Laura & Jack – In time they go back What connects these two girls born close to 100 years apart? Emily’s family move from Sydney to Adelong in the South-West slopes of New South Wales in June 2015. Her mother grew up there and her father has taken up a teaching position nearby. Emily, aged eight, and her younger brother, Gary, have to change schools mid year. When she puts away her clothes she finds an old diary wedged at the back of a set of drawers. It belongs to Laura, born in 1920. Emily takes a journey through Laura’s life seeing how things have changed, yet stayed the same in some ways. Laura’s diary covers her life as a child in the early 1900s and that of her best friends, Cathy, Jack, Billy and Jean. Jack is based on a real person; an Aussie larrikin and country lad struggling to earn money during the 1920s and Depression to help his family. His positive outlook sees him through. He continues to return home and writes to Laura after he leaves school, aged thirteen. Emily makes new friends at her new school; Amy, part Aboriginal, Shannon and Chase. She goes exploring around the Riverina and high country with her family learning about history and the environment. She also learns she has a connection to Laura. * In book two they grow older and further connections entwine Jack and Laura with Chase and Emily. 2 Laura & Jack – In time they go back Chapter Book One LAURA & JACK - In time they go back For Primary School age and young teenager 8 to 13 A story of two young girls in different times, their loves and losses and lives entwined Author Sharon Elliott Cover: Adobe Spark 3 Laura & Jack – In time they go back Disclaimer This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, and some events is purely coincidental. 4 Laura & Jack – In time they go back Emily, 2015 The drawer was stuck! Eight year old Emily tried several times to close it with no luck. She got down on her hands and knees and pulled the bottom drawer out. Bending her head she peered into the darkness and caught a glimpse of an object. Emily reached in to move the obstruction and her fingers touched soft leather as she gripped the item and pulled it free from its hiding place. It smelt like an old library book and the soft leather covering the book looked old and had the initials “L.L.D” in gold in the bottom corner. She opened the cover and saw adult writing on the inside which read: “Dear Laura Happy 7th Birthday, 17 November, 1927. May you fill these pages with happy memories. Love from Ma and Pa” 5 Laura & Jack – In time they go back Emily got to her feet and ran to the kitchen, “Mum, look what I found! It is a girl’s book, she got it when she was seven in 1927!” “Wow! This is a very old diary!” Her mother gently turned pages reading some of the writing to make sure it was okay for her child to read. “Where did you find it?” “Behind the bottom bedside drawer.” “It looks like a wonderful journal of a time much different from our own. Just ask if there is anything you are not sure of and I would love to read it too.” “Sure Mum.” 6 Laura & Jack – In time they go back Chapter 1 Emily 2015. The Move They arrived at their new home on Saturday, the day before. Emily made the move with her parents, younger brother, Gary, and Daisy their dog. Their new home was old and fully furnished, in the small town of Adelong in the south-west slopes of New South Wales. It was late June and Allen, their father, was starting his new job at the Tumut High School on the following Monday. Both Gary and Emily were enrolled in the local Adelong Primary School and were to attend on Monday, the first day of the second semester. Their mother, Kate, grew up in the town. Emily was looking forward to starting a new school and making new friends in Year 3 but Gary was missing his friends. Emily would miss her friends too but they all promised to email. She would not miss the bullies she left behind and unfriended and/or blocked on social media. On their drive down from Sydney their father told them about their new home. “The town is well above sea level but mostly below where snow falls. On occasions snow has been seen in the streets. 7 Laura & Jack – In time they go back “Yes, it did snow a couple of times when I was young,” their mother added. “It is set in a valley along the Snowy Mountains Highway and was established in 1836. Explorers Hume & Hovell walked through the area in 1824 and their convict worker, Thomas Boyd, was later freed and granted land at Gilmore, nearby, where he raised a large family. Originally, and still today, the native Wiradjuri people live here. The town grew from the gold rush period of 1852. Mining began on the Charcoal Hill reef following its gold discovery in 1857 and there is a very well restored gold mining site just out of town.” “Is it very cold, Dad?” “Is it cold in winter, but It can be very hot in summer. It is not very far from Mt Selwyn snowfields either. “Can we go to the snow and go on toboggans?” asked Gary. “Yes later, after we are settled.” “Will you be working at our school, Dad?” “No Sweetheart, I will be working at the Tumut High School where you might go one day if we are still living there.” Their first stop was before Goulburn where there was a environmentally friendly compost pit toilet. “That toilet smells and goes straight onto the ground.” Gary said. Emily had been camping before with her family, so was prepared for the primitive looking toilet. 8 Laura & Jack – In time they go back “That’s what they use in the bush.” Emily replied. They took Daisy for a wee walk. “Look at the old bridge!” Gary ran closer for a better look. “It is very old and made of stone so could have been built by convicts and might have been part of the old main road.” Their father said. During their five hour trip south they passed Goulburn. “Wow look, those fans are huge!” Gary pointed. “They are called wind turbines.” They came very close to them next to the road and the turbines loomed large, on the hill, above the car. Gary tried to count them and got to ten. Emily made up a rhyme and sang: “A mighty wind did blow We were down below The gigantic fans Bigger than Nan’s. They went round and round Many miles from town To provide power For someone’s hot shower.” “Very clever, Sweetheart.” Her mother said as Gary poked his tongue out at his sister. Further on they were nearing Yass. “Are we there yet?” whined Gary. “Not yet. We are past half way though.” 9 Laura & Jack – In time they go back “POOH! Daisy fluffed!” Gary exclaimed. Four windows were opened to release the smell before being put back up because the air was cold. Daisy slept on snoring away. “Lets play number plates, Gary,” their mother said to distract them. “There’s one AWJ” “Ahhh. At Willies Job.” “Another Wombat Joey.” “Very good!” “CID” “Christmas in December,” Gary called. “Well done!” They continues the game to pass the time. The kids had already got sick of watching DVDs and reception wasn’t good for their mobile phone online games. After Yass they pulled into another rest stop at a small village of Bookham, for a much needed toilet break, especially for Daisy. Emily walked Daisy and picked up after her then put the smelly parcel in a bin. There was an old stone church and a cafe. The camping ground was called Grumpy Grey Nomads. Emily chuckled. 10 Laura & Jack – In time they go back Someone had a sense of humour. She knew that grey nomads were older people who retired and travelled around the country. They joined the highway again and travelled through colourful fields. “What are the yellow flowers? Aren’t they pretty.” “Canola are the yellow crops,” their mother replied. “What are the purple ones?” “They are either lavender or Patterson’s curse which is a noxious weed.” “What does noxious mean?” “It is harmful to agriculture or the environment and must be controlled.” “Well I hope it is lavender as they are very pretty together, like a patchwork quilt of green, purple and yellow.” “Yes it is a beautiful area.” “How far to go now, Dad, are we nearly there?” Gary asked. “Not far now only about fifty kilometres.” They drove on past Gundagai, over a fairly new and long concrete bridge. “Why is the bridge so long when the river isn’t that wide?” asked Emily. 11 Laura & Jack – In time they go back “This is the Murrumbidgee River which floods. In the Wiradjuri language it means big water. That is why the bridge is so large. The highway used to be cut in half when it flooded. Can you pronounce the word kids?” Their father asked.