Our Little Town
Elsie Johnstone
- ‘Our
- Little
- Town’
- outlines
- the
- life,
- spirit
- and
- character
- of
- a
- Victorian
- fishing
- village
- through
- the
- voices
- of
- one
- family
- across
- five
- generations.
- Elsie
- Johnstone
- has
- captured
- the
- views,
- thoughts
- and
- memories
- of
- 28
- members
- of
- a
- Lakes
- Entrance
- clan
- that
- traces
- its
- origins
- back
- to
- William
- Carstairs,
- one
- of
- the
- town’s
- original
- founders
- and
- a
- legendary
- professional
- fisherman.
Rather
- than
- a
- dry
- history,
- it
- is
- a
- colourful,
- living
- re-creation
- of
- what
- it
- was
- like
- to
- grow
- up
- in
- a
- town
- of
- only
- a
- few
- hundred
- people,
- 320
- kilometres
- from
- the
- state
- capital
- and
- dependent
- so
- much
- on
- the
- sea
- for
- its
- viability.
- Each
- voice,
- in
- its
- own
- individual
- way,
- tells
- of
- experiences
- and
- feelings
- as
- a
- tiny
- community
- expands.
- Secrets
- are
- revealed,
- long-held
- criticisms
- unearthed,
- insights
- given
- into
- why
- relationships
- succeeded
- or
- failed.
- Significant
- events
- are
- described,
- often
- providing
- vastly
- differing
- views
- from
- witnesses.
- Weddings,
- funerals,
- wars,
- the
- circus
- coming
- to
- town,
- football,
- surfing,
- tourism,
- negotiating
- the
- treacherous
- waters
- of
- the
- Entrance,
- the
- skills,
- strength
- and
- vitality
- of
- the
- women
- keeping
- the
- families
- going
- while
- the
- men
- went
- off
- to
- work
- out
- to
- sea
- or
- at
- the
- Salmon
- Company;
- all
- this
- and
- more
- is
- outlined
- in
- an
- accessible,
- enjoyable
- read.
The
- storytellers
- range
- from
- Jack
- Allen,
- then
- 86,
- to
- Megan
- Allen
- who
- was
- 14
- when
- she
- wrote
- her
- story.
- In
- between
- there
- are
- daughters
- and
- sons,
- aunts
- and
- uncles,
- cousins
- and
- grandchildren
- -
- all
- descendants
- of
- Robert
- and
- Annie
- (Carstairs)
- Allen
- -
- offering
- their
- views
- in
- their
- own
- individual
- style.
Across
- 80
- years,
- from
- the
- arrival
- of
- electricity
- to
- the
- establishment
- of
- the
- first
- internet
- café,
- ‘Our
- Little
- Town’
- carries
- the
- memoirs
- of
- ordinary
- people
- going
- about
- their
- ordinary
- lives.
- That
- is
- its charm.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
