Mates at Billabong

Billabong #2

by Mary Grant Bruce

Norah is the pet and close companion of her father, as she also is of her brother Jim and his friend Wally. When cousin Cecil arrives at Billabong, with his city airs and disdain of the ways and amusements of Bush life, the fun begins.

Genres: Australia, Childrens, Classics, Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Historical Fiction

223 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1912

About the author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Gra...

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billabong, a vast property in rural Victoria, was home to Norah and her father as they worked the cattle and the few sheep they had. Norah’s brother Jim was in his final year of school in Melbourne and in the lead-up to Christmas, he would be home for good. She couldn’t wait to see him again. But before that could happen, a cousin, Cecil, arrived for a visit from Sydney. He hated the bush and everything it stood for – it made them wonder why he had come.

Jim and his mate Wally arrived by train in due course. The farm hands plus Mrs Brown (Brownie) and her girls in the house all prepared for Christmas. Norah, at fourteen was excited. But the most enjoyment she derived from her days was riding Bobs, her mare, and helping her father on Billabong. Life was good - nothing could possibly go wrong.

Mates at Billabong is the 2nd in the Billabong series by Aussie author Mary Grant Bruce, and was originally published in 1912. For a book which is 106 years old, it was a delight – totally enjoyable with quite a few laugh out loud moments – mainly because of the antics between Jim, Wally and Norah. But there were some sad moments as well, and I will admit to needing the tissues. This one, and a few of the others in the series, are available for free through Project Gutenberg, which is where I picked up this copy. Highly recommended.

[Leonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up for free on Amazon, and decided to take a walk down memory lane with it, and also read it as part of my contribution to the AWWC 2013. I first read it as a child in the seventies, when my mother introduced me to Mary Grant Bruce's Billabong books. I was intrigued to see if the book would live up to my memories of it.

As I read, I was impressed by the quality of the writing and also the story telling. One of my concerns in re-reading it as an adult, was whether I'd be annoyed by either sexism or racism, as revisiting some of my old favourites from years ago has been an uncertain process. Mates at Billabong was first published in 1912 - one hundred and one years ago. When you take that into account, I came to the conclusion that Mary Grant Bruce was an amazingly advanced thinker for her time. Obviously there are some significant differences in character portrayal than there would be in current writing - I'm thinking about Norah, the main character in particular. She's a fourteen year old girl, who despite riding astride (still somewhat revolutionary at that time), chasing bullocks, cracking a whip and being able to handle a revolver, she is still considered too fragile for attending to veterinary tasks. Having said that, for a woman of her time, she's portrayed as much more independent than the average female.

There are several characters of different races portrayed in the novel, but Mary Grant Bruce has characterised them as real human beings, even if some of the comments in the story sound "wrong" to a twenty first century reader, and would actually be considered offensive by today's standards. If you consider the cultural thinking of the time, then the author was probably quite brave to write as she did. I actually enjoyed reading her descriptions and I did wonder if she had ended up in any trouble as a result of them.

So did the story hold up as well as I thought it would? Absolutely. I found myself swept up in the story, and I read until later at night than I'd first planned. I was just as saddened (OK I confess - I cried) when Bobs died, as I was at the age of twelve. I loved the descriptions of the Australian bush, and probably because "boiling the billy" has been a major part of my life, I could almost smell the woodsmoke and eucalyptus (with a hint of spinifex and mulga!) wafting through the room as I read. I found myself wanting to re-read all of the books again. Will I go looking for some more of her books? Yes, I think I will. I'll wander down memory lane and listen for the sounds and smells of the bush, and for a few hours be transported back to my childhood.

[Julie Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't beat a classic!

[Rozanna Lilley]

An odd mix that perhaps sums up Australian nationalism at the turn of last century - an extolling of the virtues of bush life; a portrait of a girl who embraces athleticism and stoic endurance; an attack on the British class system; casual racism towards Chinese and Indians masquerading as benevolent paternalism and, above all, a paean to mateship.

[Laura McCormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite Billabong book! Norah and Jim's cousin, Cecil, comes to stay over Christmas. He does not fit in at all at Billabong. It is Norah's last summer at Billabong before she starts at boarding school, and everyone is determined to make the best of it.
This is the book where MGB hit her stride. Wally is back, bless Wally, I adore Wally. It introduces Monarch and Garryowen, the horses who will be with us until Billabong Riders, written in the 1940s. This book has everything I want from Billabong books - cattle musters, a barn dance. I can almost smell the hot dry grass and peppercorn trees.

[Highlyeccentric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't believe that I, as a child, religiously read and re-read this book which contains a full chapter detailed account of a cricket match. I'm also kind of confused because the opposing town name is that of an area now an outlying suburb of sydney - what were they doing in rural victoria? Etc.

Again, the racisms. MGB keeps describing turban-wearing characters as 'hindu'. That's... not how it works.

Also notable: the sharp shift in gendering in this book. Norah's a bit older, and there's a LOT of emphasis on her 'womanly' traits as counter to her practical tomboyisms. And the demonisation of cousin Cecil! It's basically all 'lack of rugged masculinity = evil and also selfish". Just. I really felt like the DEATH of Bobs the pony was unnecesary here, even given Cecil's established character. A good fall from the horse and a long walk home would've taught him his lesson, and then he could be rebuked for un-permitted pony-borrowing. The death was just excessive, and really only served to prove that the unmanly man was INHUMANE so there.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This the second book in the Billabong series. Although still a children's book, there are some surprisingly dark almost mature themes. A city cousin comes to visit Norah and her brother Jim out on the cattle ranch during school holidays. He is not a good addition to the group and his behavior ultimately creates some near-tragic situations.

[Hannah (Fully Booked Penguin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Positives: The Main Characters (Wally especially), family dynamics, station hands' friendship and protectiveness, captures old Australian mateship well.
Negatives: Racist attitude of some side-characters, animal abuse
Keeping in mind that this book was written in the early 1900's and is based around that time too, so there are definitely a few societal/racial views that while accurate to the time, aren't exactly right or tasteful.
That acknowledged, it captures the rural Australian mateship and community of the outback really well. So of course it features a cricket game, mustering cattle, and beloved horses.
The work hands and family are so caring and hard working together that it's heartwarming to read. From Norah with her mix of enthusiasm for the bush and horses and heart for kindness, to her protective and caring brother Jim, to my favourite lad, Wally, they all have a way of winning you over.
Keep in mind this book does feature harsh animal cruelty near the end, and the culprit doesn't seem to get his justice served to him unfortunately, though the crew do threaten it.

[Brit McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brutal.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number 2 of the Billabong series. I was more engaged with this second book. I couldn’t put it down from the halfway mark! Bring on the next one.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember walking into a bookshop in 2000 with my mum and getting very excited because I found a book that had illustrations by a guy who's paintings we had up at home. That book was A Little Bushmaid. I read it and fell in love with it. But I thought it was the only book in the series.

Then in 2001 (my first year of high school), I was exploring the library and got really excited when I realised there were more books in the series. I immediately borrowed them and fell more in love with this series.

It's a series I go back to at least twice a year. Norah, Jim, Wally, Mr Linton, Brownie, and the rest are firmly in my heart, as are the adventures they get up to.

If you have family who have been on the land, you'll enjoy this series of books. If you enjoy reading about ordinary people getting into extraordinary adventures, you'll enjoy these books.