Kirjahaku

An epidemic of smallpox among Aboriginal people around Sydney in 1789 puzzled the British, for there had been no cases on the ships of the First Fleet. Where, then, did the epidemic come from? Judy Campbell argues that epidemics of smallpox among Australian Aboriginals preceded European settlement. She believes they originated in regular visits to the northern coast of Australia by Macassan fishermen from southern Sulawesi and nearby islands. The fishermen visited during the monsoon and traded with local people, who then resumed their travels into the interior, carrying smallpox with them. Invisible Invaders uses hitherto unpublished material from 19th century archives about indigenous and introduced diseases. Judy Campbell's brilliant and original analysis challenges old assumptions and assumes special importance today.

A rich memoir about exploring a family mystery, and how a search for truth can yield unexpected outcomes.Eight years after the death of her mother, Judy reviews her family relics, including the antique tea service that belonged to her mother's grandfather. Should she just sell the damn thing and buy new lounge furniture? It's tempting.But she stops to read the inscription etched into the solid silver tray. It honours this man around whom hangs a century-old mystery. Prickling with a strange resentment towards her widely loved mother, she embarks on a journey to uncover the truth behind the story of grandeur and ruin her mother had promised, but never wrote.The author's relentless research in dusty archives and neglected cemeteries across South Africa unravels an unexpected family history. The process draws her to revisit the darker corridors of her youth, and her sense of identity. She confronts the losses and complexities of her own life.The Silver Tea Service is a thought-provoking memoir of loss, redemption and belonging, of political injustices and the inescapable nuances of history in South Africa.