Why this collection is important for reconciliation
Where the stories came from
About the artistes
How to order a copy
What's
on this CD?
True stories of heroism, piracy, privation, settlement,
life, death, mystery, survival and horror, some going back nearly
400 years. The Western coastline of the Great South Land
(Australia) is the backdrop for these songs. Steeped in historical
facts, these songs tell tales of tragedy and triumph, despair
and deliverance.
The stories in this CD all happened. While we don't know exactly how each of the players felt, we can guess. And we can sing about them.
Here are the songs and the stories:
Salt Cod (download MP3 sample) Life on board a Dutch East Indiaman sailing between Amsterdam and the Spice Islands...an eighteen month round trip, and a monotonous diet.
Captain Steynes (download
MP3 sample) The first vessel to be constructed by Europeans
on Australian soil takes a crew of nearly 90 shipwrecked Dutch
sailors from Western Australia to Indonesia nearly 50 years before
Captain Cook 'discovers' Australia.
We'll never know (download
MP3 sample) Young mutineers from the grim massacre of the
Batavia passengers and crew in the seventeenth century are banished
ashore near Kalbarri, never to be seen again.
Black Jack Anderson (download
MP3 sample) Western Australia's only pirate rules his gang
of blackguards with force and his guns... until they eventually
murder him in his sleep.
Lewis Island Lugger (download
MP3 sample) An Island off the North West Coast is used to
'stockpile' Aboriginal people from the Gascoyne region, so that
they can be pressed into service as pearl divers.
The Exile (download
MP3 sample) An abandoned French sailor pines away on a beautiful
beach near Busselton, forever waiting for the rescue ship that
never arrives. 200 years ago this year.
The Wreck of the Georgette (download
MP3 sample) A heroic rescue by two young horsemen off the
coast of South West Australia results in many lives being saved
and a national hero. And a forgotten one.
Don't sign on the Emma
(download MP3 sample) A
jinxed schooner makes two eventful voyages out of Fremantle and
vanishes on the third, never to be seen for a hundred years.
Mary Pascoe (download
MP3 sample) An ambitious scheme to settle at beautiful Camden
Harbour in the Kimberleys (only 300 miles north of Perth, according
to the advertisements) fails when the settlers despair at the
realities of the country.
Andumeri's run (download
MP3 sample) A black man runs for four days across the hot
Kimberley landscape to save the lives of two stranded German aviators.
The girl in the poster (download MP3
sample) Sensuous government propaganda succeeds in luring
millions of jaded migrants from post-war Britain...we were among
them!
Strangers on the Shore (download
MP3 sample) Finally, a tribute to all the Strangers who came
to these Shores, including the most recent visitors who are being
treated as criminals for the sin of wanting a new life in a better
country...just as we did.
"Whilst not a collection of traditional songs per se, this is the next best thing: a well crafted and diverse song cycle based upon the writings of diarists and storytellers of the history of Australian colonisation. Accompanied by concertina, guitar, keyboards and fiddle, the duo delivers a tuneful slice of history. Shipwrecks, pirates, transports -- it's all here." Sing Out! Vol 46 No1, Spring 2002.
"...laudable insight into a little-known area of maritime history...songs [are] well-constructed and accessible in idiom...a pleasing enough listen, and the tales themselves are certainly of interest and deserve to be told...exemplary presentation with a very attractive booklet containing full lyrics, comprehensive notes and beautifully reproduced photographs." fRoots, No 222, Dec 2001.
"Western Australia is 'the best kept secret' as we all know, but less so now, as these magnificently researched stories of the West Coast are revealed by Lesley Silvester and Mike Murray. It is a gem of an album. This is the way to learn history." Ted Egan, Australian singer, raconteur and icon, Alice Springs, September 2001.
"...a huge amount of work has gone into the production of this unique CD...shipwrecks have always made gripping and atmospheric material for dramatic stories...a distinct maritime feel to the songs' tunes...high standard of recording and mixing...guest musicians provide sufficiently tasteful accompaniment, without swamping the overall sound... beautifully presented booklet insert is very informative and contains the words for the songs for all singers who will certainly wish to have a song or two to add to their repertoire. The well-packaged CD is a must for your collection." Ray Downes, Fremantle (published in Town Crier and the Folk Alliance Newsletter)
Why
this collection is important for reconciliation
True reconciliation will come when people understand
and accept the reality of our history. One way of doing this is
by sharing stories. By learning about factual events, and thinking
about the emotional impact on the people affected by these events,
we can begin to imagine how they must have felt at the time. We
can wonder what would I have done in these circumstances? And
then we can begin to understand.
Many of the original Australians want the rest of us to understand, and stop denying the past. Then we can move on.
We hope that some of these songs will help us understand some of our history and the some of the relationships between whites and blacks. Once we all understand the past, we can start to carve out a better future. Together.
Where
the stories came from
This CD started its life as a group of Western Australian
shipwreck survivor songs.
The Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle houses a vast collection of information about the many hundreds of shipwrecks around the WA coastline. During 1998, as part of a Graduate Diploma project, Lesley researched the shipwrecks in Western Australia where survivors had contact with local aboriginals.
This work, which was Stage One of an Australia wide Shipwreck Contact Program (sponsored by Dr Mike McCarthy of the Maritime Museum) revealed over 50 documented and rumoured cases of survivor contact with local Aboriginal peoples between 1624 and 1956. Contacts between survivors and local people tell us much about our history because of the change in the power balance. The shipwreck survivor is truly a stranger on the shore, bereft, his possessions ruined or lost, stranded far from home. The locals are, of course, completely at home. They have the advantage. They can choose... to help, to watch, to attack.
How were the survivors received? It depended on the local people's previous experience of white men. Sometimes they were given assistance, sometimes they were observed from afar, and sometimes there was conflict.
In among these 50 plus accounts, Lesley realised that there were many great tales, which could be turned into song. So we did. More than half of the songs on the CD stemmed directly from this source material. If you'd like to know more about this research, follow this link to the Maritime Museum.
The rest of the songs have extended the topic, so that now the full collection embraces maritime contact with Western Australia... not only shipwreck survivors, but through other immigrants and seamen.
We hope you enjoy these songs and stories.
About
the artistes
Mike Murray and Lesley Silvester have been singing
together since they first met in South Australia in the early
seventies. Their extensive repertoire has been selected from traditional
sources as well as from contemporary songwriters. This CD is their
first attempt to write their own material.
Pressures of work and business have meant that their appearances have been limited to the occasional club, concert and festival spot, where they have invariably been well received.
Lesley runs her own genealogy business called TimeTrackers (have a look at her web page), and Mike used to be a management consultant, but now helps Lesley in the business, and is busy film-making and writing.
Mike and Lesley live in Fremantle, Western Australia.
How
to order a copy
'Strangers on the Shore' is available from the artistes
at $A25 each, plus $A3 for post and packing, for delivery in Australia.
For overseas clients, including despatch by air, costs are £12
(UK), or $US20 (USA and other countries).
You can order by fax, by phone, or e-mail us here.
Tell us how many CDs you want, how you want to pay (cheque, money
order, Western Union transfer, cash...sorry, no credit card facilities)
and don't forget your postal address!
Fax orders +61 (0)8 9339 0519
Phone orders +61 (0)8 9339 8078
Email strangers@timetrackers.com.au