the hour of the wolf

The Hour of the Wolf is the time between night and dawn.

Poet Joachim Matschoss and Photographer Jesse Marlow explored their hometown Melbourne during these hours.

The most distinctive features in these new poems are their beautiful clarity and the sense of stillness. Photography and poetry talk to each other and at the same time they listen, like a good conversation. These poems and photographs are meditations on place, art, love and physical reality.

From Gallipoli to Lamington

Rex Boyden’s place in Australian history was forged in his death as the pilot in the famous Stinson crash on the Lamington Plateau in 1937. He was wounded at Gallipoli, then joined the RAF and learned to fly. Following the war he found work in the early years of commercial aviation in Australia. His nephew, Ron Boyden, has written this story “so that Rex Boyden’s achievements and contribution to early aviation in Australia will not be forgotten”.

The book includes original source material, some not previously published, concerning: Gallipoli—letters from the front; pioneer aviation in Australia and New Guinea—extracts from Rex Boyden’s log book; and the Stinson Crash—evidence from the Coroner’s inquest.

Take Time To Smell The Roses

Kathleen Fraser (née Flowers) was born on the 8th June 1913 in Wellington, New Zealand. Her mother was Irish born and it is from that genetic pool that some of her ideas will have formed and are depicted in her verse.

If you were lucky enough to have known her you will know of her sparkling personality and smile, a quick wit and sense of humour. More than this she was ahead of her generation in liberal thoughts and was always open to new ideas. A great listener and a heart of boundless love was given to all who knew her.

Mum passed away this year 2006 at 93 years. I collected all her poems and have produced this book to honour her life and her friendship and rapport with me, her eldest daughter, who also scribbles verse in the same way.

Pilbara Dust On My Feet

Baiami (creator) laid his hand upon the earth—and his people walked upon the Pilbara dust …

Port Hedland, once called Marrapikurrinya, was always an important meeting place for the people of the Pilbara. For thousands of years, every year, the people would return to meet, to sing, to dance.

Even now, when people leave, they keep coming back. Jack McCaughan does. He may be remembered by many locals as that skinny old bloke who used to run the Palm Farm nursery out near the salt works, at Redbank. He reckons the Pilbara dust syndrome is fair dinkum. “You stay here long, you’ll get the dust on your feet. Once you’ve got it, you can leave: but you’ll be back!”

This poetry anthology is Jack McCaughan’s tribute to the people of Port Hedland and the Pilbara, past and present.

Turning the Sting into Zing

Edna Kuehne was principal carer for her husband for 20 years after diagnosis of his Multiple Sclerosis until his death, while at the same time living with potentially life-threatening health issues of her own.

The positive attitude both of them took to their situation enabled them to live rich and satisfying lives as trailblazers for those living with disabilities as well as health professionals and the wider community in supporting them. They have been an inspiration to those who knew them, and will continue to be for all who encounter them through this book.

This is their story.

By Special Request

For Vivian Reith, the dining table has always been the hub of the home and for seventy five years she has delighted her family, friends and guests with her cooking. She is an avid collector of recipes and at 89 years of age is still finding new and interesting dishes to try out on guests at her Phillip Island home, where she has lived for thirty years.

This book was inspired by the many requests for assistance and guidance from her grandchildren. It will be an invaluable resource and inspiration to anyone who takes it into their own kitchen.

Life Is What You Make It

As Life Is What You Make It is published, Bob Nichol is approaching his 95th birthday, yet he remains active and creative and loves to share his stories. Be inspired!

This is the fourth volume of short stories PenFolk Publishing has produced for Bob Nichol, and his eighth book overall.

Reflections of the Raj

Romany Wright Mulvaney was born in Ceylon at the time when the British Raj was at its height in the Indian subcontinent; as a young woman she witnessed its end. As a result this memoir is a uniquely personal account of a dramatic and significant time in the history of that part of the world which we now know as India, Pakistan and her native land, Sri Lanka.

They Came In Hope

They Came In Hope is more than simply the Evans–Criddle family history—although it comprehensively traces the threads of these families of whom the author and his wife are part.

More than that, however, it is a socio-economic history of significant worth. In seeking to give substance to the people that comprise these families, Graham Evans has also extensively researched the life and times of each of the main branches from which these two families descend, and the industries in which they worked. As a result this book opens windows onto a wide scope of English and Australian history—the life of the peasants in East Anglia; the mostly forgotten trades of wheelwrights and coachbuilders; framework knitters caught up in the Industrial Revolution; convict transportees and bounty immigrants; the rush to the goldfields to dig or to serve the diggers; various trades and professions in the flourishing colonial years following the goldrush and the early years of the young Australia.

Accordingly They Came In Hope is a valuable and interesting story depicting many facets of Australian life from its earliest days to the late twentieth century.

From The Castlemaine Diggings To Toorak

This is the story of one of Australia’s forgotten heroes, a Cornish miner’s son born in the humblest of circumstances on the goldfields near Castlemaine in 1862.

Through native ability and sheer hard work, he became expert in the fields of metallurgy and the wool industry. He first gained public attention early in the first World War when he played a major role for the allied cause in totally reorganising Australia’s two most important industries onto a war footing. Honoured by governments and enjoying well-earned public respect, he gave most of his services to the State over a twelve year period in an honorary capacity.

In his private life he acquired considerable wealth for the times, and many institutions, mainly in Melbourne and Castlemaine, benefited from his donations and bequests—including Melbourne University, Castlemaine Art Gallery, several hospitals and the Flying Doctor Service.

Although mentioned in many books on history and the lives of others, there has never been a biography of Sir John Michael Higgins. This book by Frank South also includes a fascinating insight into the turbulent political, economic and social issues of his times.

An Obedient Servant

The life of a late-nineteenth century schoolteacher in rural Victoria was not easy. Isolation, substandard conditions, low pay, community indifference and a rampant bureaucracy were just a few of the impediments to be endured and, if possible, overcome.

James Mills Scott suffered all of these and much more. Through his many letters to the Education Department we are given a first-hand account of the endless battles he waged striving to improve his prospects. Full of self-justification, indignation and, occasionally, anger, these documents also provide unexpected glimpses of his family’s domestic life.

This volume gives a unique insight into the life of a typical schoolmaster and his relationship with the Victorian education establishment as it shed the rough edges of the gold-rush years and slowly gained stability, effectiveness and respect.

InVerse Too …

Emotions … A special something making us all equal … How we each display it, together with a host of other individual characteristics, is what sets usbeing different from each other … It is comforting nevertheless knowing, no matterculture, language, colour or background, here is the one thing we, as humans, all have within us.

Ingrid brings to her writing not only life’s experiences but also those as a migrant to Australia, her family’s migration and her travels with her husband. Above all, she is certain that the good lord has a lot to do with the whole exercise.

InVerse …

Old shoes or gateposts to waterfalls, autumn leaves or bumblebees … All these will be looked at differently as you accompany Ingrid and her thoughts … There will be tugs at the heart and some laughs along the way when you read about thoughts and feelings we have all had at some time or other travelling our own life’s highway … There is much to discover … then before you are finally through, continue the journey with her for a while longer in InVerse too …!

Ingrid brings to her writing not only life’s experiences but also those as a migrant to Australia, her family’s migration and her travels with her husband. Above all, she is certain that the good lord has a lot to do with the whole exercise.

The Lorne Drug Bust and other stories

Despite its title, The Lorne Drug Bust and other stories is not full of police drama. Time and again the heroes of Bob Nichol’s stories find love and contentment, sometimes unexpectedly, often in adversity, always with great civility.

This is the third volume of short stories PenFolk Publishing has produced for 93 year old Bob Nichol, and his seventh book overall—and, as he himself says: “I’ve still got six and a half years to go!”

Like A Yellow Butterfly

“We are all part of a great ancestral chain, hence, I believe Neta’s story cannot be told without delving into her family history. It doesn’t matter whether we come from a wealthy or a poor background, it is what we make of our own lives and the opportunities we meet along life’s way that is important.

Neta’s ancestors included adventurous men and women who braved the journey across the seas to begin new lives in the unknown colony of Australia.”

In Like A Yellow Butterfly Marion Lyon brings together a warmly human story of people whose lives were simply but honestly led, whose legacy is the contributions they have made to the various communities in which they have lived, and their numerous descendants who continue to be part of that mass we know as ‘the salt of the earth’.

Autumn Roses

“Somebody once said that writing poetry is a ‘superior amusement’, and I think I agree. Anyway, it has kept me amused, writing these poems.”

With those whimsical words retired medical practitioner Philip Armstrong leads us into his anthology which, he explains, has been “an interesting alternative to the operating theatre and the intensive care unit”.

While his medical career has been the obvious source of some of the poetic themes, he also reveals a keen eye observing the world around him and his own experience of its many and varied faces.

The Handspinner’s Companion

The Handspinner’s Companion is very much a “hands on” book, yet it brings together into one book the most comprehensive information ever gathered on hand knitting yarns, handspinning fibres and simple yarn design. Both beginners and experienced spinners alike will appreciate the background information and detailed instructions for using a variety of fibres to create unique yarns.

A Succeeding Generation

John Cossar had 36 grandchildren, of whom Kathleen is the youngest. She did not know her grandparents, but was always interested in family history and remembers very well in May 1954 asking her father Frank what he knew. The notes she took, now in fading ink, prompted Cossar Family of Yeungroon, published for the family reunion in 1988. That book included brief biographies of John’s children. These accounts of his grandchildren, with charts of their descendants, will help the extended families to know each other and appreciate their common heritage.

The photograph on the front cover shows John not long before he died in 1927, with Betsy Thiel, elder daughter of Mary. The horses were a team driven by Bill, son of Jim, and believed to be the last horse team used in the district, in the 1950s.

A Secret In The Forest

A young kangaroo was found abandoned and barely alive by Sam McTaggart, a gold mining prospector, as he roamed the countryside. He named the joey Kate, and an extraordinary friendship grew between them. After being released back into the forest, many years later she is reunited with Sam in an old mine tunnel where he has found a fortune of gold.

Meanwhile, in the dark of night, while a fierce storm lashes the land, the fearsome gang of feral cats and Trotter the pig is raiding the forest.

An exciting adventure takes place as Kate and the other animals fight to protect the forest, each other—and Sam and his grandchildren—from threat and danger.

Delaney Family Tree

150 years ago John and Bridget Delaney and six of their children landed at Port Fairy. They were followed a decade later by Bridget’s brother Edmund Dunne and his family.

Delaney Family Tree is a companion volume to Delaney’s Corner, and comprises family descendant charts of some 4,612 direct descendants and 1,285 marriages spanning eight generations in Australia.