A beautiful afternoon on Sunday, September 18, and the McCrossin’s Mill volunteers should be congratulated as the venue chosen to launch Carol Baker’s book ‘Thunderbolt and His Lady’.
I was so pleased to note that the convicts’ drinking trough I donated to the Mill has been placed around their little fish pond in their lovely garden setting.
Richard Torbay was there, and two film crews, one by Shayne Cantly of Evolution Studios, Qld who is completing a one-hour documentary on Thunderbolt in which I and Barry Sinclair (great-great-nephew and great-great-grandson of Thunderbolt and his mother) are featured. The DVD will be on sale at the Thunderbolt Fair later this year.
Although Carol’s book is considered controversial, as she said, controversy sells books. But sadly, she also added that Family Historians’ and Aboriginal history are to be discounted in favour of her research as they are purely based on myth.
Therefore, she does a hatchet job on Kila Bierens’, Hons thesis. ‘The Captain’s Lady – Mary Ann Bugg’ in Aboriginal studies at the University of Tasmania, available on the internet, that she refers to in her bibliography.
Anyway, the Mill gave her and her book a splendid launch and should be congratulated. I enjoyed Kent Mayo’s introduction, (including the German accent) and it gave many a laugh.
I hope they will do the same when my book on the same subject is launched next year, and Richard has said, if he can, he will launch it also.
Gudonyer guys and gals.
Pat Lightfoot,
Armidale
