The 'Big Elephant Book Club' consists of nine gorgeous 11 & 12 year old girls (one was missing today), who meet at my home every six weeks or so, to discuss the latest book they have chosen, have afternoon tea and generally muck around. As a rule I try to encourage the girls to decide themselves which book they will read next, but the reality is that they usually have so many suggestions between them that they can't settle to a decision. This time I stepped in and promoted 'The night they stormed Eureka', partly because I really admire Jackie French and the way she weaves history into fiction/fiction into history, and partly because we have a personal connection to the goings on that happened at the Eureka stockade.
Firstly the book. One girl didn't like it to the point that she refused to finish the book. One girl loved it all except for the time travelling part, and the rest were of mixed opinion. Generally most of them weren't thrilled with the time travel concept. I don't think it was a problem with the writing as such, more maybe that the girls would have preferred that there was continuity of time. They did enjoy reading about an episode of Australian history in a way that was understandable to them and without a lot of political jargon. We ended up having good discussions not just about the rise of the union movement, but also about what life might have been like on the gold fields in the 1800's, and would they have like to go back in time to visit it? Turns out they wouldn't...that whole distrust of the time travel thing....I myself would like to have visited Australia when it was still part of Gondwanaland.
As to our connection with the Eureka Stockade. My husband, Bretsky, is descended from good convict stock, (which if you are Australian is virtually aristocracy)! Only in Oz! His great great great great grandmother was Anastasia Withers, one the the three women who sewed the original Eureka Stockade flag. Truly!! He is currently winning the 16 year long game of who knows/has met/is related to, the most famous people. Anyhow, this flag is still seen on union sites all around Australia, and we think it's pretty cool to have rebellious blood in the family.
As you can see, parts of the original flag are missing. This is because the Museum in Victoria looking after the flag used to snip bits off to sell! Then they realised that there was a problem with sustainability and ceased the practice. And wasn't Anastasia a fine figure of a woman?
The book club meeting ended with a rigorous discussion of what the girls wanted to do for a Christmas party, and I was presented with a little gift from one of the girls. A little string of elephants to hang from our verandah as a welcoming sign to big elephant book club participants when they arrive. I shall leave you with this cheery image.......
