I loved doing a session this year with Damien Hassan (State Records Office of WA) and Sam Longley (ABC Radio), one of the Friday afternoon ‘History Repeated’ segments on ABC 720.
We talked about use of the State Records Office as a source of both inspiration and research for my novel The Sinkings, and the kinds of records that helped to illuminate events in the novel and the character of sandalwood carter and former convict Little Jock King.
Little Jock was the victim of a horrific murder in 1882, near Albany in WA’s South West, and Damien spoke about the murder map held among the SRO’s treasures—a macabre but fascinating artefact that was created for the 1883 Supreme Court trial of John Collins for the murder of Little Jock. The map is shown, courtesy of the SRO, in an earlier post here.
The combined resources of the State Records Office and the State Library have played a part in nearly everything I’ve published so far, as well as my current work in progress, and I’m deeply grateful that such records have been preserved to enrich our understanding of the past.
The ’History Repeated’ segment can be found on the SRO website here—just scroll down the list to find The Sinkings.
looking up/looking down 
Hi
I have just finished binge reading The Sinkings. Not my usual fare, but I am trying to upgrade myself from a lifelong lazy addiction to crime novels. The Sinkings appealed to me as being part crime solving, but also historical and being set in Belfast (where I lived 1972-76) and now in rural Western Australia, in York.
I am writing to tell you how much I enjoyed the book, waking from sleep at 1.30am today to finish the last chapters. I found the work gripping, both the Little Jock story, and the journey of the mother trying to join the dots to understand her ‘daughter’. All in all, just wonderful words. I have passed onto a dear friend whom I know will also engage with the tale. Thank you again. now onto the next story……
Hello Nola. Many thanks for your lovely message. Authors love hearing feedback like this, and I’m delighted to know that Little Jock’s and Willa’s stories caught your attention and held it. (By the way, there’s nothing wrong with reading crime novels 🙂 There are some brilliant WA crime writers.) Thanks, again, and happy reading.