Her daughter Charlotte was also a strong, talented woman. Her outstanding academic results were recorded in the Sydney Morning Herald in 1842. She was engaged to William Cummings when she was only fifteen, but they did not marry. She eloped with Thomas McNeilly, a charming Irish coachman, and was married on her nineteenth birthday. Some of her paintings and sketches still survive, as well as an account she wrote about her family published in the Australian Town and Country Journal when she was in her late seventies.
I chose to tell this tale as stories within stories to acknowledge the importance of oral history within families, passing down wisdom and knowledge from generation to generation.
I would like to thank many members of my extended family for sharing their own anecdotes and research but particularly: my mother Gilly Evans, Jan Gow, Neil McCormack, Paula MacMillan-Perich, Kaye McBride, Margaret Broadbent, Jen Paterson and Elaine Johns.
As well as the oral history of my own family, I was able to draw on many details recorded in the prolific writings of the family – books, journals, newspaper articles and letters written by James Atkinson, Charlotte Waring Atkinson, Charlotte Atkinson McNeilly and Louisa Atkinson. Some of these publications included A Mother’s Offering to Her Children by A Lady Long Resident in New South Wales (Charlotte Atkinson), Journal written on board the Cumberland by Charlotte Waring (her maiden name), An Account of the State of Agriculture and Grazing in New South Wales by Charlotte’s first husband James Atkinson, novels by Louisa Atkinson including Gertrude the Emigrant, Tom Hellicar’s Children and Debatable Ground, as well as Louisa’s collection of newspaper articles including The Native Arts, Excursions from Berrima, Recollections of the Aborigines and A Voice from the Country. The Atkinson family left an incredible legacy for future generations about life in the nineteenth century.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Patricia Clarke and her wonderful book: Pioneer Writer – the life of Louisa Atkinson: Novelist, journalist, naturalist. The extracts of letters in this book are from actual correspondence between the executors of James Atkinson’s estate (Alexander Berry and John Coghill) and Charlotte Atkinson, which were quoted in Pioneer Writer. Another invaluable modern source was The Natural Art of Louisa Atkinson by Elizabeth Lawson. In addition, many books gave me an insight into everyday life in the mid-nineteenth century including: Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management, The Letters of Rachel Henning and What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Poole.
I spent many hours searching Trove – the National Library of Australia’s digitised collection of newspapers. The Sydney Herald, Australian Town and Country, Sydney Mail and Sydney Gazette have dozens of newspaper articles about Oldbury, the Atkinsons, the protracted legal battle, John Lynch, the Cummings family, letters written by George Barton and even his death notice. The staff at the Berrima District Historical and Family History Society were very helpful, particularly archivist Linda Emery and volunteers Philip Morton and Nancy Reynolds, who shared her own childhood memories of Oldbury.
The Atkinson family was fascinated by the Indigenous people of Australia. James Atkinson wrote letters to the Colonial Secretary about the local Aborigines and his fear that ‘in a short time (they) will be nearly extinct’ (12 May 1828). Charlotte Atkinson wrote about the Aborigines in A Mother’s Offering, and in her journal on board the Cumberland. Her first entry describes her meeting with James Atkinson and mentions his colonial estate ‘called by himself Oldbury, by the natives Jillynambulla’.
Louisa wrote a series of articles about her childhood recollections of the local Aboriginal clan and their culture. By today’s standards, their attitude to Aborigines might be perceived as patronising and racist. However, by the standards of colonial society, their attitudes were unusually sympathetic, concerned and affectionate. They recognised that the Aborigines had been dispossessed of their land, and that colonisation had brought widespread death, disease and destruction of Aboriginal culture. Louisa referred to her Aboriginal ‘friends’, acknowledged their relationship to the land and expressed her concern for their future – attitudes which were rare in nineteenth-century Australia.
I have drawn on the writings of the Atkinson family as the source for the descriptions of the Aboriginal characters and scenes in this book. They used nineteenth-century terms such as kings, chiefs and tribes to describe Aboriginal society, so this is reflected in dialogue. I have tried to reflect the spirit of the family’s affection for the Indigenous people, while also conveying the horrific treatment of the Aboriginal people of the area by the white settlers at the time.
As well as the writings by the Atkinson family, I drew on Aboriginal Legends by C.W. Peck – a number of Aboriginal folktales collected in the Shoalhaven area during the 1860s, including the two waratah stories – and Illawarra and South Coast Aborigines 1770 to 1900 by Michael K. Organ, University of Wollongong, 1993.
Thank you to the current owner and ‘custodian’ of Oldbury, who has renovated and restored the estate to its former colonial glory. Charlotte Atkinson would be proud.
Finally, I would like to thank the many people who helped in the writing of this book. My first readers were my family – Emily Murrell, Rob Murrell and particularly my sister Kate Forsyth, who gave me much help, advice and encouragement in writing this story based on our shared family history.
As always a huge thank you to my incredible publishing team: Zoe Walton, Brandon VanOver, Pippa Masson, Dorothy Tonkin, and my talented cover designer, Nanette Backhouse.
Apology
In the 1840s most European Australians used disparaging and patronising terms to describe the Indigenous Australians. These terms and attitudes are now considered racist. I have included some of these attitudes and terms, particularly in dialogue, not with the intent to offend any readers but to provide a reflection of attitudes prevalent during the early nineteenth century.
I acknowledge that my ancestors settled on land of the Gandangara people. I would like to pay my respects to the Gandangara people, both living and dead.
About the Author
At about the age of eight, Belinda Murrell began writing stirring tales of adventure, mystery and magic in hand-illustrated exercise books. As an adult, she combined two of her great loves – writing and travelling the world – and worked as a travel journalist, technical writer and public relations consultant. Now, inspired by her own three children, Belinda is a bestselling, internationally published children’s author. Her titles include four picture books, her fantasy adventure series, The Sun Sword Trilogy, and her six time-slip adventures, The Locket of Dreams, The Ruby Talisman, The Ivory Rose, The Forgotten Pearl, The River Charm and The Sequin Star.
For younger readers (aged 6 to 9), Belinda has a new series, Lulu Bell, about friends, family, animals and adventures growing up in a vet hospital.
Belinda lives in Manly in a gorgeous old house over-looking the sea with her husband, Rob, her three beautiful children and her dog, Rosie. She is an Author Ambassador for Room to Read and Books in Homes.
Find out more about Belinda at her website:
www.belindamurrell.com.au
BOOKS BY BELINDA MURRELL
The Locket of Dreams
The Ruby Talisman
The Ivory Rose
The Forgotten Pearl
The River Charm
The Sequin Star
The Sun Sword Trilogy
Book 1: The Quest for the Sun Gem
Book 2: The Voyage of the Owl
Book 3: The Snowy Tower
For Younger Readers
Lulu Bell and the Birthday Unicorn
Lulu Bell and the Fairy Penguin
Lulu Bell and the Cubby Fort
Lulu Bell and the Moon Dragon
Lulu Bell and the Circus Pup
Lulu Bell and the Sea Turtle
Lulu Bell and the Tiger Cub
Lulu Bell and the Pyjama Party
Lulu Bell and the Christmas Elf
&
nbsp; Lulu Bell and the Koala Joey
Lulu Bell and the Arabian Nights
THE LOCKET OF DREAMS
When Sophie falls asleep wearing a locket that belonged to her grandmother’s great-grandmother, she magically travels back to 1858 to learn the truth about the mysterious Charlotte Mackenzie.
Charlotte and her sister, Nell, live a wonderful life on a misty Scottish island. Then disaster strikes and it seems the girls will lose everything they love. Why were the sisters sent to live with strangers? Did their uncle steal their inheritance? And what happened to the priceless sapphire – the Star of Serendib?
Sophie shares in the girls’ adventures as they outwit greedy relatives, escape murderous bushrangers, and fight storm and fire. But how will her travels in time affect Sophie’s own life?
Shortlisted for the 2011 KOALA awards
OUT NOW!
THE RUBY TALISMAN
When Tilly’s aunt tells her of their ancestress who survived the French Revolution, she shows Tilly a priceless heirloom. Tilly falls asleep wearing the ruby talisman, wishing she could escape to a more adventurous life …
In 1789, Amelie-Mathilde is staying at the opulent palace of Versailles. Her guardians want her to marry the horrible old Chevalier to revive their fortunes. Amelie-Mathilde falls asleep holding her own ruby talisman, wishing someone would come to her rescue …
Tilly wakes up beside Amelie-Mathilde. The timing couldn’t be worse. The Bastille has fallen and starving peasants are rioting across the country. The palace is in chaos.
Tilly knows that Amelie and her cousin Henri must escape from France if they are to survive the Revolution ahead. But with mutinous villagers, vengeful servants and threats at every turn, there seems nowhere to run. Will they ever reach England and safety?
OUT NOW!
THE IVORY ROSE
Jemma has just landed her first job, babysitting Sammy. It’s in Rosethorne, one of the famous Witches’ Houses near where she lives. Sammy says the house is haunted by a sad little girl, but Jemma doesn’t know what to believe.
One day when the two girls are playing hide-and-seek, Jemma discovers a rose charm made of ivory. As she touches the charm she sees a terrifying flashback. Is it the moment the ghost was murdered? Jemma runs for her life, falling down the stairs and tumbling into unconsciousness.
She wakes up in 1895, unable to get home. Jemma becomes an apprentice maidservant at Rosethorne – but all is not well in the grand house. Young heiress Georgiana is constantly sick. Jemma begins to suspect Georgiana is being poisoned, but who would poison her, and why? Jemma must find the proof in order to rescue her friend – before time runs out.
A CBCA Notable Book
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THE FORGOTTEN PEARL
When Chloe visits her grandmother, she learns how close the Second World War came to destroying her family. Could the experiences of another time help Chloe to face her own problems?
In 1941, Poppy lives in Darwin, a peaceful paradise far from the war. But when Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, then Australia, everything Poppy holds dear is threatened – her family, her neighbours, her friends and her beloved pets. Her brother Edward is taken prisoner-of-war. Her home town becomes a war zone, as the Japanese raid over and over again.
Terrified for their lives, Poppy and her mother flee to Sydney, only to find that the danger follows them there. Poppy must face her war with courage and determination. Will her world ever be the same again?
OUT NOW!
THE SEQUIN STAR
Claire finds a sequin star among her grandmother’s treasures. Why does she own such a cheap piece? The mystery deepens when the brooch hurtles Claire back in time to 1932.
Claire finds herself stranded in a circus camp. The Great Depression has made life difficult, but Claire befriends performers Rosina and Jem, and a boy called Kit who watches the show every night.
When Kit is kidnapped, it’s up to Claire, Rosina and Jem to save him. But Claire wonders who Kit and Rosina really are. One is escaping poverty and the other is escaping wealth – can the two find happiness together?
OUT NOW!
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Version 1.0
The River Charm
ePub ISBN 9781742757131
Copyright © Belinda Murrell, 2013
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
A Random House book
Published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd
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www.randomhouse.com.au
Addresses for companies within the Random House Group can be found at http://www.randomhouse.com.au/about/contacts.aspx
First published by Random House Australia in 2013
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Author: Murrell, Belinda.
Title: The river charm [electronic resource] / Belinda Murrell.
ISBN: 9781742757131 (ebook)
Target Audience: For primary school age.
Subjects: Barton, Charlotte, 1797–1867 – Juvenile fiction.
Families – Australia – Juvenile fiction.
Australia – Social conditions – 19th century – Juvenile fiction.
Dewey Number: A823.4
Cover design: book design by saso
Cover images © Yolande de Kort/Trevillion Images, © Hanis/iStockphoto.com and Beneda Miroslav/Shutterstock
Typesetting and eBook production by Midland Typesetters, Australia
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