Children’s history author Susan Boyer will visit Central Tilba Public School on Monday, March 26 on a tour of the Far South Coast.
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The writer spoke on Monday, March 19 at Moruya Public School, on Tuesday, March 20, at Quaama Public School and on Wednesday, March 21, at Narooma Public School.
She will visit Merimbula Public School on Tuesday, March 27 and Pambula Public School on March 28.
Ms Boyers has written more than 20 non-fiction titles including Australian historical narratives.
Her tour is funded by a Cultural Fund administered by Australia's Copyright Agency (CAL) to bring engaging, educational stories into Australian classrooms.
Some convict men and women saw and seized the possibilities of their new situation and succeeded beyond their imagination
- Susan Boyer
Ms Boyer said interest in Australian history was growing and she wanted “to share exciting, inspirational stories from our past with young Australians”.
She tells stories about the adventures and misadventures of convicts and marines aboard the First Fleet, and their varied meetings with the Indigenous people who watched the ships arrive.
“The stories are based on the original journals, letters and oral accounts of those who lived in Sydney Cove after the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788.
“These author visits have been welcomed by schools as the talks link to the compulsory Australian Curriculum topics of 'First Fleet' and First Contact'.
In her latest book, Stories of Life at Sydney Cove, she describes the diverse experiences of people living in, and around, Australia's first penal settlement.
“Some convict men and women saw and seized the possibilities of their new situation and succeeded beyond their imagination,” Ms Boyer said.
It encourages kids to always ask: 'How do we know that?'
“Some failed disastrously.”
She said it was important for young Australians to get a balanced perspective on the past.
“Our children need to know what happened in our history in order to learn from past mistakes,” she said.
“Stories of Life at Sydney Cove is also about worlds colliding.
“No two societies were less alike than the British people about to land from the ships and the Indigenous people looking out from the shore at what appeared to them as 'winged islands' coming in from the sea.
“Yet meetings between the cultures would be diverse and dynamic. The mystery of a new world had begun and the lives of all involved would never be the same again.”
Ms Boyer said it was important to base her historical storytelling on accounts written at the time.
“By basing the stories on a range of original sources, we get varied perspectives on events,” she said.
Through hearing about the adventures, dilemmas and extraordinary experiences of people in our past, young people learn what is possible
“It helps build a balanced picture of what happened. It encourages kids to always ask: 'How do we know that?'”
“While appalling events in history should never be sugar-coated, swept under the carpet or disregarded, it's important that inspirational true stories also are heard, read and shared.
“Through hearing about the adventures, dilemmas and extraordinary experiences of people in our past, young people learn what is possible when people work to overcome incredible obstacles. Real life stories demonstrate how great things are achievable.”
Ms Boyer is the author of Across Great Divides: true stories of life at Sydney Cove, a non-fiction narrative based on the journals, letters and recorded oral accounts of those who experienced life in Australia's first colony. Stories of Life at Sydney Cove is an edition for younger readers.
Visit www.susanboyer.com.au
