German+settlers

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Kent Town, S. Aust. : Wakefield Press, 2009. This is a fascinating book of primary sources - old letters, newspaper articles, diaries and ship journals. Assembled together they tell the story first-hand of the Lutheran Germans and their settlement in South Australia. Available from the Lutheran Archives. || || Not all Germans in South Australia were Lutherans or settled in the Barossa region. This book tells of many contributions made to South Australia by Germans from many walks of life in the nineteenth century. || || Montville, Qld. Walter McVitty Books, 1997. Noted author and poet Colin Thiele grew up and went to school in the tiny South Australian settlement of Julia, north of Eudunda. This book of relatively short chapters describes his childhood on a mixed farm in a community where most people were of German descent. His detailed accounts of daily life on the farm bring to light the remarkable skills and talents of families who had had little education but who knew how to farm and sustain their families. Chapters include headings such as: Horse Power, School, Food, Hands On, Entertainment and Subsistence. His descriptions encompass a world covering the Eudunda area and the Barossa Valley but would apply to many other farming regions in wheat-growing South Australia. Although Thiele was writing about a period in the 1920s to 1930s, much of what he describes relates to nineteenth-century settlement as well.
 * Kavel's people : from Prussia to South Australia / David Schubert.
 * Germans: Settlers and Travellers in South Australia/ By [|Peter Monteath](Edited by).Kent Town, S. Aust. : Wakefield Press, 2011.
 * With dew on my boots : a childhood revisited /​ Colin Thiele.

A teacher would find it useful to read out extracts, perhaps in conjunction with a visit to a local museum. Most school libraries have a copy of this book, sent free to schools several years ago. || || Sydney : Lansdowne, 1996. Colin Thiele wrote several books based on his childhood, as described above in "With Dew On My Boots". This is his first. It describes the adventures of Bruno Gunther, a young boy living on a farm and interacting with his school friends and teacher. In a wheat-growing area, where most families knew each other intimately, there were many stories to tell. Many of the comic incidents in the book are based on common stories that were part of the local experiences. Although the style is more literary than books read by most students at this level, teachers have successfully engaged their classes by reading it as part of their history program. Once again, although Thiele was writing about a period in the 1920s to 1930s, much of what he describes relates to nineteenth-century settlement as well. || ||
 * Sun on the stubble /​ Colin Thiele.

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