| Ian
Stewart's moving portrayal of bygone days is much more than
an intriguing family story. It also deals with social and
military events and their effect on ordinary people. Set at
first mainly in Edinburgh and in Orkney, the story moves on
to Wellington, New Zealand, where the family built new lives
in this furthest-flung part of the Empire. The conditions
in Britain and the reasons for migrating are a reminder of
the fortitude and determination of our forbears and their
suffering and loneliness so far from their homeland. They
endured the events of the 20th century, with its epidemics
which decimated the population, its economic recessions and
its far-away wars which the citizens of the Empire felt a
duty to support. In the Preface, Ian says, ‘Many people
now have little concept of how tough life was during The Great
Depression and of the austerities and tragedies of war.’
The South African War, Gallipoli, Passchendaele and more –
what effect did these have on ordinary citizens and on soldiers
and their families?
Ian travelled to places of
importance for his family, and his understanding of the physical
settings makes for authoritative writing. The story moves
from the uprisings in Scotland in the 18th century through
to just before World War II.
Many of the important documents
and family mementoes which provided a wealth of authentic
material for Ian's story were found in his mother's sewing
box, pictured on the front cover. Ian was born in Wellington
and now lives in Waikanae.
ISBN 1-877332-33-x Price: NZ$35.00
(p&p extra)
Price: $NZ35.00
|
