Irish Convict Outback Shepherd
Tom O'Connor
Maurice O’Brien is an Irish convict in the New South Wales penal colony – a wild and dangerous place. He grapples with despair and loneliness of the Outback. Escape is almost impossible, but those who do find themselves in the land of heathen savages. Each chapter is based on true stories of convicts in the Outback of the continent now known as Australia, and New Zealand, and the Sea in between.
Adapting to his new life as an Irish convict in the New South Wales penal colony was more difficult and frightening than Maurice O’Brien could have imagined. From a tiny, well-ordered and relatively peaceful rural community in the south-west of Ireland, he was caged up with some of the roughest men in the British Isles for three months at sea.
His new home is a strange, dry and inhospitable land living and working with angry, dangerous men on a remote sheep station as a shepherd. He must become as hard and tough as those around him to survive. The death sentence hung over them for minor offences and escape is almost impossible.
Escaping his own despair and the extreme loneliness of the outback is another daily challenge that Maurice must survive. His only companions during the day are sheep, three dogs… and the Blacks.
These are the true stories of some of the men who laid the foundations of Australia’s tough outback folklore. Some convicts who escaped their sentences found themselves in the wild, unruly land of Maori people – New Zealand.
Each chapter is based on true stories of convicts in the Outback of the continent now known as Australia as well as Sydney town and Port Jackson. By the end of this novel, Maurice lands in Hokianga, New Zealand after sailing a ship called the Industry across the Tasman Sea – another true story woven into this historical fiction novel.
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Irish Convict Outback Shepherd
Tom O'Connor
Maurice O’Brien is an Irish convict in the New South Wales penal colony – a wild and dangerous place. He grapples with despair and loneliness of the Outback. Escape is almost impossible, but those who do find themselves in the land of heathen savages. Each chapter is based on true stories of convicts in the Outback of the continent now known as Australia, and New Zealand, and the Sea in between.
Adapting to his new life as an Irish convict in the New South Wales penal colony was more difficult and frightening than Maurice O’Brien could have imagined. From a tiny, well-ordered and relatively peaceful rural community in the south-west of Ireland, he was caged up with some of the roughest men in the British Isles for three months at sea.
His new home is a strange, dry and inhospitable land living and working with angry, dangerous men on a remote sheep station as a shepherd. He must become as hard and tough as those around him to survive. The death sentence hung over them for minor offences and escape is almost impossible.
Escaping his own despair and the extreme loneliness of the outback is another daily challenge that Maurice must survive. His only companions during the day are sheep, three dogs… and the Blacks.
These are the true stories of some of the men who laid the foundations of Australia’s tough outback folklore. Some convicts who escaped their sentences found themselves in the wild, unruly land of Maori people – New Zealand.
Each chapter is based on true stories of convicts in the Outback of the continent now known as Australia as well as Sydney town and Port Jackson. By the end of this novel, Maurice lands in Hokianga, New Zealand after sailing a ship called the Industry across the Tasman Sea – another true story woven into this historical fiction novel.
Where to buy