Publisher's Synopsis
Author's Note
In 2024, I attended an ANZAC Service in Clifton, Queensland, where a heartfelt poem was read by an old Digger. The service was deeply moving-just one of many commemorations held across our great country of Australia. The sense of gratitude and respect for our servicemen and women was tangible. It's a feeling I know well, having had many family members who have fought for Australia's freedom and future.
Indeed, all those who have fought for, or helped build, our great nation-regardless of cultural heritage-have my utmost admiration and respect. As the song written in 1987 by Bruce Woodley (The Seekers) and Dobe Newton (The Bushwackers) so powerfully expresses: "We are one, but we are many ... I am, you are, we are Australian" (Lyrics.com)
My hope is that the 'Along the tracks of Cobb and Co.' Book Series, is not only an engaging read but pays homage to the pioneers of Australia-including the firm of Cobb and Co., 1854-1929.
'Along the tracks of Cobb and Co.'-Back to the Beginning' (Victoria & the Goldfields) explores the commencement of Cobb and Co. in 1854, by the Americans. Travel through Melbourne, and beyond, as you revisit Victoria during the gold rush years.
"Place, the front of Adams and Co.'s express office ... Four unmistakably well-bred quadrupeds paw Collins street eager for action ... [Passengers] take their places upon seats ranged very conveniently in three rows on the inside, and the body of the vehicle is very comfortably hooped and canvassed over as a protection from the weather. There are also other seats on the outside, almost all of which are soon occupied ... 'the hour is come' ... [The driver] very deliberately mounts the box ... gathered the ribbons in his hands, when one-two-goes the Post Office clock. Before the third stroke, off bounds our nags ... we rattle away through the yet clear Elizabeth-street at the satisfactory rate of some eleven or twelve miles an hour ... what a terrible noise the coach makes, I hope we shall have no accident ... they dash through a deep mud hole. Bump goes every head nearly to the ceiling of the coach, and down comes every one upon his seat ... then the new passenger, a lucky digger, jumps in and takes his seat. Away go the prads as before at a rattling pace. The bumps are occasionally almost dislocative of the anatomy of the passengers ..." Clearly, the grand old days of Cobb and Co. were not all romance and high adventure!
Now you may ask, What makes this book series different? While many works on Cobb and Co. revisit well-worn narratives, my aim is to retell the story with authenticity-drawing primarily on excerpts written between the mid-1800s and early 1900s, and in doing so, allowing history to speak for itself. Historical accuracy has been carefully maintained, with original spelling,
punctuation, and grammar preserved throughout. The evolution of photography-evident in both the availability and quality of surviving images-further enriches this story of change.
I acknowledge that the accounts in this series only briefly touch on the rich cultural history of Australia's First Peoples and their interactions with others during this period of colonisation.
