No Small Offence

Flogged for attempted escape, transported for theft, James Walton (alias Morton) is determined to make good in the new southern land. Never again will he endure the lash or risk the punishment hells of Port Arthur or Norfolk Island; he craves a chance of honest employment and dares to dream of marriage and family. Yet James carries with him a heavy load. Memories of betrayal by the woman he loved, sorrow for the child he lost, and a new hardness from the brutalising convict experience will continue to shape him despite his best endeavours. Moving from Van Diemen’s Land to Geelong and then to Ballarat, James witnesses the birth of Victoria, the discovery of gold, the Eureka rebellion. But while great events are playing out around him, James’ own life is sliding into personal tragedy, with outcomes that will affect the innocent as well as the guilty. About the Author: After a busy professional life, E.M. Allen finds that retirement offers time for historical research and writing, active community service through local environment and conservation groups, and for keeping up with children, grandchildren and friends. The tragic history of James Walton and his family raises so many issues that still bedevil our modern society: issues concerning the purposes and outcomes of the penal system, about the causes of domestic violence and about its often far-reaching results. This compelling story of events 150 years ago sheds light on some current problems through the dark places in Australia’s past.