The author of a book about a young girl growing up beside the Murray River during The Great Depression is coming to Corryong to talk about her work.
Cathy Hope’s book ‘Murray River Girl’ is a true story about Roma, the daughter of a swagman and shearer’s cook, who lived in a makeshift tent beside the river until she was eleven years old.
Set in Australia during the era of the Great Depression, polio epidemic and World War II this is the true story of an adventurous little girl and her faithful companion Teddy.
From her birth on April 25th, 1934 until eleven 1945, Roma lived on the banks of the Murray River at Coomealla in New South Wales in a tent home constructed from bush timber and wheat sacks and with a dirt floor.
Prior to Roma’s birth, her father was a homeless swaggie without a job. Roma’s mother was a shearer’s cook so was away from home for about three months very year.
Roma’s story evolves as she roams around freely playing at the riverbank and in the bush with her special playmates including indigneous children of the Baakandji River People.
As Roma’s adventures unfold the Murray River and its environment, paddle steamers, swaggies, drovers, gypsies, hawkers, travelling circuses, rabbit plagues, drought and dust storms are all featured.
Roma’s interaction and relationship with Australian animals and birds is also a highlight of her young life.
Her Anzac Day birthday is focal to her story as well. Themes include friendship, home schooling, connection with nature, courage, hardship, suffering, anxiety, resilience, rite of passage and family and love.
“This true story, that began almost a century ago, is of cultural, social, historical and environmental significance and deserves to be shared,” Cathy Hope said. “For young Australians it mirrors many current struggles.”
The author will be giving two talks at the Elyne Mitchell Library on Tuesday 18th July.
At 10:30am she will be discussing her book with 60 students from Corryong College and at 1:00pm the public is invited for a talk.
“I’m hoping that for my second talk that there will be older residents from Corryong and surrounds who lived through the Great Depression and who will relate in many ways to this true story,” Cathy added.
Signed copies of ‘Murray River Girl’ will be available on the day for $20.
Footnote: Julian Bruere, the artist who painted the classic cover for ‘the book also painted alpine scenes for the television series ‘Silver Brumby’, which was based on a series of books by Elynne Mitchell.
This article appeared in the Corryong Courier, 13 July 2023.
