ACT Book of the Year

SHORTLISTED 2007

SYNOPSIS

Edited collection of war-time correspondence between Sir Donald Cleland and Dame Rachel Cleland: a love story, a political debate, a family saga and a war commentary in one passionate exchange between two figures who together made a remarkable contribution to the post-war development of Australia and PNG.

The original letters form part of two groups of records now held by the National Library of Australia. The groups are those of Sir Donald Cleland (1901-1975), formerly Administrator of Papua and New Guinea from 1953 to 1967, MS 9600, and those of Dame Rachel Cleland (1906-2002), his wife and community and environmental activist, MS 9601.

The book deals only with the letters written during World War II, when Don Cleland served overseas with the 6^th Division in the Middle East, Greece, Crete, Java, Western Australia and finally as second in command of the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit in New Guinea. Rachel at home in Perth, Western Australia, bringing up two sons, coped alone while becoming involved with Red Cross and other charitable organizations. The letters evocatively illustrate the emotion and pain of enforced separation. It is a love story as well as a commentary from two different points of view on the progress of the war and a political debate looking forward to a post-war Australia.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nancy Lutton was Chief Archivist at the National Archives of Papua New Guinea.

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