Reverend Makepeace came in through the front door. ‘I’ve decided to drive Mr and Mrs Carrington and Pearlie to the train station. I think there might be enough room for you, Naoko. Would you like to come and say goodbye?’
‘Oh yes, please come,’ Pearlie said. But then she remembered how Naoko didn’t like leaving the house.
Naoko looked uneasy.
‘Please, Nao. It would mean the world to me,’ Pearlie whispered as she put her arms around her. ‘Just promise you won’t say goodbye, that’s all.’
Naoko put her shoulders back and seemed to stand up straighter.
‘Of course I will come. Nasty boys with stones wouldn’t keep me away.’ She smiled cheekily. ‘And wait until they see Tinto. That will give them a fright.’
Pearlie hugged Naoko. She could see some of the old Nao, the fearless, bossy Nao.
‘I love you, Nao.’
‘I love you too, Pearlie Chan.’
I am a fourth-generation Chinese Australian. My great-grandfather came to the Victorian goldfields from China in 1853. China was a very poor country and many people sailed across the sea in search of a better life.
My dad was born in Shanghai, China. He met my mum when he was sent to Australia by the Chinese government during World War Two. War separates some people and brings others together. It is strange to think that if World War Two hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have been born.
I grew up in the suburbs of Melbourne. I was a tomboy. I climbed trees, dug tunnels, built cubby houses. And like my main character, Pearlie, I loved animals.
I was born and grew up in Italy, a beautiful country to visit, but also a difficult country to live in for new generations.
In 2006, I packed up my suitcase and I left Italy with the man I love. We bet on Australia. I didn’t know much about Australia before coming – I was just looking for new opportunities, I guess.
And I liked it right from the beginning! Australian people are resourceful, open-minded and always with a smile on their faces. I think all Australians keep in their blood a bit of the pioneer heritage, regardless of their own birthplace.
Here I began a new life and now I’m doing what I always dreamed of: I illustrate stories. Here is the place where I’d like to live and to grow up my children, in a country that doesn’t fear the future.
Because of the war everything was in short supply and there were rules about what people could wear. These rules were known as ‘Fashions for Victory’. On 26th July 1942, the Minister for War Organisation of Industry announced the following changes:
Trimmings and ‘useless adornments’ were to be eliminated.
Men’s suits were called ‘Victory Suits’. Men in Pearlie’s time were used to wearing waistcoats, but waistcoats were abolished and there was to be no double-breasted jackets, no cuffs on trousers, no buttons on sleeves and no pockets in trousers.
Men’s socks were limited to plain styles in three shades only.
Women’s frocks, coats and suits also had to conform. They couldn’t be excessively full. Apron skirts, tiered skirts and petticoats were out, as were balloon and leg-o’-mutton sleeves. Frocks couldn’t have matching jackets or boleros or scarves. No evening dresses, wraps, cloaks, coats, riding breeches or ski suits were allowed. Party and speech-night frocks were out.
The maximum width for belts was two inches.
There were only two types of school tunics that were allowed to be worn by school children. And boys’ jackets had to be plain with a limit of three pockets.
In Pearlie’s day, many mums bought the material in the shops and made their own clothes. But these were also strictly regulated.
Kindergarten children wearing air-raid head gear designed to muffle sounds and prevent them from biting their tongues.
It’s 1930 and Daisy has finally had news that her dad is alive! He’s gravely injured somewhere in the bush, and though she doesn’t know quite where, Daisy is determined to find him. With help from old friends, she sets off on her way. But life on the road is hard, and before long, disaster strikes . . . Will Daisy reach Dad before it’s too late?
Follow Daisy on her adventure in the final of four exciting books about a hopeful girl in troubled times.
Michelle Hamer started out as a journalist, had seven adult books published, reviewed children’s books for newspapers, and finally, after all this practice, was ready to write her first children’s book, Meet Daisy.
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Text copyright © Gabrielle Wang, 2014
Illustrations copyright © Lucia Masciullo, 2014
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THE BEGINNING
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Pearlie's Ghost Page 6
