I thought of Tallygarunga today, because.....
I'm reading Nancy Cato's Forefathers.
A place called Tallygaroopna is mentioned. The names are similar. Garoopna might have inspired Garunga.
Awhile back, a friend emailed me and pointed out that names from Tallygarunga were similar to real place names in Australia. I can't remember if Tallygaroopna was mentioned.
Well, I guess I can search my email.....
Okay. I searched. My friend DID mention Tallygaroopna.
It sounds like a TV show with a Bizzaro-World storyline. In one world, it's Tallygarunga. In another it's Tallygaroopna.
Or one could be the real name and the other could be a name used in a parody, like ones from Mad Magazine or Cracked.
Anyway, the book is good. I think Cato is probably better known for her other book, All the Rivers Run. I might read that someday.
Forefathers is one of those epics that span generations. I like those books, but sometimes it bothers me that the main characters later fade into minor characters. It IS interesting to see all the generations. But I get attached to certain characters, and then have to get adjusted to the focus of the book changing to their descendants.
The book's a good way to review Australia history, though. The book started with the arrival of the convicts and is now into the gold mining days.
One of the main characters (for now) was a Canadian convict. He was in a group trying to fight for Canadian freedom. The British punished him by sending him to Australia.
It makes me wonder how many Australians have Canadian ancestry.
Well....Lord Wiki says there are currently 21,0000 Canadians living in Australia. Some are Australian citizens, and some are not.
Here's a website about Canadian convicts and Australia.
It says they were transported in a ship called the HMS Buffalo.
I can't remember if that ship was in the book. Maybe?
The ship carried 58 French Canadians, 82 Americans, and 5 civil prisoners. I'm not sure what they mean by civil prisoners.
I'm also not sure where the character from the book fits in. He says he's not American. He doesn't seem to speak French.
I just skimmed the book again. The character WAS indeed on the Buffalo.
From the website it seems the convicts were either American or French-Canadian. But maybe I'm missing something?
I'm reading Nancy Cato's Forefathers.
A place called Tallygaroopna is mentioned. The names are similar. Garoopna might have inspired Garunga.
Awhile back, a friend emailed me and pointed out that names from Tallygarunga were similar to real place names in Australia. I can't remember if Tallygaroopna was mentioned.
Well, I guess I can search my email.....
Okay. I searched. My friend DID mention Tallygaroopna.
It sounds like a TV show with a Bizzaro-World storyline. In one world, it's Tallygarunga. In another it's Tallygaroopna.
Or one could be the real name and the other could be a name used in a parody, like ones from Mad Magazine or Cracked.
Anyway, the book is good. I think Cato is probably better known for her other book, All the Rivers Run. I might read that someday.
Forefathers is one of those epics that span generations. I like those books, but sometimes it bothers me that the main characters later fade into minor characters. It IS interesting to see all the generations. But I get attached to certain characters, and then have to get adjusted to the focus of the book changing to their descendants.
The book's a good way to review Australia history, though. The book started with the arrival of the convicts and is now into the gold mining days.
One of the main characters (for now) was a Canadian convict. He was in a group trying to fight for Canadian freedom. The British punished him by sending him to Australia.
It makes me wonder how many Australians have Canadian ancestry.
Well....Lord Wiki says there are currently 21,0000 Canadians living in Australia. Some are Australian citizens, and some are not.
Here's a website about Canadian convicts and Australia.
It says they were transported in a ship called the HMS Buffalo.
I can't remember if that ship was in the book. Maybe?
The ship carried 58 French Canadians, 82 Americans, and 5 civil prisoners. I'm not sure what they mean by civil prisoners.
I'm also not sure where the character from the book fits in. He says he's not American. He doesn't seem to speak French.
I just skimmed the book again. The character WAS indeed on the Buffalo.
From the website it seems the convicts were either American or French-Canadian. But maybe I'm missing something?
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