THE ROAD FROM COORAIN SUMMER READING

THE ROAD FROM COORAIN

SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT :

I-Before you read :

Jill Ker Conway - Biography :

Jill Ker Conway was born in Hillston, New South Wales, Australia on October 9th in 1934. She lived in an isolated sheep farm : Coorain. She was schooled by her mother and a country governess. Ker Conway spent her childhood working with her parents on their prosperous land. For seven years they suffered severe drought. When she was 11, her father drowned while trying to extend the farm’s water piping. Jill’s mother decided it would be best for her children to leave for Sydney and live a normal life.

Conway was not used to classes and had a rough time there. Her mother sensed her discomfort and sent her to a prestigious private girl’s school. She graduated at the University of Sydney in 1958 and received her Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1969. She married her history professor John Conway and followed him to Toronto.

She went to the University of Toronto where she became the first woman vice president for internal affairs from 1973 to 1975. In 1975, Conway was named the first woman president of Smith College. For this achievement, Time magazine named her « Women of the Year ». She then left Smith College for MIT which is where she began to write her book The Road From Coorain. It was published in 1989 and talks about her life in Coorain

Sources :

• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/coorain/ei_conway.html

• http://harvardmagazine.com/2002/05/one-womans-education-html

• http://postcolonialstudies.emory.edu/jill-ker-conway/

• the end of the book

The Beginning of European settlement in Australia :

The first records of European temporary settlement were around 1606.The first ship (the Duyfken) captained by a Dutchman : William Janszoon met the Aboriginal people. On the 22nd of August 1770, an Englishman Lieutenant James Cook claimed Australia under the instructions of King George III ; he named easter Australia « New South Wales ». The first group of permanent European settlers arrived in January 1788. They came with a fleet that was composed of two warships, three supply ships and six ships who carried the people (approximately 1.350). It was planned to settle in Botany Bay but Governor Phillip who was in command decided to settle elsewhere ; they moved to Port Jackson. These people who had to build the settlements weren’t good workers and most of them had no knowledge in farming or carpentry which were extremely important for the development of the colony.

In the beginning of the colonization the relations between settlers and Aboriginal inhabitants were friendly and harmless. They traded good such as food, water, axes, clothes and many other objects. Unfortunately the Aborigines realized these explorers were taking ownership of their land. Between 1790 and 1810 a few attacks were made against the English colonies. From 1821 to 1822 the northern coast, the north-west coast and the southern part where being explored. From 1788 until 1823, the Colony of New South Wales was a penal colony : this meant Australia was mainly occupied by prisoners which is why in 1823 they installed a New South Wales parliament. Around the 1830’s, the colonists began to deal with land ownership. In 1835, a man named John Batman agreed the purchase of 600,000 acres of land with the Kulin tribe (between Melbourne and the Bellarine). In 1861, the New South Wales government created the Crown Lands Act 1861 permitting any person to purchase 320 acres (maximum) on two terms. They had to pay a down payment and live on the land for at least 3 years. These Acts increased the number of bushrangers (An outlaw living in the Australian bush). Despite its problems, the colony of New South Wales grew and Port Jackson is now Australia’s largest city : Sydney. Since 1901, date when Australia became a federation of the six colonies, to commemorate the first colony the 26th of January is Australia Day or Foundation Day. However, for some Indigenous tribes, 26th of January is not a day to celebrate but a day to mourn and protest. Australia is currently the 51st most populated country in the world, 2nd most developed country according to the human development index and has the 13th largest economy.

Sources :

• http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2014/06/top-10-most-developed-countries-in-the-world-2970948.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population

• http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/european-discovery-and-colonisation

• http://web1.cnre.vt.edu/lsg/Intro/Australia_European_Settlement.pdf

II- As You Read :

40 Words Related to the Australian Fauna and Flora :

•

• Mustard p.3

• Trefoil clover p.3

• Saltbush p.4

• Sagebrush p.4

• Eucalyptus p.4

• Emus p.4

• Kangaroos p.4

• Wild dogs p.5

• Goannas p.5

• Bush canary p.5

• Magpie p.5

• Rosella parrots p.6

• Kookaburra p.6

• Golden Eagle p.6

• Nardoo grain p.7

• Bush ethos p.8

• Bullrushes p.32

• Citrus orchard p.40

• Wallflowers p.41

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