A NEW book exploring the extraordinary life of a young boy brought to Reading in the 1850s
Two Rivers Press is holding a launch event for a new book by Mary Chambers, The Kind Hosts of Willie Wimmera.
Willie Wimmera, an Aboriginal boy, was ten years old when clergyman Lloyd Chase brought him from Melbourne to Reading in 1851.
However he became ill and died only a few months after his arrival; he is buried in Reading Old Cemetery.
His grave marked ‘An Australian boy.’
With information gleaned from the 1851 UK Census and other primary sources, Mary Chambers explores a picture of the life of Willie Wimmera and his the people closest to him during the short time he spent in England.
It includes his connections with the launch venue, Watlington House, as he dined here as a guest of Captain Edward Purvis soon after his arrival in England.
Mary Chambers is a proof-reader and copy-editor living in Reading, specialising in linguistics and anthropology.
She also volunteers as a researcher at the Museum of English Rural Life.
Two Rivers Press publishes poetry (classic and contemporary), local interest (about Reading’s people, history, places and culture), and art (wildlife and botanical) books.
The launch event takes place at Watlington House at 2pm on Saturday, July 1.
No ticket or booking is required.
