Events At Cowra Library These School Holidays

The Spring School Holidays are just around the corner. Head on down to the Cowra Library every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for some fun and free events!

With lots of options to choose from including a DIY Bird Feeder, making Jellyfish in a Bottle, building some Crafty Scarecrows, concocting Exploding Chalk and everybody’s favourite LEGO Club, book your spot now to make sure you don’t miss out on these activities! Book your FREE spots here: https://tinyurl.com/CWLSSHA

Author Talk: Adam Courtenay at Cowra Library

Join us as Adam Courtenay launches his latest novel: Three Sheets to the Wind.

About this event: Author Adam Courtenay launches his latest book Three Sheets to the Wind: Why a motley crew of merchant seamen walked 600 miles to save 7,000 gallons of rum at Cowra Library on Thursday 29 September from 2pm - 3pm.

When in 1796, Calcutta-based Scottish merchants Campbell & Clark dispatched an Indian ship hurriedly renamed the Sydney Cove to the colony of New South Wales, they were hoping to make their fortune. The ship’s speculative cargo was comprised of all kinds of good to entice the new colony’s inhabitants, including 7,000 gallons of rum. The merchants were planning to sell the liquor to the Rum Corp, which ruled the fledgling colony with an iron grip, despite the recent arrival of Governor John Hunter. But when the Sydney Cove went down north of Van Dieman’s Land, cargo master William Clark and sixteen other crew members were compelled to walk 600 miles to Sydney Town to get help to save the rest of the crew and the precious goods. Assisted by at least six Indigenous clans on his journey, Clark saw far more country than Joseph Banks ever did, and his eventual report to Governor Hunter led to far-reaching consequences for the colony. And the rum?

By the bestselling author of The Ship that Never Was, and The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter, Three Sheets to the Wind is a rollicking account of a little-known event that changed the course of Aus-tralian history.

Join us at Cowra Library to discover this incredible true story when author Adam Courtenay speaks on Thursday 29 Sep-tember from 2pm - 3pm.

Author Talk: Ryan Butta at Cowra Library

Join us as Ryan Butta Launches The Ballad of Abdul Wade at Cowra Library!

About this event: Author Ryan Butta launches his latest book The Ballad of Abdul Wade at Cowra Library on Wednesday 26 October at 10:30am - 11:30am.

About the book: When Afghan entrepreneur Abdul Wade first brought his camel trains to the outback, he was hailed as a hero. Horses couldn’t access many remote settlements, especially those stricken by flood or drought, and camel trains rode to the rescue time and time again.

But with success came fierce opposition fuelled by prejudice. The camel was not even classed as an animal under Australian law, and, in a climate of colonial misinformation, hyperbole and fear, camel drivers like Wade were shown almost as little respect. Yet all the while, for those in need, the ships of the desert continued to appear on the outback horizon.

After his interest was piqued by a nineteenth-century photo of a camel train in a country town, Ryan Butta found himself on the trail of Australia’s earliest Afghan camel drivers. Separating the bulldust from the bush poetry, he reveals the breadth and depth of white Australian protectionism and prejudice. Told with flair and authority, this gritty alternative history defies the standard horse-powered folklore to reveal the untold debt this country owes to humble dromedaries, their drivers and those who brought them here.

About the author: Ryan Butta grew up in regional New South Wales. Before he started writing he worked in international trade and has lived and worked extensively overseas. He is Editor at Large for Galah Press and also authors Out of Office, a publication that charts his course of quitting office life to pursue a writing career. When he is not writing Ryan enjoys fly fishing, cooking over flame and telling people that he once played cricket for Argentina. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese but mostly enjoys long silences. Ryan currently lives in the NSW Hunter Valley with his wife, Carolina, and a Cavoodle called Canela.

Join us at Cowra Library as Ryan Butta launches his latest book The Ballad of Abdul Wade at Cowra Library on Wednesday 26 October at 10:30am - 11:30am.