Smorgasbord Book Reviews – #Biography #Australia Kookaburras, Cuppas & Kangaroos: Adventures of a Yorkshire Lass Down Under in the ’60s by S. Bavey

Delighted to share my review for the latest release by Sue Bavey… A biography Kookaburras, Cuppas & Kangaroos: Adventures of a Yorkshire Lass Down Under in the ’60s

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!

My review for the book 24th February 2024

This is a wonderful personal recollection of not just Australia and New Zealand in the 1960s, but the spirit of the time, when young men and women were spreading their wings after the austere post-war years and exploring opportunties in far flung destinations.

The Australian £10 Pom programme enticed young people to flock to a country in need of workers and new blood. There were some stipulations that deterred those who thought they might head over on the cheap for a holiday for a couple of months. Passports were retained for a period of two years to ensure the offer was not taken advantage of.

Elizabeth Isle is a bright and determined young woman who sets off on her own to see the other side of the world, fully prepared to work her way around Australia and fulfil a dream to visit New Zealand.The outward voyage was long, but came with some visits to exotic locations seldom visited by British tourists at the time such as Portugal, Gibraltar, Naples with a trip to Pompeii, through the Suez Canal to Aden and then on to Columbo in Ceylon now Sri Lanka. Elizabeth delightfully descriptive letters home to her family are a joy to read.

We follow her as she meets relatives for the first time who have been settled in the country for many years, hunts for jobs to pay her way and to put aside for trips such as to New Zealand. Being outgoing and warm-hearted she forms new friendships in the cramped accommodation aboard ships, trains and hostels, and we share the wonder of her trips to discover as much of the country as she can in the two years.

We are treated to wonderful descriptions of the scenery, people and wildlife she encounters through her letters home to her family and also recollections shared with her daughter. Sue Bavey has done an excellent job of bringing the two together to create an entertaining and informative adventure story.

Some highlights are the voyages aboard various ships between destinations and as a tourist to areas such as the Great Barrier Reef. The wonderful people that Elizabeth met who offered lifts, their own cars, hospitality and support. The vivid descriptions of the scenery and wildlife that are such a unique element of Australian environment and culture. There are some amusing incidents with insects and even a tennis ball sized frog in her bed. Luckily she managed to avoid coming into contact with anything more deadly including when swimming in shark infested waters.

All together an amazing read and I can highly recommend.

Head over to buy the book: Amazon UK –  And: Amazon US

Also by S. Bavey

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – More reviews: Goodreads – Website: Sue Bavey WordPress – Facebook: Sue Bavey – Twitter: @SueBavey

About S. Bavey

Sue Bavey (writing as S. Bavey) is an English Mum of two, living in Massachusetts since 2003 with her husband, kids, a cat named Midnight, a bunny named Nutmeg, a leopard gecko named Ziggy Stardust and occasional frogs and salamanders.

“Lucky Jack is my grandfather, Henry John Rogers’ biography. Grandad lived with us when I was born, until we moved when I was six years old. Then he came back to live with us in my teenage years and we were very close. He was my father’s father, but my Mum diligently collected the newspaper columns he dictated to a local reporter, and kept them in scrapbooks in her attic, where they gathered dust and yellowed over time. A few years ago I found all the scrapbooks and wanted to get all of those stories into a book for my kids to read. That was the germ of an idea which – thanks to my having time during Covid lockdown – has now resulted in the life story of my grandfather, Jack Rogers being written.

My second book, Daydreams and Narcoleptic Nightmares is a collection of my late father’s memoirs and poetry. I collected these and chose the ones I wanted to present and in which order. Then I transcribed them, which was quite a task as my father wrote in pen or pencil on loose sheets of paper without any page numbers. He also had difficult to read handwriting so I hope my interpretations were correct!

The other books on my profile are anthologies which contain short stories written by me (and many other writers) and memoirs from my own life, including experiences moving from England to USA and other travel stories.

 

Thank you for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books.. Sally.