Today, it's my stop on the blog tour for Kookaburras, Cuppas and Kangaroos by Sue Bavey, which has been organised by Rachel's Random Resources. If you are a follower of this blog you will know that I have read all of Sue's memoirs about her family's adventures.
BOOK REVIEW
Kookaburras, Cuppas & Kangaroos
BY SUE BAVEY
ABOUT THE BOOK
Fueled by her spirit for adventure and with her £10.00 ticket in hand, Elizabeth Isle leaves 1960s England, determined to see it all, not just Australia and New Zealand, but as much as she can on the way, too.
She surrenders her passport to the Australian government and must find work to support herself on the other side of the world from her family and friends. There can be no going back for two years. Join this intrepid young woman on the adventure of her lifetime. Share her amazing experiences, discover what exotic animals await, get travel tips and meet her new friends through her letters home and over plenty of cups of tea. Beware - the travel bug might prove infectious!
REVIEW
Sue Bavey is back with another family memoir of one her family who did something just a little bit amazing.
I have to say that I have a bit of a soft spot for family histories as they show what life was like for the general population.
When we think of history, the main characters seem to revolve around great leaders, inventors or the destruction of war. However, time and again we get the richest insight of the past from the common folk who actually lived in the time period, and again we get an feeling for modern history through the stories that families tell each other.
Initially introduced by the Chifley Government in 1945, the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme saw more than a million migrants from the British Isles head out to Australia with the promise of a better life, affordable housing and better job prospects.
Kookaburras, Cuppas & Kangaroos tells the story of Sue’s mother Elizabeth (Liz) Isle as she takes up the offer and adventures her way to spend two years in Australia. The story itself is collated from letters, Diary entries and oral history of the experience.
Whilst being intrepid in her ministrations to travel to Australia unaccompanied by family or significant others, Elizabeth comes across as being friendly and wide eyed as she explores Australia and New Zealand. She takes in the culture, the scenery and the wildlife as she travels, gets new jobs and meets lots of different folk.
If you have seen the BBC drama Ten Pound Poms, this does not have the same bleakness of that story and in fact is quite light as we join Elizabeth on her travels as she does all the things that she wants to do whilst she is in Australia, even making her way to Tasmania.
The book provides a slice of life story as we join Elizabeth from her initial journey as she makes her sea passage to the Land of Oz and her arrival on the shores, spending time with various friends that had already moved out there.
The book itself is told with Elizabeth’s voice and you can imagine her being a very friendly woman. As usual, I enjoyed reading about the exploits of Sue’s family and if you like travel memoirs this is a recommended read.
ABOUT SUE BAVEY
Sue Bavey (writing as S. Bavey) a British mother of two teenagers, now living in Franklin, Massachusetts, having moved to the US in 2003. Writing as S. Bavey, she won a gold award from Readers’ Favorite for her grandfather’s biography: Lucky Jack (1894 – 2000), which she wrote during COVID lockdown. She also has a number of non-fiction stories published in various anthologies.
Kookaburras, Cuppas & Kangaroos is the story of her late mother’s emigration from Yorkshire to Australia in 1960 for three years, told via airmail letters and travel diary entries.
A free prequel to Kookaburras, Cuppas & Kangaroos”, called “A Yorkshire Lass: The Early Years” is available for free download from www.suebavey.com.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE BOOK YOU CAN BUY IT HERE!
IF YOU WANT TO GET TO KNOW SUE A LITTLE BIT MORE SHE IS ON MOST SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS INC.
and also on her
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