thomson was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head.

What happened?

The book outlines events of that fateful night, the subsequent trial and executions and gives a fascinating insight into life at the time.

It also raises the question, was Ellen Thomson guilty beyond reasonable doubt?

RRP $29.95

The Pioneering Wives of Australia’s Diplomats

Wife and Baggage to Follow contains first hand stories of overseas postings in the words of Australian diplomats’ wives.

It offers an eye opening journey through the early decades of the service, starting with the experiences of Australia’s first wife of a Head of Mission in Washington, and continuing to the likes of Beirut, Moscow, Rangoon, Cairo, Tokyo, Dili and Saigon.

Author Rachel Miller tells her own stories and those of many others, the unacknowledged leading ladies whose “stage was was the world”, and the unexpected privations and adventures which befell these women. They were the pioneers, often travelling with young children in tow, who had to adapt to difficult, often dangerous, and inevitably unusual circumstances.

There are stories of watching Saigon burn from the roof of the Embassy at night during the Tet offensive, or having a brown snake fall from the ceiling and onto the dining room table during a formal dinner in Dili, and living in Jakarta in the early Sixties, when the British Embassy was burnt during unsettled times after the Federation of Malaysia was formed.

Some of these intrepid women, leaving Australia for the first time, arrived in world trouble spots and places where it was hard to find basic family necessities, such as food, toiletries and even soap. It is the story of mothers trying to ensure the safety and health of their young children as well as the smooth running of their households and the day-to-day domestic life in the Missions, of formal entertaining in unusual circumstances, of friendships formed, and long journeys travelled. Continuing to more recent times, it traces the evolution of a young foreign service as it became better organised and increasingly professional, and the evolving role of women within it.

 

 RRP $29.95

 

 

 

Betty Churcher and Lucy Quinn Put Canberra on the Global Map

This book highlights Canberra’s arrival as a world cultural centre, with collections of art and artefacts that are exceptional in range and intensity. It is a celebration of Australian art, and Australia’s history.

Former Australian National Gallery director Betty Churcher is a household name, thanks also to her books and TV shows. She has collaborated with young Canberra artist Lucy Quinn to select outstanding works displayed in the national capital’s museums, galleries and archives. This book is one of the few to feature art and artefacts from all of Canberra’s national collecting institutions.

Treasures of Canberra showcases famous works like Jackson Pollock’s “Blue Poles” and John Webber’s portrait of Captain Cook, alongside little known wonders such as the sketchbook of Oscar, an Aboriginal station hand in colonial north Queensland. It also includes the relics of Australia’s journey as a nation, including Phar Lap’s heart, the submarine that attacked Sydney and Azaria Chamberlain’s dress.

There are books like this already, about famous cities of Europe or Asia, but Canberra is the first Australian city to be singled out for the same treatment. Although the national capital has only existed for 100 years, it has drawn in so many treasures that the challenge for the authors was not finding material, but narrowing down a selection from the riches on offer. As much as this book celebrates fine art, it also celebrates the Australian story.

 

 RRP $69.95

A Century of Canberra at Home

Every government has a home, and every home  has a heart. Australia’s is to be found in Canberra, one of the few purpose-built national capitals in the world.

In celebration of Canberra’s Centenary, 100 Canberra Houses tells the story of the capital through its houses, built on the Limestone Plains over the past 100 years.

Authors Tim Reeves and Alan Roberts have carefully sifted through more than 160,000 dwellings built since construction began in 1913. They have chosen 100 houses reflective of the city’s 100 years of style, each chosen for interest-value, variety, quality and significance. The book features houses within the boundaries of the ACT and those beyond the borders but still in its orbit.

Each period is reflected, from the original 1913 Robertson House to the iconic Benjamin (‘Round’) House; the first medium-density housing stock, the first ‘solar’ house and the latest EcoSolar house. It also features the first house rebuilt after the devastating 2003 bushfires. The purpose of the capital city is shown through buildings such as Government House, The Lodge, even the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.

Through the story of its houses, the book tells of its history and its people. It is bound to bring back memories for many Canberra families. It’s a bit like coming home.

                           RRP $59.95

 

Confucius Says No, by Leonard Yong, RRP $29.95

“Leonard’s book is a valuable key to understanding our regional neighbours.” – The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG (Former High Court Judge of Australia)

Leonard Yong’s latest book was recently launched to acclaim at the Union Club in Sydney by The Hon Michael Kirby. Among a large gathering, Mr Kirby spoke at length of strengthening ties between Australia and China, and heartily recommended Confucius Says No for those interested in nurturing this burgeoning relationship with our great neighbours. He also gave determined words on recognising the tumultuous history of the Chinese in Australia, and supported efforts to obtain an apology on behalf of those Chinese who had suffered under the White Australia policy.

“This book offers an insightful and pragmatic view of Confucianism as a driver of China’s economic success.” – The Hon Bob Carr, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs

Leonard Yong’s latest book Confucius Says No argues persuasively that the key to understanding the Chinese, and doing business successfully in China, is to understand Confucianism and to recognise the resurgent hold of Confucian thought on the Chinese mind. Now the world’s largest manufacturer, China will inevitably become the world’s largest economy. How Australia engages with its greatest trading partner will determine the economic future for decades to come.

The author provides an expert’s insight to conducting business in Asia. He invites modern readers to turn to the immortal wisdom of Confucius—not just for vision into the future of China and the World, but to guard against delinquent governance and poor policy, in the wake of global financial crises.

Leonard Yong is one of the most respected authorities on corporate governance, and former Chief Internal Auditor at the Australian Industry Development Corporation (AIDC).

“It is essential reading if you care about Australia’s future.” – Malcolm Kerr OAM

Confucius Says No is now available in all good bookstores, and can also be ordered from Halstead Press by email at halstead@halsteadpress.com.au, or by phone on (02) 9211 3033.

Confucius Says No, by Leonard Yong, RRP $29.95