NOVEL APPROACH TO FAMILY TALE

LOCAL RESIDENT JO BRAITHWAITE’S KEEN INTEREST IN HER FAMILY’S PAST KICKSTARTED A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY THAT LASTED YEARS.

Intrigued by the African ancestry Jo kept digging until she came across her great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather John ‘Black’ Randall.

It turns out Randall was one of only 11 African convicts sent to Australia on the First Fleet.

His life story stretches back through slavery in pre-revolutionary Connecticut, The American War of Independence, industrial Manchester and the prison hulks on the Thames.

Drawing on the facts of Randall’s life, Jo created a fictionalised story of his adventures that remains true to the challenges people faced at these key points in our human history.

“There’s no doubt he was a flawed and broken man, but his efforts helped that tiny starving settlement to survive,” Jo said.

“And yet, not only do few people know his name, hardly anyone realises that there were 11 African convicts on that fleet.

“It puts a lie to the notion that Australia was ‘settled’ only by white people.

“There is a lot of information recorded about him, but I wanted to understand him; stick a toe in the muck of his experiences; explore the roots of his resilience, the costs of his survival.”

Black Randall will be officially launched at Peregian Beach Community House

5-7 Rufous St, on Friday, February 17 from 5pm to 6.30pm.

Copies of the book will be available for sale, and a donation of $10 at the door “would be appreciated”.

The book is available to buy at www. jobraithwaite.com.au or most major online distributors.