The Road from Coorain
By Jill Ker Conway
The Plot
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Her childhood on a remote sheep station
Her teenage years in a suburb of Sydney
Her education at the University of Sydney
Her decision to become a historian and to
leave Australia taking the route of America
Chapters
The West
Coorain
Childhood
Drought
Schooling
Finding the Southern Cross
The Nardoo Stones
Recharting the Globe
The Right Country
Jill Ker Conway
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Born in Hillston, new South Wales,
Australia in 1934
Her father is a sheep rancher
Her mother was a nurse and now she is a
homemaker
She has two brothers, Bob and Barry
The West
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Descriptive image of
Western Plains of New
South Wales
Vegetation and animals
such as kangaroos, emus,
wild dogs, parrots
Major occupation:
grazing flocks of sheep
and cattle
British based culture
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Habits for men (drinking,
gambling) and for
women (“worked over
wood stoves and heated
water for laundry”)
In 1919 land was the
traditional source of
wealth.
Ownership of land was
also the principal source
of status.
Coorain
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Mom- educated herself
through reading. She
never went to school.
Father- scottish, orphan,
grew up with his aunt and
he started to work at the
age of 16.
Robert - older brother. He
is born on the third year
of their marriage
Barry is born - second
son.
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In 1930-take up a soldier
settler’s block on the
West Plain, which they
called Coorain.
Mom gets sick (benign
uterine growth) and she is
told to terminate the
pregnancy, but she never
did.
Jill is born-unwanted and
a risk for her mom.
More assets-garage, shed,
telephone line.
Childhood
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Became wealthy selling
wool, which brought new
comfort – water in their
own yard
Boys are sent to King’s
School in Sydney
She was alone-worked
harder and longer
She was educating
herself reading
everything within reach
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She became her father’s
station hand-mustering
sheep, check the state of
fences, clean watering
troughs
Inquisitive-asking a lot of
questions
Childhood full of
stimulation and interest
Her contribution to the
work mattered-her
capacity was valued.
Drought
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Great rain in 1939 and no
rain after that-made her
father a different person
(sad)
Inadequate nourishment
of the sheep – low
income
Death of her father – he
was a poor swimmer and
he drowned
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After his death, Jill’s
mom denies selling
Coorain (which was
everybody’s
expectation)
She hires someone to
take care of the place
and run the business
They move to Sydney
in August 1945
Father’s Words
“If anything happens to me, promise you
will take care of your mother. Make her sell
this place. Work hard Jill, don’t just waste
time.
MAKE SOMETHING OF YOURSELF.
Get a real education and get away from
this damn country for good.”
Schooling
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Her mom rents a graceful
house in the seaside
suburb of Mosman
She enrolls as a day
student at Queenwood
school
She is shy, doesn’t know
how to begin a
conversation
She has to obey certain
rules
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Jill starts reading
detective stories
competing with her mom
They move to the a
different suburb and Jill
goes to school where
children make fun of her
accent
She goes to Abbotsleigh
private school
Bob dies in a car accident
Finding the Southern Cross
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Affected by his brother’s
death
Did well in school-vice
president of her class
Books were an escape for
her
Go in an eight-week
cruise for ChristmasCeylon Island
Visits the Buddhist
temples and sees Hindu
wedding
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She loves poetryShakespeare sonnets
Interested in reading and
finding more about
Australia’s history
She decides to continue
her studies
“How could I tell this
woman who lived for me
that I did not want to live
for her?”
The Nardoo Stones
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1959 enrolls to
University of Sydney
It was too overwhelming
and she drops out and she
gets a job
She re-enters the
University of Sydney and
on her first year she
finishes the first in
History, earns distinction
in English
She asked questions
nobody could answer
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She applies as a
candidate for admission
into the junior ranks of
the Australian
Department of External
Affairs.
She is denied because of
her gender.
She becomes a real
professional historian and
realizes that there is “no
way to earn my freedom
through merit.”
Recharting the Globe
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She wants to article as a law clerk , but she
is rejected
Jill and her mom travel to Europe where
they visit England, France, Spain, Portugal,
Italy
The Right Country
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She takes a teaching assistantship in the History
Department at the University of Sydney in
Australian history
Gives tutorials in European and British history
She decides to leave Australia, therefore she goes
to Coorain for the last time
She is considered a “ real anomaly in the Sydney
of the 1950’s”
“no one of my generation knew what to make of
me”
Presented by Andreea Amariei
Thank you!