"From the late 19th century to the 1950s, many wool buyers from the Flanders region of France & Belgium emigrated to Australia with their families to establish careers as buyers for the woollen mills of Europe. Although originally they had no intention of remaining here permanently, many stayed, establishing a prosperous and vibrant French community"--Back cover.
An eloquent counterpoint to the senselessness and inhumanity of war, In Flanders Fields tells the story of a young homesick World War I soldier who risks his life to cross the no-man's-land and rescue a robin caught in the barbed wire that separates the opposing forces.
This Flanders is the third in a trilogy of ballads. The lead ballad in this book – which is the book’s title – is a dedication to Australia’s World War 1 Diggers and honours their memory. There follows a variegated collection of verse telling stories of celebrated people and events of the past; of iconic places, right down to the hard yakka of ordinary men trying to make some sense of life and its hardships. This book is, in a sense, a train ride. Turning each page is like pulling into each station where you will discover that each stop has its own fascinating and unique story to tell. I sincerely hope you enjoy your journey reading, This Flanders.
The word ""Flemish"" refers to the people living in the North of Belgium and France and the South of the Netherlands. The Flemish, also called ""Flemings,"" are of Germanic (Frank) origin. When the Franks invaded what is now Belgium, they settled between the sea and the ""charcoal forest,"" a dense old-growth forest of beech and oak, which extended to the Rhine and formed a natural boundary during the Late Iron Age through Roman times into the Early Middle Ages. The county of Flanders was created 864 when the French king Charles the Bald granted it as a fief to his son-in-law Baldwin with the Iron Arm. Flanders was a part of France but distinguished itself from the rest of the country with its Germanic Flemish population and close economic ties to England. Unlike other French fiefs it was never returned to the French king's control, instead Flanders became a part of the duke of Burgundy's possessions in 1384, which would evolve into present day Belgium.
Australia’s participation in World War I—and subsequent casualties—was unparalleled in its short history, and, it is fair to say, will never be repeated again. Briefly, out of just over 1,000,000 men who were eligible to enlist and fight overseas, 420,000 did just that. Of this number, over 62,000 were killed and a further 156,000 were wounded—56.7%. If that was translated into Australia’s population today—approximately twenty-five million—it would equate into over one million casualties. This was over a period of just over four years. This publication traces the enlistment and subsequent deaths on the Western Front, France, of two Australian brothers—James and George Stevens—from a rural town in South-East Queensland, Australia. The book is rich in primary evidence, such as correspondence to their families. It also covers the main battles on the Western Front and includes the various memorials—national and international—dedicated to Australia’s losses. Students of Australia’s military history, as well as people who try to make some sense of these enormous losses, will find this book invaluable.
This vivid, multi-dimensional history considers the key cultural, social, political and economic events of Australia's history. Deftly weaving these issues into the wider global context, Mark Peel and Christina Twomey provide an engaging overview of the country's past, from its first Indigenous people, to the great migrations of recent centuries, and to those living within the more anxiously controlled borders of the present day. This engaging textbook is an ideal resource for undergraduate students and postgraduate students taking modules or courses on the History of Australia. It will also appeal to general readers who are interested in obtaining a thorough overview of the entire history of Australia, from the earliest times to the present, in one concise volume.
A whip-smart, impeccably crafted debut mystery, A Murder of Magpies takes readers on a whirlwind tour of London and Paris with an unforgettably original new heroine It's just another day at the office for London book editor Samantha "Sam" Clair. Checking jacket copy for howlers, wondering how to break it to her star novelist that her latest effort is utterly unpublishable, lunch scheduled with gossipy author Kit Lowell, whose new book will dish the juicy dirt on a recent fashion industry scandal. Little does she know the trouble Kit's book will cause-before it even goes to print. When police Inspector Field turns up at the venerable offices of Timmins & Ross, asking questions about a package addressed to Sam, she knows something is wrong. Now Sam's nine-to-five life is turned upside down as she finds herself propelled into a criminal investigation. Someone doesn't want Kit's manuscript published and unless Sam can put the pieces together in time, they'll do anything to stop it. With this deliciously funny debut novel, acclaimed author Judith Flanders introduces readers to an enormously enjoyable, too-clever-for-her-own-good new amateur sleuth, as well Sam's Goth assistant, her effortlessly glamorous mother, and the handsome Inspector Field. A tremendously entertaining read, this page-turning novel from a bright new crime fiction talent is impossible to put down.
