Other Books

Cold Light

by Maurie O'Connor on December 19, 2011

Frank Moorhouse With Kim Rubenstein

Photo by Eliezer Rubenstein Sturgess

Cold Light. By Frank Moorhouse. Published by Random House. $32.95.

The chamber in Old Parliament House has a unique atmosphere created partly by the evocative smell of polished wood and green leather, but more so by the sense of history and the feel of being close to the decision-making that once shaped this country’s destiny.

Cold Light

That made it a fitting place for the launch of Frank Moorhouse’s third and final book in the Edith trilogy, Cold Light.

Through his character, Edith Campbell Berry, Moorhouse’s trilogy spans the historical events between the two world wars and Australia’s diplomatic and political role in a period of both hope and then despair for the League of Nations.

Following World War 2, Edith returns to live in Canberra and, after being used to moving in Bloomsbury like circles, experiences the conservatism and misogyny of the capital’s social and political life.

However, as the other two books indicate, Edith is not a woman to be stifled by Australia’s post-war conventions.

Unlike many who graced those seats before them, Moorhouse’s audience for the launch was wide awake as he recounted the stories behind his research for the characters and events in the books.

One of the most intriguing of those stories was the fact that he had tracked down the last surviving member of the staff of the League of Nations and had many long conversations with the woman who is still receiving a pension from that organisation.

In the atmosphere of Old Parliament House, the award-winning Frank Moorhouse was a presence no doubt equal to many who have spoken there before him, but, as one of Australia’s best writers, his integrity and humanity is much more evident.

As I walked from the building after the talk, I noticed that I couldn’t see the end of the line of people waiting for him to sign their copy of the book.

Frank Moorhouse Book Signing

Photo by Eliezer Rubenstein Sturgess

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Exiled: The Port Arthur Convict Photos.

by Maurie O'Connor on October 29, 2011

Exiled. The Port Arthur Convict Photos. By Edwin Barnard. Published by National Library of Australia, $39.95, softcover, 224 pages.

ExiledDenisDohertyLooking at the remarkable photographs in Exiled, you cannot help but be struck by the weary and grim expressions on the faces of the men.  Photographed most likely in 1874, these are the faces of some of the last inmates of the notorious Port Arthur penal settlement.

They are men who, for the most part, had suffered a lifetime of incarceration, harsh treatment and corporal punishment.  Their survival is remarkable considering that most of them were transported to Australia in their early twenties and had been convicts for over 30 years.

Thomas Cahill was only 12 years old when transported from County Wicklow in Ireland for the crime of vagrancy.  When photographed, he was only 41 but looks more like 60.

No one knows why they were photographed or who the photographer was, but we can be thankful for this unique historical record, uncovered by Edwin Barnard while conducting other research.

Barnard then conducted additional research on the convicts and adds context and colour with some fascinating stories of the men in the photographs.

ExiledDenisDoherty

One of the most amazing stories is that of Dennis Dougherty from Donegal, who in 1833, at the age of 18, received a 14-year sentence for desertion.

He was finally given a ticket of leave in 1876 after 43 years as a convict, hard labour at Norfolk Island and Port Arthur, about 3,000 lashes, numerous escapes and long periods of solitary confinement. Doughty fought the system every inch of the way and was regarded as one of the worst convicts.

In 1872, he was interviewed by Anthony Trollope who was visiting Port Arthur and told the famous writer that he “was broken at last”. Trollope expressed some sympathy for the man who likened himself to a caged bird forever trying to be free.

Barnard provides some fascinating background and additional information about the convict era as well as the circumstances from which many of the convicts came.  The book includes   a wealth of drawings, prints and other photographs, as well as those faces and the stories engraved on them.

For anyone with an interest in Australia’s history and our convict past, this book is an absolute collector’s item.    Exiled

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