It begins in the early part of the 20th century, when Paddy Cleary moves his wife, Fiona, and their seven children to Drogheda, the vast Australian sheep station owned by his autocratic and childless older sister; and it ends more than half a century later, when the only survivor of the third generation, the brilliant actress Justine O'Neill, sets a course of life and love halfway around the world from her roots.The central figures in this enthralling story are the indomitable Meggie, the only Cleary daughter, and the one man she truly loves, the stunningly handsome and ambitious priest Ralph de Bricassart. Ralph's course moves him a long way indeed, from a remote Outback parish to the halls of the Vatican; and Meggie's except for a brief and miserable marriage elsewhere, is fixed to the Drogheda that is part of her bones - but distance does not dim their feelings though it shapes their lives.Wonderful characters people this book; strong and gentle, Paddy, hiding a private memory; dutiful Fiona, holding back love because it once betrayed her, violent, tormented Frank, and the other hardworking Cleary sons who give the boundless lands of Drogheda the energy and devotion most men save for women; Meggie; Ralph; and Meggie's children, Justine and Dane. And the land itself; stark, relentless in its demands, brilliant in its flowering, prey to gigantic cycles of drought and flood, rich when nature is bountiful, surreal like no other place on earth.Alternate Cover Edition ISBN 0380018179 (ISBN13: 9780380018178)

    He was a grocer's son, strong and proud, but fate had masked his strength and pride with a form that set him forever apart from other men. Compelling need drew them together, A bewitching fantasy encircled and sustained them. Then the Great Depression swept across Australia to impoverish the rich, humble the proud, and turn the poor into a stunned army of desperate vagrants and homeless vagabonds. Expelled from their enchated realm, brutally seperated, they each clutched a secret, a promise a dream of finding each other in a harsh world where only a perfect love like theirs could survive, overcome and triumph.

     But thanks to the military incompetence of the higher commands, it ended in tragedy and unimaginable suffering, as the battle turned into a war of nerves largely played out in the hellish setting of the tunnels constantly being built by either side. The human cost was vast, with more than 50,000 Allied soldiers losing their lives, and it became known as the most controversial action of the war. Joseph Murray was one of the 400,000 British and Empire troops who took part and along with his comrades from the UK, Australia and New Zealand, showed extraordinary heroism and courage in the face of terrible hardship and danger. GALLIPOLI 1915 is his account of the campaign. Based on a diary Murray kept at the time and his later letters home, this riveting and detailed true story of a young man at war serves as a stunning tribute to the bravery shown by Murray and his fellow soldiers, and to the sacrifices they made in the name of their country.

    . . This Freudenberg has done splendidly.' The Age'He writes with balance and grace, and with a carefully modulated intensity.' The Australian 'Human, sympathetic, and eminently readable . . . An important study of the evolution of Labor policies and the Australian Labor Party itself.' Canberra Times 'Brilliant' Laurie Oakes

    Set in Sydney, it begins in 1932 as the Harbour Bridge opens and the future is full of promise.At the core of the story are two people, Neil Atkins and Maggie McGhee. Neil is an aspiring actor torn by guilt and frustrated desire. Raised in poverty by a gutsy, passionate ex-showgirl, he wants to leave that life behind and win the love of intriguing, wealthy Carrie Mazzini, who is looking for a man to transform her. Generous, expansive, Maggie has come from Winnidee to find work on a big-city newspaper. She becomes a successful columnist, yet despite her readiness to reach out to others, a love of her own proves elusive. The events of their lives and those of the people who form their realities take place through the thirties, the Depression and World War II, a time of shifting values and new horizons.

    Left school? Was snatched from school, by the police! Taken forcibly from her part-Aboriginal parents to be trained as a domestic servant.Lilardia was born in 1904 on an Aboriginal settlement on the New South Wales-Victorian border. Her memories of her early years are the happiest part of her story. There was no government assistance then, but there was freedom to enjoy a carefree childhood: swimming and fishing in the rivers and lakes, going walkabout with her old uncle and aunt in their buggy, listening to the legends and learning the lore of the tribal elders, being taught by the kindly missionaries.All this came to an abrupt end when Lilardia was sent to the Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls. The horror of the training, the cruelty of her first employer in Sydney, the loneliness, homesickness and heartache she felt are related without sentimentality, malice or self pity.Throughout a life span from Mission to MBE, Lilardia’s religious beliefs have sustained her in her times of trouble: poverty, racism, a broken marriage, the sometimes hopeless task of helping her own people. She is a true Christian and a true Australian, not only in her race, but in her heartfelt love and concern for her country and in her hope that one day all she has worked for will come to pass: that all Australians, black and white, will live together in harmony.This is a simple tale of humour and sadness, adventure and legend. It is, incidentally, of great historical importance. But it will appeal as the story of a brave, dedicated woman and her struggle through a life of hardship towards the achievement of recognition for herself and her people.

    

    

    After a carefree time in a migrant hostel, she found that they had exchanged the warmth and richness of life amongst family and friends in Britain for the sometimes frighteningly silent hostility of the Australian suburbs.

    B. Paterson's classic poem, a ten year old boy is determined not to be made 'one of the flock' by a travelling priest. Quentin Hole's illustrations are added to make a children's picture book of this humourous bush tale.