Books from the Orange District

Non-Fiction

Wool Sheds The Anvils That Forged a Nation

by Russell Moor Hardback 2009 RRP $60.00
Local historian Russell Moor brings to life the history of the wool sheds and an industry that is the very roots of our development as a nation, the Australian wool industry. Much of the book is about wool sheds in the local region such as Coombing Park and Errowanbang.

The Vietnam Years From the Jungle to the Australian Suburbs

by Michael Caufield 2008 RRP $24.99

The Vietnam War was a bitter time for many people. Those soldiers who were ordered to go felt betrayed when they returned. Michael, who lives in Orange, tells of this period from all sides. It covers the politics, the history - the personal story of many involed both here and in Vietnam. It is not a military history but rather the story of the people involved in these events. Highly recommended.

Judas Kisses a True Story of Betrayal and Survival

by Donna Carson, 2007. RRP $22.95

On Good Friday 1994 Donna Carson was bashed, doused in petrol and set alight by her de facto partner at Guerie, NSW. She suffered full-thickness burns to 65% of her body and spent the next 6 months in hospital lapsing in and out of consiousness. While she was recouperating social services took her two young sons away. She had to fight to regain custody of her children. It is an astonishing story, where a victim turns survivor and demands to be seen and heard.

Half a World Away, Postwar Immigration to the Orange District 1948-1965

by Elizabeth Edwards, 2007. RRP $39.95

Orange journalist Liz Edwards has compiled a tribute to the hundreds of families who left conflict, uncertainity and economic chaos in Europe after World War II in the hope of attaining a stable, prosperous lifestyle in the Orange District. It is a beautifully presented book with lots of photographs.

Wild Ride, The Rise and Fall of Cobb & Co

by Sam Everingham, 2007. RRP $26.95

Cobb & Co dominated transport and communication from Castlemain to Cooktown from the 1850's and owning much of the land in between. They were pioneers carving a path through ortherwise unpassable land, settling unsetted land, enduring bushrangers and terrible accidents and making their fortunes. It was run by the Whitney and Rutherford families, who were unrivalled in their influence and later had a final vicious falling out. The author had complete access to these families letters and diaries. There were major coach offices at both Orange and Bathurst. The Whitneys family property was at nearby "Coombing Park" near Carcoar so much of the action is centred around central NSW.

The Forgotten Children, Fairbridge Farm School and Its Betrayal of Australia's Child Migrants

by David Hill, 2007. RRP $24.95

Fairbridge Farm was located near Molong, north of Orange. From 1938 to 1974 thousands of UK parents were persuaded to sign over legal guardianship of their children to solve the problem of child poverty in Britain while populating Australia. For the first time read the story of the lives of the Fairbridge childen written by one who lived it.

"You'll Never Take Me Alive" the Life and Death of Bushranger Ben Hall

by Nick Bleszynski, 2005. RRP $24.95

A powerful tale of the life of Ben Hall,a hero in the great outlaw tradition. After being falsely imprisioned for bushranging Hall decided he might as well do what he was accused of and so he bailed up more banks, stations, squatters and towns than any other bushranger. Mixing archival research, folklore and the power of imagination the author recreates Halls life and struggles.

The Glint of Gold, a History and Tourist Guide of the Gold Fields of the Central West of New South Wales

by Kerrin Cook and Daniel Garvey, 1999. RRP $55.00

The first official gold discovery in Australia was at nearby Ophir in 1851. This spawned the development of many towns in the Central West over the next 50 years. Local historian Kerrin Cook details the many gold fields in this region. It is a fascinating piece of local history and with the information given in this book many of these sites can now be located.