Ricky: The Story of a Boy in Colonial Australia

Sheila Hunter

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Sep 9, 2014 - Australia - 286 pages

Ricky Set in Sydney NSW in 1840's over about 30 years.Ricky & his mother emigrate from England to join his father in the new Colony of Sydney. On arrival there is no sign of his dad. Ricky's mum uses the tiny amount of money they have left the get lodgings in a run down building. Things go from bad to worse when his mother dies and he is thrown out of the lodgings and all their possessions are confiscated by the caretakers. Ricky finds himself living on the Streets of Sydney Town as a street waif. He finds safe places to sleep and befriends freed convicts who can help him survive. One day he finds another child and he helps reunite her with her family. These people try to help him but due to his stubbornness he insists of doing things his way, but he has found a mentor & confidante. The story follows him through his life. He survives and turns his life around also helping others along way, some of whom he 'adopts'. After many years Ricky's lost dad makes an amazing re-appearance but by then Ricky's life has taken many amazing twists & turns. This story also follows the development of the Colony of Sydney and Parramatta areas.

About the author

SHEILA HUNTER (née McDonald) 1924 - 2002 Sheila was born in 1924 in Ngakawau in New Zealand & moved back to Australia in 1928. She, with her mother & brothers run a service station, on the docks in Melbourne. She attended Strathearn School and later PLC Melbourne. She worked through the war and depression at the service Station. She became the first woman in the Melbourne Light Car Club! She was navigator for rally cross drivers and her team won their share of races. In 1947 at 23, she started nursing in Vic she moved to NSW in 1951. It was at this time she had heard about Norman Hunter but had only seen him a few times from a distance. They met in 1955, Norman (now 51) and Sheila (now 31) Hunter were married at St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney. Sheila's life has turned around. No more nursing, but motherhood and local village care as resident district nurse, although this was unofficial, she was called out on many occasions until 1966 when Avoca had its own Doctor in the "New Shops" as they were called. After marrying Norman, Sheila took on many Honorary positions in the Community, i.e Secretary of the Liberal Party Branch, Secretary of the inaugural Red Cross Club. Convener of the inaugural 4H Club (like junior farmers) and Local Girl Guide Commissioner for 4 years from 1967 and she was a Pink Lady ( helping in the local Hospital), she was responsible for getting the local Scout/Guide Club built, Inaugural Vice President of the Bowling Club in Avoca. Sheila also followed Norman into functions at their local Anglican Church. She became the President of the Women's Guild for over 20 years, and when this was abolished in the 1980's she then became inaugural president of the Church Fellowship, which she has again been voted into. She in also involved in many of the Church Groups including a Carer's Group, which is helping elderly and shut-in's and their carer's (including herself!, Norman at 94 needed full time care and she took on this role while her strength & health lasted). She was passionate about history and her own family history, and occasionally combining the two and putting pen to paper writing novels loosely based around one or other lines of the family stories. In 1999 she was one of the 20recipients for the NSW Premiers, Year of the Senior Citizen Award, for Services to the Community. Her beloved Norman died in 2000 aged nearly 96 and Sheila died in 2002 from Cancer, aged 2 days short of 78.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Ricky: The Story of a Boy in Colonial Australia; Australian Colonial Trilogy by Sheila Hunter
• Author: Sheila Hunter
• Editor: Sara Powter
• Illustrated by: Sara Powter
• Edition: 2, reprint
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014
• ISBN: 1500770574, 9781500770570
• Length: 286 pages