Billabong's Daughter, by Mary Grant Bruce

Reviewed by Tash Hughes

Billabong’s Daughteris the eighth in a series of fifteen books about Norah Linton and her family on their station, Billabong. The series was very popular with girls as they were printed, and has touched generations of Australians and others.

Billabong is an isolated cattle station in Northern Victoria in the early 1900s. Having never known her Mother, Norah lives with her Father, David, elder brother, Jim, and adopted brother, Wally.

Norah and the boys are now young adults, newly returned to Australia from World War I. They have settled back into farm life and the local community. New chums, Bob and Tommy Rainham, have found a farm close to Billabong and are rapidly learning about life in Australia, greatly aided by the Linton family.

An on-the-run thief in the district, who finds Tommy alone at her home, excites the township of Cunjee. Eventually, Jim and the others discover the man, struggling to survive in the hills, and they take pity on him.

Norah and Tommy befriend an Irish woman and her daughter when their horse runs off with them. Later, they care for the girl whilst her mother is in hospital. Norah reflects on her own lack of Mother and enjoys playing a nurturing role towards the child.

A lone bull confronts Norah, but is driven off by a furious Wally who keeps the episode secret from Jim. Wally keeping things quiet is unusual and Jim finds this behaviour puzzling until Wally admits his feelings for Norah are more than brotherly. Feeling he has betrayed the Lintons, Wally returns to Queensland upon his brother’s death and doesn’t plan to return.

Again, Bruce has written a pleasant story of characters who are moral and generous. It tells of simpler times and avoids covering adult subjects in depth.

Billabong’s Daughter, by Mary Grant Bruce
Ward, Lock & Co, 1924

Captain Jim, by Mary Grant Bruce

Reviewed by Tash Hughes

Captain Jim is the sixth in a series of fifteen books about Norah Linton and her family on their station, Billabong. The series was very popular with girls as they were printed, and has touched generations of Australians and others. Billabong is an isolated cattle station in Northern Victoria in the early 1900s. Having never known her Mother, Norah lives with her Father, David, elder brother, Jim, and their friend, Wally Meadows.

The family is in England during the first world war and Norah has just inherited a large home in Surrey from an Irishman they had adventures with in the previous book. Wally sees that Norah and her Father can somehow use the house to aid the war whilst he and Jim are off fighting.

Norah sets up the house as a home for lonely soldiers on leave and those recovering from injuries. They find people to work with them in the house and on the surrounding farmlet. It is not much later that Jim and Wally return to the front as soldiers again.

Soldiers from Jim and Wally’s regiment are the first guests, including their Major’s family who stays with them for the war’s duration. Australians become frequent visitors, also, including Harry Trevor a friend from the first Billabong book.

After a while, the house is very busy and often full. Norah and David Linton fit into the country life around them, even joining in a spring hunt. It is upon their return from the hunt that the telegram arrives with news of Jim’s death.

This news is a hard blow to Norah and her Father, and keeps Wally from visiting them in his guilt and anguish. Being in the house of soldiers gives them a purpose to continue on and many support them in their grief. Grant finishes the book six months later, at Christmas, with family celebrations including all the house guests.

Captain Jim, by Mary Grant Bruce
Ward, Lock and Co, 1919

Norah of Billabong, by Mary Grant Bruce

Reviewed by Tash Hughe

Norah of Billabongis the third in a series of fifteen books about Norah Linton and her family on their station, Billabong. The series was very popular with girls as they were printed, and has touched generations of Australians and others. Billabong is an isolated cattle station in Northern Victoria in the early 1900s. Having never known her Mother, Norah lives with her Father, David, elder brother, Jim, and their friend, Wally Meadows.

This book opens with the closing of Norah’s first year at school. Although Bruce takes care not to portray school in very negative terms, it is clear that Norah longs for the bush, the cattle station and her Father.

For the first time, Norah develops a female friendship in the form of Jean Yorke. Jean’s family is in New Zealand so she spends the summer at Billabong with the Lintons and Wally.

Before leaving the city, David Linton treats them to a pantomime and dinner, which greatly excites the country-bred children. The morning is spent doing Christmas shopping and a charitable visit to a children’s hospital. As usual, Bruce introduces her characters to the “right thing” without moralizing about it to her readers.

Back at the station, the children settle into horse riding, mustering, working and playing. Their lives are interrupted by Wally’s misadventure with a snake and a lazy station hand.

The disgruntled station hand was dismissed, but, in a drunken state, took his revenge by starting a bushfire on the station. No lives were lost, but the house was uninhabitable for a while so David took the children on a horseback holiday. Their holiday adventures complete the book.

Norah of Billabong, by Mary Grant Bruce
Ward, Lock & Co, 1913

About the Reviewer: Tash has always been an avid reader, which has lead her to running her own writing business. Melbourne born and bred Tash is proud to be an Australian and be Mum to two beautiful little girls. To learn more about Tash and her writing, visit Wordconstructions

A Little Bush Maid, by Mary Grant Bruce

Reviewed by Tash Hughes
Eleven year-old Norah Linton lives on an isolated cattle station in Northern Victoria in the early 1900s. Having never known her Mother, she lives with her Father, David, and elder brother, Jim.

After introducing Norah and her life, A Little Bush Maid tells the story of Jim’s return from his first term at boarding school in Melbourne. Jim brings along two mates, Wally Meadows and Harry Trevor, and the four youngsters enjoy the Easter holidays together.

The four children entertain themselves riding horses, going on picnics and running a menagerie race in the home paddock. They also cheerfully take care of their pets and various jobs around the station. All four, although the eldest is only fifteen, have a great sense of maturity and a desire to “do the right thing”; although they also have a certain naiveté compared to their twenty-first century contemporaries.

One morning, the foursome goes on a fishing expedition, accompanied by the aboriginal station hand, Billy. Billy is a pleasant character although somewhat patronized, as was the norm in those times; he is patronized, but at the same time, he is treated as human and respected by the family.

Norah gets bored of fishing and the boys’ talk, so she walks into the bush alone. Unexpectedly, she stumbles across a clearing where a man has set up camp. The man is equally surprised to see Norah, but is very polite and friendly to her. The Hermit, as Norah labels him, joins them for lunch and more fishing.

David has been called to Sydney before they return to the station and doesn’t return until after the boys return to school. The hermit isn’t mentioned again until Norah hears of an escaped criminal and wonders if the two are the same.

A few unexpected twists and the hermit’s identity is revealed at the end of the book.

This book was published nearly one hundred years ago, so it tells of a simpler time in rural Australia. Without being moralistic, it teaches children the virtues of hard work, helping others and treating others with respect and compassion. The adventures are no less exciting for lacking violence, bad language and sex, and the story shows one aspect of the Australian heritage in an easy to read format.

A Little Bush Maid is the first in a series of fifteen books about Norah and her family on their station, Billabong. The series was very popular with girls as they were printed, and has touched generations of Australians and others.

A Little Bush Maid,by Mary Grant Bruce
First Published in 1910 by Ward, Lock & Co
Current edition published by Harper Collins

About the Reviewer: Tash has always been an avid reader, which has lead her to running her own writing business. Melbourne born and bred Tash is proud to be an Australian and be Mum to two beautiful little girls. To learn more about Tash and her writing, visit Wordconstructions