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A Cargo of Women: Susannah Watson & the convicts of the Princess Royal
1988 Hardback edition published by University of New South Wales Press, Sydney
A lifelong interest in history and the discovery that her great grandmother was transported to Australia as a convict, prompted Babette Smith to write a book not only about her ancestor but about the 99 other women who were transported on the ship Princess Royal with her. In 1988 it was published in hardback to critical acclaim. Described as 'a lasting contribution to Australian history', the book was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Awards.
A Cargo of Women traces the chequered story of one hundred women transported together as convicts in 1829 on the ship Princess Royal. Caught in an England convulsed by industrial change, they became the unwitting and unwilling pioneers of a new land.
Framing them all is the story of the indomitable Susannah Watson who, trapped in the crowded filthy slums of Nottingham, stole because she 'could not bear to see her children starving'. Separated forever from her husband and four children, she was transported for 14 yearrs but served 16. She endured the convict system at its worst, yet emerged triumphant to die in her bed aged 83 singing 'Rock of Ages'.
The originality of A Cargo of Women is enhanced by the inclusion of 15 previously unpublished letters written by Susannah Watson, which were discovered by amazing coincidence after work on this book was well underway.
What they said about A Cargo of Women: Susannah Watson & the convicts of the Princess Royal:
...a fascinating detailed account of life for 100 convict women in early New South Wales. Their hardships, their resiliences, their courage, are graphically portrayed
Patricia Grimshaw, Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne
...not just another bit of bicentennial bashing - almost everything you ever wanted to know about other people's ancestors is right here!
Margaret Whitlam
An absorbing and highly readable account of 1100 female prisoners...Based on wide research, it analyses in fascinating detail their varied background and experiences. The result is a full, rounded picture that adds significantly to our understanding of the female convicts, the conditions under which they served their sentences and the lives they subsequently led.
Brian H. Fletcher, Bicentennial Professor of Australian History, University of Sydney
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CARGO OF WOMEN PAPERBACK EDITIONS |
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1992 First paperback edition by Pan Macmillan Publishers, Australia
What they said:
Restores some of the women prisoners to their rightful places as people with the individuality which made each of them unique
Norma Townsend, Push Journal, University of New England
The colonial life of Susannah Watson offers an effective rejoinder to The Fatal Shore
A.T. Yarwood, The Independent
2005 Second paperback edition by Rosenberg Publishing, Dural, New South Wales
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A Cargo of Women: the novel
First published by Pan Macmillan, Australia 1991
The success of A Cargo of Women: Susannah Watson and the convicts of the Princess Royal encouraged Babette Smith to explore the subject further in popular fiction.
In 1991, A Cargo of Women: the novel took the story to a wider audience. The factual base behind the fiction resulted in one critic hailing is as 'earthy and honest' and another commenting that 'Its fidelity to history and the convincing picture it gives of the curious sisterhood which bound the women convicts, puts it streets ahead of most...historical fiction today'.
What they said
Some purists were outraged by the decision to turn A Cargo of Women into a popular novel but the book sold thousands of copies, its gold lettering and sexy, romantic cover selling particularly well at airports. When she received a fan letter from a fifteen year old girl asking for more, Babette Smith knew that she had succeeded in her aim to reach an audience who would never have read the non-fiction version.
A new edition of the novel was published by Pan Macmillan in 2010
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Mothers and Sons
1995 first published by Allen and Unwin, Australia
1995 paperback edition published by Allen and Unwin, Australia
Based on frank and revealing interviews with mothers and sons of all ages, Babette Smith's ground-breaking book tells the truth about this crucial relationship. She probes behind the myths and the silences to uncover some surprising answers.
Many middle-aged sons confess to being bored in their mother's company. Many say they felt unloved as children, but have forgotten that masculine pressures made them reject their mothers' affection. On the other hand,mothers are afraid of being too possessive, too seductive or too domineering with their sons.
Today's young sons often have better relationships with their mothers, but the old patterns persist. Mothers and Sons may help to bridge the gulf between women and men.
What they said:
With compassion, frankness and insight, Babette Smith exposes the dangers of gender stereotypes and encourages a more realistic appreciation of the needs which are unique to every relationship.
Hugh Mackay
...fascinating and poignant insights into the changing nature of mother-son relationships
Bettina Arndt
A compassionate, insightful and timely exploration of a core element in male identity...
Terry Colling, author of Beyond Mateship
As the mother of two sons, I want everyone to read it
Wendy McCarthy AO
FROM A READER OF MOTHERS AND SONS:
Dear Ms Smith,
I have read the book 'Mothers and Sons' and I want to thank you with all my heart for writing it. It has lifted an incredible burden off me - I carried the guilt for 35 years. I thought something was terribly wrong with me. Sometimes I wished we would all die, then none of it would matter. But now I see there are millions like me - mothers who love their sons. So I'm not crazy I'm on nearly every page- and from page 20 onwards I think you wrote it just for me.
Now I give you my grateful thanks because it has eased my sadness and fear - and unbearable pain. I'm really ashamed of all this - so please don't tell that I wrote, or say my name. My son lives in New York and his wife is American, and I'm nothing to the baby - hey, this was only going to be a thank you note - not a sad story of how I miss my boy. God bless you.
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Coming Up for Air; the story of the New South Wales Asthma Foundation
2003 published by Rosenberg Publishing and the Asthma Foundation of New South Wales
The powerful story of the energy and determination of two mothers in the 1960s whose young children were stricken with severe asthma.
Dismissed by the medical profession as over-emotional, Mickie Halliday and Leila Schmidt resolved to find their own solution. Helped by friends, like Dr Clair Isbister, and an army of committed volunteers, they created the Asthma Foundation of NSW whose establishment pushed Australian medical scientists to the forefront of asthma research.
The evolving role of women underlies the forty year history of the Asthma Foundation. Set in the Sydney of the 60s and 70s, Coming Up for Air, is an evocative social history that depicts the attitudes and prejudices of the times. In 1961, a committee meeting for socialites Mrs Max (Mickie) Halliday and Mrs Arthur (Leila) Schmidt meant hats and gloves and ressing to the hilt. In this climate, Mickie and Leila struggled to be taken seriously. But one of the first recipients of funding from their fledgling Foundation was Professor Ann Woolcock who later achieved global eminence for her work as medical scientist and clinician in the field of asthma.
The story of the Asthma Foundation is also a template for the organisational politics that can threaten the success of such ventures. Coming Up for Air is a no-holds-barred account of a clash between ideas and egos, of conflict, which ensued when dedicated amateurs outraged a conservative profession. In particular, it details a titanic battle between the two eminent, male-dominated professions of law and medicine.
In Coming Up for Air, Babette Smith gives a compelling account of the romance and tragedy, the passion and conflict of people doing something worthwhile.
What they said
A specialized institutional history in which Babette was able to capture the tensions and rivalries within the Asthma Foundation, as well as record its many achievements and put them in a broad social and medical-research context. An exemplary book of its type. Carl Harrison Ford, Editor
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