Author Robert Drewe shares an important link with the main characters in his latest novel Whip Bird.
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Both he and the Cleary family share an ancestral story – that of an Irish teenager who came to Ballarat as a member of the British Army’s 40th Regiment of Foot and fought on the “wrong” side of the Eureka Stockade more than 160 years ago.
The story is set in the present at a Cleary family reunion at a new vineyard in the foothills outside Ballarat
The occasion marks the 160th anniversary of the arrival in Australia of their ancestor Conor Cleary, a 15-year-old infantryman from Ireland sent to help maintain order in the colony of Victoria and crush the Eureka rebellion.
“The book is set now, set at a party of the descendants of the boy, so I just imagined my own little boy who became my great grandfather,” he said.
Mr Drewe’s Eureka family history has always intrigued him, and he came to Ballarat to attend the 160th anniversary commemorations in 2014.
He said Whip Bird was a comic look at Australia, but with serious underlying issues.
“As the weekend progresses there’s a lot of wine involved and various things happen, some tragic, some amusing. I like to imagine a classic Australian Sunday barbecue times about 2000 as I take it to the absolute limit,” he said.
Whip Bird follows the clan, some who know each other, some who are complete strangers, as they learn about themselves, each other and where they come from.
Setting the story at a fictional winery outside Ballarat was a natural for the acclaimed Australian author.
The city is a familiar location for Mr Drewe who visited for the Eureka commemorations and during filming of the Heath Ledger film Ned Kelly, which was adapted from his book Our Sunshine.
For decades, Mr Drewe has drawn readers into his own interest in Australian legend and landscape with more than 20 highly acclaimed books including novels, short stories and memoirs, many of which have been adapted for film, television, theatre and readio.
The Wheeler Centre has lured Mr Drewe back to Ballarat on Friday September 1 to discuss his book Whip Bird in conversation with playwright and screen writer Hannie Rayson at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka at 1pm.
Tickets are free but bookings essential at wheelercentre.com
