We’ve been busy.

Since the launch another five short stories have gone up on the website, along with three outlines of the genesis of each published novel, (NOVELS heading) with pictures. Don’t forget you can click on the pictures in website documents to enlarge them We hope you enjoy these.

We’ve also been busy arranging visits to various and organisations for later this year and into next year. For example, next Tuesday we are in Caversham speaking to the Seniors’ Healthy Active Group Association, which we’re told operates under the wonderful acronym of SHAGAS. (We presented to today and had a great time with a group of about forty people.)

Early last week we returned to the Central Wheatbelt and Cunderdin to present on the three novels. Last time we visited was when the April rains came and everyone one was on tractors. So Tania Daniels, the coordinator of the Cunderdin Community Resource Centre (CRC) organised for us to return.

We had a great evening with lovely people like Tania Daniels, Dennis Whisson, who chairs the committee, Antoinette from the committee, Janet Whisson, who is the principal of Meckering Primary School and many others. Thanks to them all for a good night of wine, cheese and chatter.

Tania has done up a report on the evening, which is presented below. But thanks for the opportunity to be in the town, and not just because of the lovely people.

By that, I mean I have a little history in the region. In the afternoon, before the presentation, Karen and I walked over the road to the old pumping station, which is now a museum. At the presentation,  I skited that as a kid at Tammin Primary School, I saw the pumping station billowing smoke and still operating. That was just before it closed down in 1956. My dad was the principal of Tammin School, and mum, for some of my time at the school, was my teacher. But as well as stirring memories, the exhibits and the historical stories, both of the pipeline and of Cunderdin, were special.

And here is Tania’s report. Click on it to read it.

Community News, as has occurred in the past, undertook an interview with Karen and myself regarding Aussie Yarns. The article has appeared in at least four of the regional papers under the Community News banner: Southern Gazette (Belmont), Southern Gazette (Victoria Park), Southern Gazette (South Perth) as well as Melville Times. I’m grateful to the Group for its support, and to Jaime Sturmer and Marie Nirme for their work in preparing the article.

I have copied and pasted the page containing the article below, which should be able to be enlarged. If there are difficulties in achieving that outcome, go to my website at www.aussieyarns.com and then to the heading BLOG. The title, A LOVELY ARTICLE is the first on the BLOG at this moment and a copy of the article can be easily enlarged by clicking.

It was a great night at Mr Walker on Mends St jetty in South Perth. With Brett Walker as MC, Dale James from 101.7 introducing me, John Bailey launching the novel, and Brett’s staff providing excellent service, we think there was plenty to keep the 70 or so attendees satisfied. Karen and I appreciate all those who made the time to attend as well as those who assisted. It was good fun.

As I have said before, Mr Walker has a view to kill for, whether in daylight or at night. And below are a couple of shots of the actual launch

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Now that there are three novels out in the world, I’ve often been asked the relationship between them: that is, should one be read before the others or in a sequence. I’ve always explained that they are interdependent of each other, but at the same time, they are connected. At the launch, I explained the relationship this way.

The novels are spaced about four decades apart: 2017 for Hiding Place, 1974 for Turn on a Light, mainly 1934 for The Wiluna Solution although some of it takes place in 2007, and the new novel, still tentatively named Life Sentence, in 1900. I regard each novel of a snapshot of history linked by a non-Aboriginal person’s interpretation of race relations with Aboriginal people in those eras. The personal relationships of each protagonist in each era allows different customs and values to be illustrated.

But as I say, each is interdependent of the other, partly because of the different eras, and partly because each gives a different perspective on race relations. Of the three published, however, I believe The Wiluna Solution shows the era when inter-racial relationships were probably at an all-time low, Turn on a Light shows the gradual change that emerged in that decade, and Hiding Place suggests a potential strategy to make a bigger difference in a much shorter time than currently occurs. In terms of opportunities for Aboriginal and Indigenous people that equate with those for non-Aboriginal people, there is still a long way to go.

Book Tour Presentations

We’ve just returned from a good time in the South-West, taking in the libraries of Capel, Busselton, Margaret River and Australind. Our thanks to the delightful librarians for their assistance and support and the many friendly people who attended to the hear the presentations. Below are photos of two presentation groups showing a sample of people from each one.

Launch of Turn on a Light

Just a reminder that the launch my third novel, “Turn on a Light” will be at 5.00 pm Monday 11th July at Mr Walker on the Mends St Jetty. Refreshments involving drinks and nibblies will be available, as well as the opportunity to buy the novel at a discounted price. In fact, all three novels will be available at a considerable discount, but only for Monday night. If you’d like to come and haven’t yet let me know, email to dave@aussieyarns.com to express interest and let me know the number of people coming as well. There are just a few spots left, so be quick.

Audio Books

I’ve been told the audio-book of The WILUNA Solution is just on completed and will be available very soon. I will let you know when the production is finished, as well as how to purchase it and the two formats it will be in. (I believe one format is CD and the other is mp3, but as I say, I will let you know.) My thanks, however, to Dinesh Burah who is the Manager, Information and Education Services and Susie Punch as the Audio-Production Officer, both at VisAbility. In addition, I must compliment Elwyn for the marvellous job of reading the story and his constant search for correct pronounciation and Jane for her role in supporting that. For those who don’t know the production process, it’s time-consuming for all those involved, but done with immense care and attention to detail within sound studies at VisAbility. And my knowledge is that the readers of the stories are all volunteers which I deeply admire. I also have been told that Hiding Place is due to commence production on the next few weeks which is very exciting.

Formats for Novels

Each novel is available as a hard copy which can be purchased from me or from certain booksellers (email dave@aussieyarns.com and I will let you know the cost and other details). Alternatively, email me on the same address for the ISBN so your favourite book-seller can make contact, or give him or her the email address. As a third option, “The WILUNA Solution” and “Turn on a Light” are available in ebook format on Amazon, and I will be putting “Hiding Place” up in the same format in a few days. Again, I will let you know.

We are doing a tour of book presentations next week which will include introducing the new novel, “Turn on a Light”. We will be in Capel Library on Tuesday 5th July from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm with refreshments, Busselton Library on Weds 6th from 5.00 pm to 6.30 pm (wine and cheese evening), Margaret River Library on Thursday 7th from 6.00pm to 7.30 pm (more wine and cheese) and Australind Library on July 8th from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm (refreshments). If you know people who may be interested, feel free to send them this information. We’d look forward to seeing them.

And if you have missed previous contact from us regarding the launch of my third novel, here’s your opportunity to let us know. It will be on Monday 11th July from 5.00 pm to 6.30 pm at Mr Walker on the Mends St Jetty. The venue has a view to kill for and some refreshments will be provided. If people who haven’t had the chance to express interest would like to, email Dave on dave@aussieyarns.com expressing interest and saying how many people you want to bring. As numbers are limited, it’s first in best dressed.

Hi and this is to let you know that both this Saturday (28th May) and the following one (4thJune leading to WA Day), 101.7 with Tony Howes and Dale James will play a different short story each day. The stories are usually just after 11.00 am. The first one is called “If you Dunno, you Arks” while the second is termed “Really Useful Knowledge”. Both occurred in my time in Kimberley as the regional director of education and both are light-hearted. The second one, however, still carries a fairly profound message. Again, both are read by Paul whose capacity in voice makes me feel lucky, and at the same time, proud of what he can do and has achieved. His ability to carry of the intonations and pidjin are wonderful. By the way, the tune he uses to introduce each story is one he wrote and plays. He has an album of recorded songs, some of which are up on iCloud. Between he and Drew, whose group, Karnivool are about to record Album number four which should go gold like the other three, and Karen on the piano, there’s not much musical space left in this family.

If you get a chance, listen in to 101.7 and, as usual, one of the two published novels will be available as a prize for a lucky listener.

I saw the news below on the ABC yesterday. I wrote to my son, Drew, who posted the article on his facebook, saying it mirrors my latest novel, “Turn on a Light” which is set in the 1974 in and around Kalgoorlie. While my story is fictional, it is based in a story I was told about a community in the Northern Territory during and after the Second World War. The community was ordered to relocate to an old gold-mining site east of Alice Springs around 1943. While my story is fictional, I have little doubt that contaminated water, as is often found around many mining sites, was as much a threat in that community as it is in the community I have created for my third Aussie Yarn. If that is accurate, I have no doubt the people of Pandanus Park face the same threat.

I also said to Drew when I responded to his post that, as I wrote “Turn on a Light”, I kept wondering how much things have changed for Aboriginal people in our remote communities. Reading the novel when it is released will, no matter how fictional the characters and the story, create a perspective that will make people think hard in the light of the story below.

WA Government urged to fix contaminated water supplies in remote Indigenous communities

Photo: Pandanus Park CEO Patricia Riley with community members and a water delivery.

Hi good people

Just to let you know that we’ll be having the launch of Dave’s third novel, “Turn on a Light”, in early July. Brett Walker who owns and manages Mr Walker on the Mends St jetty has offered us the use of the restaurant area between 5.00 pm and 6.30 pm tentatively on Monday 11th July. Thanks so much Brett for your support.

Immediately to the right is a photo of Mr Walker in all its splendour.

So, for those who can make it, there will be an early evening Perth Skyline view and then a view of the lights.

Even for non-readers, the venue makes a visit a must. We will be providing light refreshments, and we’re sure Brett would love people to stay on later to have a magnificent meal.

Here are two photos of the view, one of the outlook during the day and the other of the view at night.

Confirmation of the date will be in a couple of weeks, but if you’re interested, even just to visit and have a good look, pencil that date in your diary.

When we confirm, we will be asking people to let us know if they’ll be attending so we can manage the evening properly.

Nice to receive the feedback. Thanks to Emmalisa and Eric and those at the CRC. Rest your cursor on the date in the link below and left click. THis will create a second link, so click on that to get the article.

30_04_16 Merredin Article 1