Vashti Farrer
Australian Author
History
(scroll down for titles)
My Australian Story Series
Sydney Harbour Bridge
(Scholastic - My Australian Story Series)
People can see the Bridge going up all the time, it’s like a Port Jackson Fig spreading out over the harbour, making us feel secure. It’s the only good thing about Sydney at the moment, because everywhere you look you see more people on the streets, begging.
It is 1932 and Sydney has hit hard times. But the construction of a spectacular bridge that will unify a separated city is setting spirits soaring.
Billy, from the bustling working class suburbs of the south, and Alice, from the more tranquil north shore, tell the story of a bridge that will change lives, and Sydney, forever.
My Australian Story Series
Archer's Melbourne Cup -
The Diary of Robby Jenkins
(Scholastic - My Australian Story Series)
Robby has just started working as a stablehand at Mr de Mestre's property Terara. Times are tough, so he's pleased to be earning money for his family. He's even more pleased to be pursuing his dream to become a jockey. Robby loves the horses at Terara, especially the prized bay Archer.
When a brand new horse race called the Melbourne Cup is announced, Robby is sure Archer has what it takes to win - if he can overcome injury. His father is a struggling farmhand, dreaming of owning his own land - and farming it with Robby. But Robby only dreams of the biggest horse race in the country. Will he travel to Melbourne for the Cup, or will he be forced to give up his dreams to help his family?
My Australian Story Series
Plagues And Federation -
The Diary of Kitty Barnes
(Scholastic - My Australian Story Series)
The year 1900 is momentous for Kitty - bubonic plague breaks out in Sydney's Rocks area, and she starts a diary. People flee to the Blue Mountains. The country is on the verge of becoming a federation and Kitty's brother, Bertie, is fighting in the Boer War in South Africa. Closer to home there's Reggie, the boy down the road, who is starting to pay a lot of attention to Kitty.
My Australian Story Series
Available - Contact Me
Available - Contact Me
Colonial History
Escape To Eaglehawk
(Originally published Millenium)
"Ow do we get to Eaglehawk?" "Right under their bleedin' noses!"
Action-packed tale of convict boys transported to Van Diemen's Land in the 1830s. Overseers, superintendents and jail bullies make their lives miserable, even dangerous but Sam and Jemmy are determined not to be stuck at Point Puer. However, plans can so easily go wrong.
Illustrated by Joan Saint.
Eureka Gold
(Originally published Millenium)
"The traps! The traps are coming!"
Will Baines ran as fast as he could up the gully and between the pits. Will and his family head for Ballarat to find gold, but face heat, dust and flies in summer; rain, mud and cold in winter. Their friends are other diggers, and a young man with a strange past.
Then an accident and the events of the Eureka Stockade change them all forever.
Illustrated by Joan Saint.
Ned's Kang-u-roo
(Originally published Lothian)
Twelve-year-old farmboy Ned Wattrous runs away to sea on HMS Endeavour, captained by James Cook. Wrecked in the shallow waters of the great coral reef, Ned tells how they save the ship and sail into shore to repair her, only they're not alone on this strange coast. They discover weird new animals, like the great Hopping Creature and bats "like the devil hisself'. But before they can sail for home, they must find a way out through the treacherous reef, and survive the fever-ridden swamps of Batavia.
Illustrated by John Nicholson.
Available - Contact Me
Available - Contact Me
Available - Contact Me
War History
When The War Came
(ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee Qld Inc)
Sally and her friends live in Kings Cross where there's a constant fear of possible invasion, especially after Japanese mini-subs enter Sydney Harbour! There are rations and restrictions and blackouts and the constant worry of having fathers serving overseas. Even Sal's eccentric Gran can't always cheer her up as she waits for her Dad to come home.
Walers Go To War
(Anzac Day Commemoration Committee Qld Inc)
"Horses are strong and loyal and more"
But none so brave as the horses of war.
A book full of facts about horses called Walers (because they first came from New South Wales) sent from Australia to the Boer War in South Africa and later to the First World War in Egypt and the Middle East. Information boxes and funny quirky drawings tell children all about horses and war.
Illustrated by Sue O'Loughlin
Feathered Soldiers
(Anzac Day Commemoration Committee Qld Inc)
Feathered Soldiers - An Illustrated Tribute To Australia's Wartime Messenger Pigeons.
Co-written with Mary Small & Illustrated by Elizabeth Alger.
Released February 2006.
Available - Contact Me
or via ADCC Qld Inc
Available - Contact Me
or via ADCC Qld Inc
Available - Contact Me
or via ADCC Qld Inc