Horrie the Wog-Dog


Book Description

'The true story of Horrie the Wog-Dog who was adopted by the Australian Signal Platoon of the M/G Battalion, in spite of all rules against keeping pets, and how Horrie not only won his stripes as a valuable addition to the group but had the further distinction of being smuggled into Australia on their return. The Wog-Dog was sneaked into Greece, went through the evacuation, carried messages as well as proving a dependable warning against air attacks. He went to Syria and Palestine, never learning to tolerate Arabs - he suffered cold and sickness, he fell in love with Ishmi, he was bombed off his ship and he never once was found during all necessary cover-up travelling. A story for all dog lovers, in spite of heavy Australian slang and style, of a dinkum Aussie who was kept, protected and loved by dinkum Aussies. Sentimentality over canines seldom misses fire.' - Kirkus Review (USA)




Horrie the War Dog


Book Description

Horrie, the Egyptian Terrier, found as a starving pup in the harsh Libyan Desert, became the much-loved mascot of the First Australian Machine Gun Battalion in World War 11. Yet he was no ordinary symbol, and the Gunners' love for him was not mere affection for a pet. It was in return for Horrie saving the lives of every member of the thousand strong contingent, not once but several times in the Middle East. His exceptional hearing picked up the whine of enemy aircraft two minutes before human ears. Horrie's ritual of sitting, growling, barking and then leading the dash for trenches, had the Gunners running for cover before their camp was strafed and bombed. He was adopted by the 'Rebels,' a small group of Signallers, who secretly carried him through battle zones of Libya, Egypt, Palestine (Israel) and Syria. Horrie was smuggled into Australia after a harrowing boat trip home early in 1942, when the Battalion returned to face the threat from marauding Japanese Forces. The dog stayed with the family of his 'Master' Private Jim Moody, who went off to fight the enemy in New Guinea. When he came back in 1945, Moody brought Horrie out of hiding to help raise money for the Red Cross. Quarantine pounced and condemned the dog to death. Moody and the Rebels were shocked. They and a thousand others owed their existence to Horrie. Now they were being ordered to submit the dog, who was fit and disease-free, for extermination. How could Moody and Rebels beat the bureaucracy when defying the authorities would mean jail for them, and Horrie being caught and killed? Could they create a scheme to save him as they had in carrying the dog everywhere with them in the North African and Middle East Campaigns? Or was Horrie, the Gunner's hero, to be condemned to canine martyrdom? The answers are in HORRIE THE WAR DOG, a true tale of intrigue and illusion; a story of sacrifice, courage and loyalty in the finest ANZAC tradition.




Creforce - the Anzacs and the Battle of Crete


Book Description

Creforce - the Anzacs and the Battle of Crete is the dramatic story of the second Anzacs and their role in one of the biggest battles in the military history of Australia, New Zealand and its Allied forces during World War II.The book is written for children 10 and up and explores the real-life `adventures' and misadventures of more than 14,500 young Australian and New Zealand soldiers who were sent to the Greek island of Crete - famous for myths, minotaurs and labyrinths - under the second formation of the Anzac Corps, to help defend it against Nazi Germany. The book includes never-before-told, first-hand accounts of those that lived through the battle, and weaves in the stories of real-life characters including Roald Dahl, the famous British novelist Roald Dahl, Horrie the Wog Dog, the little terrier who became an unofficial mascot, Charles Upham, known as the Lion of Crete, an educated sheep farmer turned valuer from New Zealand who was single-minded, perservering, swore a lot and hated injustice and the people of Crete who have been likened in the book to Ned Kelly for their outlaw-style tactics as part of the Cretan resistance. The most notable Cretan is the Cretan Runner George Psychoundakis, an uneducated, poor, young shepherd who became a decorated war hero for aiding British soldiers including author, scholar Patrick Leigh Fermor who has been described as a cross between Indiana Jones and James Bond.The book is on the Victorian and NSW Premier's Reading Challenge lists. It is only available for purchase at stelitsahome.bigcartel.com




The Village of Nigger-Nigga


Book Description

In the following work, there are three separate but related works. The first work focuses on the power of language, the specific example being that of the so-called "n" word. There are several key thoughts and questions worth keeping in mind as you read the first work, The Village of Nigger-Nigga. First, the more "forbidden" or "taboo" something is, the more powerful it becomes. In view of that, the question arises: "Who benefits from the negative power created by preserving the "n" word as a "taboo"?" Primarily, if not exclusively, so-called "white" or "non-black" people. In other words, those who would use it as a "weapon" to hurt others emotionally. And who suffers from the negative power created by preserving the "n" word as a "taboo"?" Primarily, if not exclusively, so-called "black" or "non-white" people. Conversely, who would benefit by neutralizing the negative meaning/use of the word "nigger" and/or giving it a new and positive meaning? Virtually, all of society in general, both here in America as well as the world at large. Although the first work, The Village of Nigger-Nigga, is a work of fiction in the strictest sense, there is a significant degree of linguistic truth in principle regarding the message of this short story. For example, unlikely as it may seem in terms of the feasibility of converting the "n" word from something negative to a positive, linguistically speaking, language is more than sufficiently capable of accommodating such a change. The second work, Corruption...a Precondition for Power, addresses the matter of power in general. In terms of the message in this essay, it can readily be applied to the other two works, The Village of Nigger-Nigga and Nigger Music.




The Shark Caller


Book Description

Only a twin from a shark calling family can appease the ancestors and bring a community back together in this powerful and haunting story. Isabel is on a plane heading back to her island birthplace in Papua New Guinea. Izzy is looking forward to seeing her family again, but there’s another tragic reason for the trip. Izzy’s twin brother, Ray, died in a freak diving accident, and Izzy and her mum are taking his ashes home for traditional death ceremonies. After they arrive, Izzy realises things have changed since their last visit. Logging threatens the community’s way of life and sharks no longer answer the song of the shark callers. Izzy’s cousin Noah explains that the clan needs someone to undertake a traditional diving ritual. The person must be a twin from the shark calling lineage. The dive will be perilous. And Izzy is the last twin. Will she have the courage to attempt the dive? And what deep, dark secrets will the ocean reveal if she does?




The Long Carry


Book Description




African American Entertainers in Australia and New Zealand


Book Description

 Eleven African Americans, including a musician, were among the First Fleet of colonial settlers to Australia. In the 150-plus following years, African Americans visiting the region included jubilee singers, vaudevillians, sports stars and general entertainers. This book provides the only comprehensive history of more than 350 African American entertainers in Australia and New Zealand between European settlement in Australia in 1788 and the entry of the United States into World War II in 1941. Famous names covered include boxer Jack Johnson, film star Nina Mae McKinney and jazz singer Eva Taylor. Background stories provide a multidimensional view of the entertainers' time in a place very far from home.




Bill and Horrie


Book Description

Two bestselling stories of Australian animals during wartime, now in one volume. Bill the Bastard Bill the Bastard is a remarkable tale of the bond between a determined trooper and his stoic but cantankerous mount during the Light Horse campaigns against the Ottoman Empire in the Great War. They fought together. They depended on each other for survival. And when the chips were down, Bill's heroic efforts and exceptional instincts in battle saved the lives of not just his rider but four of his men. By September 1918, 'Bill the Bastard' was known by the entire Light Horse force, who used his name not as an insult but as a term of endearment. Bill had become a legend, a symbol of the courage and unbreakable will of the ANZACs. Roland Perry's enthralling bestseller shows us exactly why there was no other horse like Bill the Bastard. Horrie the War Dog In the harsh Libyan desert in the middle of World War II, Private Jim Moody, a signaller with the First Australian Machine Gun Battalion, found a starving puppy on a sand dune. Moody called the dog Horrie. Where Moody went, Horrie went too - through the battle zones of the Middle East and far beyond. As the Japanese forces began their assault in Asia, Moody and his soldier mates were redeployed to fight them. They smuggled Horrie onto a troop ship for a harrowing journey back to Australia, where Horrie was to face perhaps his deadliest challenge yet. In the finest ANZAC tradition, Horrie the War Dog is a story of intrigue and illusion, and of sacrifice, courage and loyalty, compellingly told by bestselling author Roland Perry.




Onward Australia


Book Description




Love Letters from a War


Book Description

Love Letters contains the moving and intimate letters exchanged between an enlisted soldier at the Front and his wife and six children.