Personal letters written to a family in the later 19th century had a more substantial and considered nature than the transient "blog' , SMS or e-mail of today. Stanley Howard, sailing from England in March 1872, maintained a daily journal in the form of letters to his family. The colonies of Australia were considered to be a better place in which to recuperate from tuberculosis. Despite his wavering health , his travels took him from Melbourne to North Queensland by sail, steamer, coach, train, ferries and horseback.
Laurel Horton, retired teacher and historian at St Peters Anglican Church, Cooks River has edited Stanley's letters into a compelling day by day read. With no comment from 21st century eyes, the observations made by Stanley make for fascinating reading. He brings his class conscious English views to the more egalitarian colonial society. He faithfully records his contacts with aborigines, inmates of mental asylums, gaols and hospitals as well as his parishioners.
He writes as a young man involved in the Church of England ministry, especially at St Peters and Darlinghurst in Sydney. This provides an insight into the ecclesiastical landscape of the Australian church. To the readers with a knowledge of Sydney Diocese there are fascinating snippets recorded during his time studying at Moore College at Liverpool.
His travels and contacts with a wide range of society provide constant surprises to those who read with some background of Australian history : visiting the homes of Thomas Holt (pioneer landowner and politician), Louis Hope (sugar cane pioneer), Bishop Barker, John Hargraves (father of Lawrence Hargraves. He was present at the funeral of William Charles Wentworth.
The social history of the period is enhanced by the details of the apparent mundane trivia of life. The letters describe a young colony far removed from the land of their recipients : weather, food, accommodation, transport, pastoral vistas, dress, medical treatments, postal services. The details of the horse riding excursions in the Queanbeyan - Duntroon (Canberra) region are fascinating to those who have driven to the top of Mt Ainslie and taken in the panorama.
Laurel Horton has edited the letters superbly. The events are in chronological order. Omitted are long theological discourses and passages of self-reflection. Footnotes are replaced by short, italicised expansions of names, places, events etc as part of the uninterrupted flow of the text. A detailed, categorised index is added.
The volume ends with Howard's temporary return to England to complete his degree at Cambridge. There will be many readers who will want to know more of his life on his return to Australia as a married man and his time in the parish of Bowral where he is buried.
To order contact Laurel Horton Tel: (02) 9558 7504 or visit the St Peter’s Church Cooks River web site. Also available from Gleebooks and the State Library Bookshop
