The following list includes just some of the
books and DVDs by Tony Matthews:
Please note these are not for sale through this site
and are listed for informational purposes only
Tapestry of Time
The Bill & Barbara McCutcheon Story
From the scene of Scotland's most infamous massacre at Glencoe ...
To the green and peaceful sugacane fields of coastal Queensland.
And from the horrifying years of Ireland's deadly potato famine ...
To the staid and formal council chambers of Queensland's local government authorities.
Tapestry of Time tells the compelling story of two inspiring pioneering families.
The Ross and McCutcheon clans are steeped in the history, lore and legend of the Scottish Highlands but, in times now long gone, they have also spread their influence throughout many countries including Australia, Canada, South Africa, England, Ireland, Germany America, the Falklands and Argentina.
Since migrating to Australia as enterprising Queensland pioneers, the forebears of Bill and Barbara McCutcheon have forged highly successful careers, mostly on the land. In this endeavour they have encountered all the hardships — the droughts, the soul-destroying cyclones, wars, floods and fire. Yet they have survived and prospered and in so doing have also given back to the community, have helped that community to grow and flourish and have become an integral part of Australia as we know it today.
Tapestry of Time is the rich and rewarding story of Bill and Barbara McCutcheon and their families, but it is also a history of pioneering endeavour at its poignant best.
The Bill & Barbara McCutcheon Story
From the scene of Scotland's most infamous massacre at Glencoe ...
To the green and peaceful sugacane fields of coastal Queensland.
And from the horrifying years of Ireland's deadly potato famine ...
To the staid and formal council chambers of Queensland's local government authorities.
Tapestry of Time tells the compelling story of two inspiring pioneering families.
The Ross and McCutcheon clans are steeped in the history, lore and legend of the Scottish Highlands but, in times now long gone, they have also spread their influence throughout many countries including Australia, Canada, South Africa, England, Ireland, Germany America, the Falklands and Argentina.
Since migrating to Australia as enterprising Queensland pioneers, the forebears of Bill and Barbara McCutcheon have forged highly successful careers, mostly on the land. In this endeavour they have encountered all the hardships — the droughts, the soul-destroying cyclones, wars, floods and fire. Yet they have survived and prospered and in so doing have also given back to the community, have helped that community to grow and flourish and have become an integral part of Australia as we know it today.
Tapestry of Time is the rich and rewarding story of Bill and Barbara McCutcheon and their families, but it is also a history of pioneering endeavour at its poignant best.
A reader has recently commented about the above book:
It is an absolute masterpiece, extremely well done, the research is remarkable. The English is perfect and the index is wonderful. Beautifully set out. Very well done.
This Dawning Land
A History of Oppression in Queensland
This Dawning Land deals not only with atrocities to Aborigines, but with convicts in the Moreton Bay penal settlement, the highly controversial labour system involving South Sea Islanders, the Gympie gold-rush, Chinese immigrants, and the brutality of the Native Police Force.
The book opens in 1823 with the first encroachments into sacred tribal lands around the Moreton Bay area and the start of 'civilisation' in Queensland. What followed was the barbaric convict settlement, wild white men, mostly escaped convicts, living among the Aborigines. The book tells of inhuman punishments, whippings, hangings, corruption and a gross misunderstanding between two entirely different cultures which sparked innumerable violent battles between the white newcomers and the indigenous tribes.
B5, 116 pages
Hardcover
A History of Oppression in Queensland
This Dawning Land deals not only with atrocities to Aborigines, but with convicts in the Moreton Bay penal settlement, the highly controversial labour system involving South Sea Islanders, the Gympie gold-rush, Chinese immigrants, and the brutality of the Native Police Force.
The book opens in 1823 with the first encroachments into sacred tribal lands around the Moreton Bay area and the start of 'civilisation' in Queensland. What followed was the barbaric convict settlement, wild white men, mostly escaped convicts, living among the Aborigines. The book tells of inhuman punishments, whippings, hangings, corruption and a gross misunderstanding between two entirely different cultures which sparked innumerable violent battles between the white newcomers and the indigenous tribes.
B5, 116 pages
Hardcover
Crosses
Australian Soldiers in the Great War, 1914-18
Crosses is not just another story of war. It is a book which details and explores the experiences of ordinary men who volunteered to serve at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, during World War One.
While the book is a graphic portrayal of the exact events the diggers went through during those times, it is not only a history of war but also a rich history of anecdotes from some of those old Anzac heroes.
Crosses follows the years of bloodshed, from the first indications of war after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, in Serbia, in 1914, through the build-up of arms, the confrontation of huge opposing divisions and the inevitable clash.
The book traces the Australian reaction to the conflict, the Gallipoli landings, war in the Middle East and the terrible years on the bloodied fields of France and Belgium.
Based upon the highly successful documentary of the same name, (see below) Crosses the book, remained on the best-selling list in Queensland for thirteen consecutive weeks.
B5, 139 pages
Hardcover.
Australian Soldiers in the Great War, 1914-18
Crosses is not just another story of war. It is a book which details and explores the experiences of ordinary men who volunteered to serve at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, during World War One.
While the book is a graphic portrayal of the exact events the diggers went through during those times, it is not only a history of war but also a rich history of anecdotes from some of those old Anzac heroes.
Crosses follows the years of bloodshed, from the first indications of war after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, in Serbia, in 1914, through the build-up of arms, the confrontation of huge opposing divisions and the inevitable clash.
The book traces the Australian reaction to the conflict, the Gallipoli landings, war in the Middle East and the terrible years on the bloodied fields of France and Belgium.
Based upon the highly successful documentary of the same name, (see below) Crosses the book, remained on the best-selling list in Queensland for thirteen consecutive weeks.
B5, 139 pages
Hardcover.
Blackguards & Scoundrels
of Colonial Queensland
What kind of society was the late 19th century colony of Queensland? Part of the answer to this question is contained within the stories in this remarkable book. They are stories of murder, criminal trials, sentencing and even hangings. Each step of this grisly process illuminates the lifestyles of the criminals and lower classes of colonial Queensland and shows the enormous social and income gap between the criminals on the one hand and the ruling bourgeoisie on the other. However, it was, of course, the bourgeoisie who controlled the legal procedures with their airs of self-righteous respectability.
Exploring the motivations of the murderers is one of the special features of this book. Police investigations regularly uncovered the deadly sins of lust, greed, revenge, jealousy and envy, sometimes whipped into a murderous frenzy by liberal lashings of alcohol. In some cases the murders were committed through racial hatred among Queensland's early multicultural population of Chinese gold-miners, South Sea Islanders, Aborigines and poor whites.
As the publisher has remarked, '...These are chilling stories written with all the panache of a master storyteller'.
Blackguards and Scoundrels of Colonial Queensland is the third book in a trilogy which began with Mayhem and Murder in Pioneering Queensland followed by Shipwrecks and Seafarers' Scandals — all published by Central Queensland University Press. These books have been serialised for radio and have been relayed via satellite to radio stations across Australia. (For CDs of these programs see below).
B5, 246 pages
Trade paperback.
of Colonial Queensland
What kind of society was the late 19th century colony of Queensland? Part of the answer to this question is contained within the stories in this remarkable book. They are stories of murder, criminal trials, sentencing and even hangings. Each step of this grisly process illuminates the lifestyles of the criminals and lower classes of colonial Queensland and shows the enormous social and income gap between the criminals on the one hand and the ruling bourgeoisie on the other. However, it was, of course, the bourgeoisie who controlled the legal procedures with their airs of self-righteous respectability.
Exploring the motivations of the murderers is one of the special features of this book. Police investigations regularly uncovered the deadly sins of lust, greed, revenge, jealousy and envy, sometimes whipped into a murderous frenzy by liberal lashings of alcohol. In some cases the murders were committed through racial hatred among Queensland's early multicultural population of Chinese gold-miners, South Sea Islanders, Aborigines and poor whites.
As the publisher has remarked, '...These are chilling stories written with all the panache of a master storyteller'.
Blackguards and Scoundrels of Colonial Queensland is the third book in a trilogy which began with Mayhem and Murder in Pioneering Queensland followed by Shipwrecks and Seafarers' Scandals — all published by Central Queensland University Press. These books have been serialised for radio and have been relayed via satellite to radio stations across Australia. (For CDs of these programs see below).
B5, 246 pages
Trade paperback.
Gold, Graves and Gallows
Crimes and Calamities on the Colonial Goldfields
What was life really like on the colonial Australian goldfields? Did the old gold prospectors and miners live full and rich lives, bringing wealth and happiness to their families? Or was the brutal reality of the goldfields somewhat more difficult and dangerous? These are questions which are answered in this stunning new book of TRUE STORIES by leading Australian author and popular historian, Tony Matthews, as he delves into the complexities of life on many of Australia's principal goldfields during our colonial era.
Gold, Graves & Gallows — Crimes and Calamities on the Colonial Goldfields, is a book which focuses on the lives of everyday colonial gold-miners, prospectors, and residents of the goldfields, many of whom experienced unique events during the course of their careers.
There were people such as 'Old Donnybrook of Ravenswood', who believed so fervently in the existence of a rich goldfield that nothing would stand in his way until he had proved his point. Then there was Captain Mechosk — a Polish nobleman who learned his 'goldcraft' as a prisoner in the deadly Siberian goldmines. The author investigates the tragic case of Manuel Yous, the Portuguese prospector who lost his life in search of gold on the Gilbert River, Queensland, in 1878. There was also the case of William Coomber, who didn't lose his life but did lose his entire family after he went prospecting for gold at Glastonbury, near Gympie. In this marvellous study of Australia's golden past, Tony Matthews reveals the harsh truths behind the infamous Creswick disaster, the worst accident in Australia's gold-mining history, during which twenty-two men were killed, some of them real Australian heroes who gave their lives in order to save their mates. Other true stories include mining mysteries, gold hoaxes, mutiny, murders and social tragedies — even a case where gold-miners turned pirates in their desperate lust for the precious metal. Tony Matthews investigates gold legends such as the mystery at Haunted Stream, where one old gold-digger may have been the long lost English nobleman, Sir Richard Tichborne. There are stories of lost gold, lynch law, skulduggery and missing treasures. These rich and fascinating true tales clearly demonstrate the real life dramas of living precariously on an Australian goldfield where survival quite literally could depend upon locating just one speck of gold.
This is a tour de force from the pen of best-selling master storyteller Tony Matthews.
B5, 230 pages Trade paperback.
Crimes and Calamities on the Colonial Goldfields
What was life really like on the colonial Australian goldfields? Did the old gold prospectors and miners live full and rich lives, bringing wealth and happiness to their families? Or was the brutal reality of the goldfields somewhat more difficult and dangerous? These are questions which are answered in this stunning new book of TRUE STORIES by leading Australian author and popular historian, Tony Matthews, as he delves into the complexities of life on many of Australia's principal goldfields during our colonial era.
Gold, Graves & Gallows — Crimes and Calamities on the Colonial Goldfields, is a book which focuses on the lives of everyday colonial gold-miners, prospectors, and residents of the goldfields, many of whom experienced unique events during the course of their careers.
There were people such as 'Old Donnybrook of Ravenswood', who believed so fervently in the existence of a rich goldfield that nothing would stand in his way until he had proved his point. Then there was Captain Mechosk — a Polish nobleman who learned his 'goldcraft' as a prisoner in the deadly Siberian goldmines. The author investigates the tragic case of Manuel Yous, the Portuguese prospector who lost his life in search of gold on the Gilbert River, Queensland, in 1878. There was also the case of William Coomber, who didn't lose his life but did lose his entire family after he went prospecting for gold at Glastonbury, near Gympie. In this marvellous study of Australia's golden past, Tony Matthews reveals the harsh truths behind the infamous Creswick disaster, the worst accident in Australia's gold-mining history, during which twenty-two men were killed, some of them real Australian heroes who gave their lives in order to save their mates. Other true stories include mining mysteries, gold hoaxes, mutiny, murders and social tragedies — even a case where gold-miners turned pirates in their desperate lust for the precious metal. Tony Matthews investigates gold legends such as the mystery at Haunted Stream, where one old gold-digger may have been the long lost English nobleman, Sir Richard Tichborne. There are stories of lost gold, lynch law, skulduggery and missing treasures. These rich and fascinating true tales clearly demonstrate the real life dramas of living precariously on an Australian goldfield where survival quite literally could depend upon locating just one speck of gold.
This is a tour de force from the pen of best-selling master storyteller Tony Matthews.
B5, 230 pages Trade paperback.
etters, Deaths and Dialogue
A novel of the Spanish Civil War
What happened in the Spanish village of Ungria in 1939? For more than half a century this is a question which has haunted historians, journalists and particularly the people of Ungria themselves — those few who survived.
Letters, Deaths and Dialogue is a powerful and disturbing novel; it follows the lives of several leading protagonists, two men and a woman, caught inexorably in a moving trinity of love during the bloody Spanish Civil War. The events unfold through a series of letters the two men are compelled to write to each other almost sixty years later, and also through the pages of the remarkable diary of Father Emanual Hortez, the parish priest at Ungria, whose words breathe life into the people of the village.
The story follows the emotive events of the relationship between Martin Keenan, Jose Velaz, and Mia, the woman they both love. Through the revealing series of letters we experience the desperation, the love and trauma of this dramatic dialogue to its terrible and bloody conclusion high in the Spanish Sierras.
Letters, Deaths and Dialogue shows how ordinary people can change in times of war, how war can sculpt, mould and create the genesis of an evil that, perhaps, lies dormant within us all.
This is undoubtedly the author's most provocative and moving novel yet — a controversial look at a tragic and terrible period in world history that many would sooner forget.
A5, 158 pages
Trade paperback.
A novel of the Spanish Civil War
What happened in the Spanish village of Ungria in 1939? For more than half a century this is a question which has haunted historians, journalists and particularly the people of Ungria themselves — those few who survived.
Letters, Deaths and Dialogue is a powerful and disturbing novel; it follows the lives of several leading protagonists, two men and a woman, caught inexorably in a moving trinity of love during the bloody Spanish Civil War. The events unfold through a series of letters the two men are compelled to write to each other almost sixty years later, and also through the pages of the remarkable diary of Father Emanual Hortez, the parish priest at Ungria, whose words breathe life into the people of the village.
The story follows the emotive events of the relationship between Martin Keenan, Jose Velaz, and Mia, the woman they both love. Through the revealing series of letters we experience the desperation, the love and trauma of this dramatic dialogue to its terrible and bloody conclusion high in the Spanish Sierras.
Letters, Deaths and Dialogue shows how ordinary people can change in times of war, how war can sculpt, mould and create the genesis of an evil that, perhaps, lies dormant within us all.
This is undoubtedly the author's most provocative and moving novel yet — a controversial look at a tragic and terrible period in world history that many would sooner forget.
A5, 158 pages
Trade paperback.
Shipwrecks and Seafarers' Scandals True Tales from Colonial Queensland and the South Pacific
Shipwrecks and Seafarers' Scandals is a book in which the heroes and scoundrels, the brave and the bumbling seafarers ride the crest of colonial Queensland's roaring days in the late 19th century.
Mysteries, long-forgotten treasures, shipwrecks, murder, torture, madness and brutality all combine to provide the reader with an extraordinary collection of true tales from Queensland's and the South Pacific's seagoing past.
Tony Matthews' dramatic stories show just how dangerous it was to be sailing off the coast of Queensland or between Queensland and the South Pacific in the 19th century. There are stories of shipboard massacres and murders; bloodthirsty head-hunters; cannibals of the South Pacific; missionaries and South Pacific traders; escaped convicts from New Caledonia; pirates, starving migrants to Queensland and much more including buried treasures such as the legendary and incredible Bosun Bird treasure. There are stories of true adventures, of horror and unashamed neglect, disasters, incredible voyages and unbridled courage.
As with several of his other books, Shipwrecks and Seafarers' Scandals is based upon the author's highly acclaimed ABC Radio series and has attracted considerable press interest both in Australia and overseas.
Shipwrecks and Seafarers' Scandals is the second book in a trilogy which began with Mayhem and Murder in Pioneering Queensland and concludes with Blackguards and Scoundrels of Colonial Queensland — all published by Central Queensland University Press. These books have been serialised for radio and have been relayed via satellite to radio stations across Australia. (For CDs of these programs see below).
B5, 256 pages
Trade paperback.
Shipwrecks and Seafarers' Scandals is a book in which the heroes and scoundrels, the brave and the bumbling seafarers ride the crest of colonial Queensland's roaring days in the late 19th century.
Mysteries, long-forgotten treasures, shipwrecks, murder, torture, madness and brutality all combine to provide the reader with an extraordinary collection of true tales from Queensland's and the South Pacific's seagoing past.
Tony Matthews' dramatic stories show just how dangerous it was to be sailing off the coast of Queensland or between Queensland and the South Pacific in the 19th century. There are stories of shipboard massacres and murders; bloodthirsty head-hunters; cannibals of the South Pacific; missionaries and South Pacific traders; escaped convicts from New Caledonia; pirates, starving migrants to Queensland and much more including buried treasures such as the legendary and incredible Bosun Bird treasure. There are stories of true adventures, of horror and unashamed neglect, disasters, incredible voyages and unbridled courage.
As with several of his other books, Shipwrecks and Seafarers' Scandals is based upon the author's highly acclaimed ABC Radio series and has attracted considerable press interest both in Australia and overseas.
Shipwrecks and Seafarers' Scandals is the second book in a trilogy which began with Mayhem and Murder in Pioneering Queensland and concludes with Blackguards and Scoundrels of Colonial Queensland — all published by Central Queensland University Press. These books have been serialised for radio and have been relayed via satellite to radio stations across Australia. (For CDs of these programs see below).
B5, 256 pages
Trade paperback.
Cry of the Stormbird
The classic Australian story of love and adventure on a grand scale.
This epic novel sweeps the reader into an adventure of war and gold that encompasses the birth of Australia as a nation, her blooding in two wars — and a love story that defies the destiny of generations.
Cry of the Stormbird follows the fortunes of Michael Hastings, a man caught up in difficult times. It opens in outback Australia, sweeps to the wilds of South Africa during the Boer War, returns to Australian goldfields at the turn of the century and reaches its climax on the bloody, bullet-scarred beaches of Gallipoli. Along the way Michael finds friendship, adventure, ancient prophesies and a classic, star-crossed love. This is a gripping tale of individuals struggling for freedom, dignity, love — and gold!
Important strands of Australia's forgotten history are drawn together: the wars against the Aborigines, the contributions of Chinese immigrants, the fortune and despair of gold, and the squandering of young lives in foreign wars.
B6, 312 pages
Trade paperback.
The classic Australian story of love and adventure on a grand scale.
This epic novel sweeps the reader into an adventure of war and gold that encompasses the birth of Australia as a nation, her blooding in two wars — and a love story that defies the destiny of generations.
Cry of the Stormbird follows the fortunes of Michael Hastings, a man caught up in difficult times. It opens in outback Australia, sweeps to the wilds of South Africa during the Boer War, returns to Australian goldfields at the turn of the century and reaches its climax on the bloody, bullet-scarred beaches of Gallipoli. Along the way Michael finds friendship, adventure, ancient prophesies and a classic, star-crossed love. This is a gripping tale of individuals struggling for freedom, dignity, love — and gold!
Important strands of Australia's forgotten history are drawn together: the wars against the Aborigines, the contributions of Chinese immigrants, the fortune and despair of gold, and the squandering of young lives in foreign wars.
B6, 312 pages
Trade paperback.
Spies for Nippon
Japanese Espionage Against the West
1939 — 1945
This astonishing story of deceit and espionage reveals the true story of Japanese spy rings operating through Spanish embassies and consulates in Britain, America, Europe and many other countries during the Second World War. Until now full details of these espionage rings and the agents who ran and controlled them have been a closely guarded secret. However, revealing documents from the U.S. National Archives now show how Japan manipulated diplomatic missions abroad to wreak destruction on the Allies.
There is no doubt from the mass of formerly secret information now available that the spy network, (codenamed 'TO') which was controlled from Madrid, provided the Japanese and Germans with a vast amount of top quality and highly sensitive intelligence. As a result many lives were lost, particularly during the terrible convoy crossings and when shipping was sunk by Japanese submarines in Australian waters.
This book investigates the depth of the 'TO' network, how it operated and who the spies actually were. Sources include documents that have so far never been released to the public, many of which have been classified top secret.
Japanese Espionage Against the West
1939 — 1945
This astonishing story of deceit and espionage reveals the true story of Japanese spy rings operating through Spanish embassies and consulates in Britain, America, Europe and many other countries during the Second World War. Until now full details of these espionage rings and the agents who ran and controlled them have been a closely guarded secret. However, revealing documents from the U.S. National Archives now show how Japan manipulated diplomatic missions abroad to wreak destruction on the Allies.
There is no doubt from the mass of formerly secret information now available that the spy network, (codenamed 'TO') which was controlled from Madrid, provided the Japanese and Germans with a vast amount of top quality and highly sensitive intelligence. As a result many lives were lost, particularly during the terrible convoy crossings and when shipping was sunk by Japanese submarines in Australian waters.
This book investigates the depth of the 'TO' network, how it operated and who the spies actually were. Sources include documents that have so far never been released to the public, many of which have been classified top secret.
Footsteps Through Time
A History of Chinchilla Shire
One of the most comprehensive regional histories ever published in Australia.
A History of Chinchilla Shire
One of the most comprehensive regional histories ever published in Australia.
Tragedy at Evian
How the World Allowed Hitler to Proceed with the Holocaust
Quiet Courage
Forgotten Heroes of World War Two
Sea Monsters
Savage Submarine Commanders of World War Two
Entombed
Six Men Buried Alive for Six Years
DVDs
Images and Reflections
Perspectives of Italian Australians
This is a documentary which looks at the Italian influence on Australian life, its productivity, society and general prosperity - a subject which has long been ignored. The program examines the history of Italian migration into Australia and the experiences of the men, women and children who arrived on Australian shores to seek a new life. In order to create a true account of these experiences, Images and Reflections relies largely upon the reminiscences of Italian migrants, their photographs and even some of their priceless home movies.
This is a powerful and emotional film, a story of struggle and hardship, of injustice, discrimination and an enduring will to succeed
DVD duration approx 59 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9 widescreen.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
Perspectives of Italian Australians
This is a documentary which looks at the Italian influence on Australian life, its productivity, society and general prosperity - a subject which has long been ignored. The program examines the history of Italian migration into Australia and the experiences of the men, women and children who arrived on Australian shores to seek a new life. In order to create a true account of these experiences, Images and Reflections relies largely upon the reminiscences of Italian migrants, their photographs and even some of their priceless home movies.
This is a powerful and emotional film, a story of struggle and hardship, of injustice, discrimination and an enduring will to succeed
DVD duration approx 59 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9 widescreen.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
Centaur
Death of a Hospital Ship
When the Japanese submarine I-177 torpedoed and sank the Australian hospital ship Centaur in May, 1943, 268 crew, doctors, nurses and orderlies were killed. The event shocked the Australian nation and the world and generated a massive surge of resentment against the Japanese.
Now, for the first and only time, comes the true story of the sinking of the Centaur through the eyes, the words and the memories of the only people who can do justice to this tragic story - the survivors themselves.
To see a video trailer please go to:
https://vimeo.com/61476928
To see the webpage for Centaur please see:
http://centaur-hospitalship.weebly.com
DVD duration approx 60 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9 widescreen.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
Death of a Hospital Ship
When the Japanese submarine I-177 torpedoed and sank the Australian hospital ship Centaur in May, 1943, 268 crew, doctors, nurses and orderlies were killed. The event shocked the Australian nation and the world and generated a massive surge of resentment against the Japanese.
Now, for the first and only time, comes the true story of the sinking of the Centaur through the eyes, the words and the memories of the only people who can do justice to this tragic story - the survivors themselves.
To see a video trailer please go to:
https://vimeo.com/61476928
To see the webpage for Centaur please see:
http://centaur-hospitalship.weebly.com
DVD duration approx 60 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9 widescreen.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
The Mandarins of New Golden Mountain
A History of the Chinese in Australia.
This documentary tells the powerful story of the Chinese in Australia. Brought to Australian shores under extremely difficult circumstances, they endured the hardships and deprivations forced upon them by strangers in an even stranger land. Tough, independent, wholly committed to their work and the families who remained in China, these pioneers were reviled, beaten, robbed and driven off most of the Australian goldfields. Yet they endured, survived and prospered.
Emotive and carefully researched, this is a true story of survival against almost impossible odds.
DVD duration approx 55 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9 widescreen.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
A History of the Chinese in Australia.
This documentary tells the powerful story of the Chinese in Australia. Brought to Australian shores under extremely difficult circumstances, they endured the hardships and deprivations forced upon them by strangers in an even stranger land. Tough, independent, wholly committed to their work and the families who remained in China, these pioneers were reviled, beaten, robbed and driven off most of the Australian goldfields. Yet they endured, survived and prospered.
Emotive and carefully researched, this is a true story of survival against almost impossible odds.
DVD duration approx 55 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9 widescreen.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
Last Breath
The Life and Death of a Wildlife Artist
John Spies was an extraordinary Australian wildlife artist. Born virtually blind and later receiving surgery to bring him sight, he spent his childhood running wild and naked in the dense forests of his Dutch homeland, stealing food from the German occupation forces and coming to love all wild animals.
John lived a strange life as one of the world's most talented and bohemian wildlife artists. His depictions of Australian nocturnal creatures have been hailed as being among some of the most beautiful and lifelike work on this delicate and difficult subject. Yet John's life was also an amazing roller-coaster of love, depression, bravery, attempted suicide and finally success.
Depicting many of John's astonishing paintings, for anyone who loves Australian nocturnal wildlife shown in their natural settings.
DVD duration approx 60 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9 widescreen.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
The Life and Death of a Wildlife Artist
John Spies was an extraordinary Australian wildlife artist. Born virtually blind and later receiving surgery to bring him sight, he spent his childhood running wild and naked in the dense forests of his Dutch homeland, stealing food from the German occupation forces and coming to love all wild animals.
John lived a strange life as one of the world's most talented and bohemian wildlife artists. His depictions of Australian nocturnal creatures have been hailed as being among some of the most beautiful and lifelike work on this delicate and difficult subject. Yet John's life was also an amazing roller-coaster of love, depression, bravery, attempted suicide and finally success.
Depicting many of John's astonishing paintings, for anyone who loves Australian nocturnal wildlife shown in their natural settings.
DVD duration approx 60 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9 widescreen.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
Crosses
Australia's War Experience, 1914-18.
This is a shocking and emotive film which depicts Australia's participation in the First World War. From the bloody killing grounds of Gallipoli through the battles of the Middle East and the horrors of life and violent death in the trenches of France and Belgium, Crosses delivers the full story of what life was like for those heroic Australian 'diggers' who volunteered to fight and even to die for their love of 'Mother England'.
Told largely in the words of the men who fought those bloody battles, Crosses is one of the most admirable television documentaries ever made on the Great War.
DVD duration approx 55 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9 widescreen.
(The book, also titled Crosses, is available above).
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
Australia's War Experience, 1914-18.
This is a shocking and emotive film which depicts Australia's participation in the First World War. From the bloody killing grounds of Gallipoli through the battles of the Middle East and the horrors of life and violent death in the trenches of France and Belgium, Crosses delivers the full story of what life was like for those heroic Australian 'diggers' who volunteered to fight and even to die for their love of 'Mother England'.
Told largely in the words of the men who fought those bloody battles, Crosses is one of the most admirable television documentaries ever made on the Great War.
DVD duration approx 55 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9 widescreen.
(The book, also titled Crosses, is available above).
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
Black Death
Australia's Outbreak of Pneumonic Plague.
This compelling documentary is the true and astonishing story of the outbreak of pneumonic plague at Maryborough, Queensland, in 1905.
This was a remarkable and tragic event in the history of Australia. Characterised by misfortune, poverty, ill-luck and, at times, gross medical mismanagement, the plague, which usually had a fatality rate of more than 90%, could easily have spread to other towns and cities where it might have caused countless thousands of deaths.
(For further details see the 'Black Death Documentary' tab under 'More', above).
DVD duration approx 59 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9 widescreen.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
Australia's Outbreak of Pneumonic Plague.
This compelling documentary is the true and astonishing story of the outbreak of pneumonic plague at Maryborough, Queensland, in 1905.
This was a remarkable and tragic event in the history of Australia. Characterised by misfortune, poverty, ill-luck and, at times, gross medical mismanagement, the plague, which usually had a fatality rate of more than 90%, could easily have spread to other towns and cities where it might have caused countless thousands of deaths.
(For further details see the 'Black Death Documentary' tab under 'More', above).
DVD duration approx 59 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9 widescreen.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
Dark Cargoes
South Sea Islanders and the Australian Slaving System
South Sea Islanders or Kanakas, as they were generally known, were brought to Australian shores in their tens of thousands. Once here they were regularly treated with cruelty and intense racial hatred. They were subjected to a needlessly harsh discipline and housed in substandard conditions, forced to eat appalling food and to drink water often contaminated by animal urine.
And when they died they were not given Christian burials, they were still regarded as pagans and savages and were interred in the sugarcane fields or in shallow depressions behind the monstrous sugar mills, their graves unmarked and quickly forgotten.
Yet these same people were instrumental in turning the fledgling Australian sugar industry into a vital power which now earns the country millions of dollars in foreign exports.
Today, few remember or care where that prosperity originally came from — the blood, the tears, the pain of a race of people who were brutally used and then, almost as brutally, discarded.
For a video 'trailer' of this documentary please see the following page:
https://vimeo.com/61484583
DVD duration approx 55 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews.
South Sea Islanders and the Australian Slaving System
South Sea Islanders or Kanakas, as they were generally known, were brought to Australian shores in their tens of thousands. Once here they were regularly treated with cruelty and intense racial hatred. They were subjected to a needlessly harsh discipline and housed in substandard conditions, forced to eat appalling food and to drink water often contaminated by animal urine.
And when they died they were not given Christian burials, they were still regarded as pagans and savages and were interred in the sugarcane fields or in shallow depressions behind the monstrous sugar mills, their graves unmarked and quickly forgotten.
Yet these same people were instrumental in turning the fledgling Australian sugar industry into a vital power which now earns the country millions of dollars in foreign exports.
Today, few remember or care where that prosperity originally came from — the blood, the tears, the pain of a race of people who were brutally used and then, almost as brutally, discarded.
For a video 'trailer' of this documentary please see the following page:
https://vimeo.com/61484583
DVD duration approx 55 minutes; aspect ratio 16.9
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews.
The Last of the Bullockies
Tales of Queensland's Old Time Teamsters.
This television documentary tells the remarkable story of some of Queensland's old-time teamsters.
With a focus on former bullockies of the South Burnett, this
film encapsulates a time when the bullock-drivers of Queensland took their teams into the rugged timber
country of this huge state.
The bullock teams and the heavy loads they pulled — beasts, man and primitive machines — were responsible for the early transportation of timber and goods, and therefore also responsible for the economic viability of the state’s agrarian pursuits and the fledgling pastoral stations of Queensland.
The Last of the Bullockies tells the story of the original bullockies, in their own words, possibly for the last time before their memories, like the bullock teams they once drove, fade forever into history.
Principal interviewees: Norm Stimpson and Charles Manny Pidgeon.
Written, directed, and presented by: Dr Tony Matthews, Ph.D.
Produced by: Lensie Matthews
Jacket designed by: Lensie Matthews
Digitally re-mastered as a community service by: Matthews Media, 2015
Duration 46 mins. Aspect ratio: 16.9
A documentary video production for the former Wondai Shire Council
CDs
Audio CDs written and narrated by Tony Matthews
Mayhem and Murder
True Tales from our Rough & Rugged Past
This set of three CDs includes 24 stories (produced for radio) condensed from the book of the same name.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
True Tales from our Rough & Rugged Past
This set of three CDs includes 24 stories (produced for radio) condensed from the book of the same name.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
Shipwrecks and Seafarers' Scandals
Terrifying True Tales from Australia's Seafaring Past
This set of three CDs includes 24 stories (produced for radio) condensed from the book of the same name.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
Terrifying True Tales from Australia's Seafaring Past
This set of three CDs includes 24 stories (produced for radio) condensed from the book of the same name.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
Blackguards and Scoundrels
True Stories of Crime, Passion & Punishment
This set of three CDs includes 24 stories (produced for radio) condensed from the book of the same name.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
True Stories of Crime, Passion & Punishment
This set of three CDs includes 24 stories (produced for radio) condensed from the book of the same name.
DVD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
The Ridge
A Letter from Flanders, 1917
This short story written for radio is the utterly compelling tale of one soldier's terrifying experiences as he waits anxiously to go 'over the top' in Flanders during the First World War. Utilising the extraordinary talents of leading Australian narrator John Downes, this is one of the most powerful short stories ever 'dramatised' for radio.
CD jacket design by Lensie Matthews
A Letter from Flanders, 1917
This short story written for radio is the utterly compelling tale of one soldier's terrifying experiences as he waits anxiously to go 'over the top' in Flanders during the First World War. Utilising the extraordinary talents of leading Australian narrator John Downes, this is one of the most powerful short stories ever 'dramatised' for radio.
CD jacket design by Lensie Matthews