Footprints on the Sands of Time

by Joyce Munnich

Gripping epic of the white settlers of Queensland's Fitzroy River region and the decendants of the Wara-bura aborigine clan. Set at the end of WW1, the story follows the interactions of the Aboriginal and white grazier families, revealing a willingness to trust and an ability to adapt. Massacres and murders occur yet the story is one of reconciliation.

620 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book by an unknown author. My understanding is that the manuscript for this book was written over 20 years ago, was discovered by her son who compiled it and then published it. It has been an absolute privilege to have read it.

What an absolutely amazing saga. I was enthralled with this book from beginning to end and was sad to see it come to an end as I wanted to read more. The story begins in 1854 in Queensland, Australia when a young aboriginal girl, Kalula, is found raped and left for dead. She had been raped by a white man and eventually gives birth to a boy, Karna, who is considered to be a half caste. Meanwhile, in the next chapter we meet Anne Levilier who comes out from England to meet up with her new husband who was one of the first white graziers to settle in Northern Queensland and we follow the arduous journey that they made to the far north.

Chapters alternate with one chapter telling of the white man’s life and the next chapter telling of the aboriginal way of life. The stories parallel each other throughout the book being separate but intertwined as a result of the rape. The story follows two generations of the Levillier family as well as Kalula’s descendant’s right through to WW1 with the horrific account of war in Gallipoli and the Gaza Peninsula. The descriptions of the massacres of both whites and blacks are truly horrific and sobering and with the white man’s settlement of Rockhampton and Mackay came the squalid conditions for many aboriginals.

At the end of the story, the story comes full circle. It covers two different cultures over a few generations. It covers the hardships that both the white man and the aborigines endured during the early settlement of Queensland. It covered forbidden love and many tragedies but much happiness as well. I loved equally the characters in both cultures. The values of different cultures were described with great sensitivity as well as the cold hard reality of the horrors these people endured. This story is empowering as when the story came full circle, the issue of reconciliation was evident in the way people were eventually respected for being different and were encouraged to live and interact together. This was a wonderful story and I feel like I have learned so much about the early Queensland years and how both whites and aborigines have the ability to adapt, respect and trust each other.

[Kathryn Munnich · Rating 5 out of 5]

My clever Nanna wrote this book! Absolutely fantastic story!