Achievements of Echoes on the Mountain

A C H I E V E M E N T S

"ECHOES ON THE MOUNTAIN"
By Marilyn Quirk 2006

‘Echoes on the Mountain’ has just been reprinted and is available from the author and leading booksellers. This book contains stories of migrants who came to Tasmania 1949-1956 to live and work with the HEC in the Central Highlands of Tasmania. The book relates their early lives in the country of birth, experiences of war and becoming a migrant. These people are now aging and this has been a rare opportunity to record their stories. The book achieved a lot of publicity and sales statewide, interstate and overseas.

‘Echoes’ has had an exciting journey and I list some achievements below.

1. The Braille Library of Tasmania is translating individual stories for the sight-
impaired.

2. ‘Echoes’ is held as public record at:

The Lithuanian Museum of Culture – Chicago US
The Polish Library – Perth WA
The Polish Library – Launceston Tas
Hydro Tasmania – Hobart Tas
Historical Society – Burnie Tas
State libraries
NLA
Migrant Resource Centre- Launceston Tas

3. ‘Echoes’ is being used as a Tasmanian historical reference in some schools.

4. Invitations to speak about ‘Echoes’ came from many groups.

REVIEW: Chris Bantick The Mercury, Hobart

Through interviewing eleven former immigrant workers on the Hydro, Quirk presents a compelling social history document. One of the immediate features is the fluency of prose. Quirk is a fine writer and has a clear sense of what the reader needs to know. Throughout the reflections and recollections of the eleven participants, a clear sense is created of what living in post-war Tasmania was like. Personalities and experiences aside, the book also includes many outstanding photographs. This is an excellent read.

From the Foreword by Peter Rae AO and Chairman, Hydro Tasmania 1993-2004

This book makes a valuable contribution to the understanding and appreciation of a great period of Tasmania and its people. Mrs Quirk tells the stories with a style that will make readers readily understand her subjects and the parts they played. She brings together their stories with a light-handed pathos but a gripping reality. The story of the ‘Saga of Charlie McCoffus’ should be compulsory reading in every course for young executives.

From Dr Frank Madill, author, doctor, ex-politician: (in part)

We should all be grateful – to Marilyn Quirk for gathering these extraordinary stories before they are lost to us – and to all those migrant men and women who travelled across the globe to help make the Tasmania we know today. They came to build a hydroelectric scheme and they stayed to build a community.

From Alison Alexander – Tasmanian Historical Research Association (in part)

Quirk’s writing style is fluent and this book makes pleasant reading. This is a useful and interesting addition to published material about post-war migrants, and the book’s success is clear, for it was reprinted only a year after publication.

During promotion of the book, I was interviewed by the ABC, received Tasmania-wide publicity and was guest speaker at clubs and societies.

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