The Runaway Settlers

The Runaway Settlers

By Elsie Locke

ISBN13: 9781869507695

RRP $19.99

Synopsis

The year is 1859 and the small family arrives in the Canterbury colony without a penny to their name.  Mother and six children have a hard beginning to their new life - all the more since they are runaways from a cruel father and husband in Australia.  But there are adventures ahead...

This long-established and well-loved classic by renowned author Elsie Locke was first published in 1965, and now returns to print as a Collins Modern New Zealand Classic.

'This is a true story, and I have added my imagination where I couldn't find out what really happened.  Mary Elizabeth Small and her family, the other Governors Bay settlers, and (Sir) John Cracroft Wilson were real people.'

'Before I began writing I read many old newspapers, books, diaries and documents, and I looked at maps and sketches, until I felt as if I was living in those times and places.  Brief accoutns of the Small family had appeared in two books: Brave Days, published in 1940 by the Women's Division of Federated Farmers, and Old Homes, Lytleton Harbour, by Frances Cresswell.  Comparing them with other sources i found inaccuracies in both accounts.'

'I was glad of personal help from several descendants of Mary Elizabeth Small.  Four grandshildren, all over eighty years of age, were still living.  These were Alfred Small (son of Jim); Charles Small and Emma Sopence (children of Archie); and Isa Greaves (daughter of Jack).  I also talked with people wo could tell me about early days around Lyttleton Harbour, Cashmere, and the Berrima district of New South Wales.'

'It takes many people to write this sort of book and I remain grateful to them all.'  Elsie Locke.

About the Author

Elsie Locke (1912-2001) was born in Waiuku, a country town south-west of Auckland, and was reaised on stories of goldfields and bushfelling.  She gaines a B.A. degree from the University of Auckland, and moved to Christchurch in 1941, where she married Jack Locke and raised a family of four children.

She began to write seriously when her elder children were in high school, and was drawn mainly to historical themes or contemporary problems.  She was deeply interested in world peace and in the environment, and was one of the founders of the Campaign for Nuclear Disramament in New Zealand.  Elsie was also a feminist and wrote more than 20 books including a series of social history booklets for schools, and studied the Maori language in order to better understand the Maori culture and history she portrayed in her writing. 

In 1987, Elsie Locke was awarded an honorary D.Litt. from the University of Canterbury in recognition of her contribution to New Zealand society as a writer, historian and leader in peace movements and women's affairs.  She received the Margaret Mahy Medal Award in 1995 for her contributions to children's literature.  Among her many popular books for children are A Canoe in the Mist and The End of the Harbour.

Review

The Runaway Settlers is an action-packed true story that takes the reader back to colonial New Zealand - depicting the struggles, hardships, successes and simple joys of the Small family.

Elsie Locke's gripping account will appeal to the older reader/early teens who will enjoy learning about how different life was 150 years ago.

This much-loved award-winning tale of adventure in colonial New Zealand is a timeless classic worthy of a place within every New Zealand family's home library.

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