by Anita Heiss
And to Lisa Heidke – for the long phone calls about writing, researching, editing, planning and everything else that causes anxiety in the process.
To the publishing ‘A team’ at Simon & Schuster Australia: Larissa Edwards and Roberta Ivers, and to my editors Elizabeth Cowell and Kylie Mason. Thank you for helping me make this book the best it can be.
To my agent Tara Wynne, who I trust with my life – I’ve no words left to express my gratitude.
And finally to you my reader – I hope this book adds something to your own journey in life. I believe that understanding and appreciating who we are today requires us to understand and accept who and what we have been, collectively as a nation, in the past.
Anita Heiss
2016
Book club questions
1. Life on Erambie Station was hard, with food rations and no electricity, constant restrictions and intervention in daily life. In what ways did the government benefit from enforcing these harsh conditions on Aboriginal people? Why would the POW compounds have better food and facilities?
2. Banjo Williams’ decision to hide Hiroshi came at great sacrifice to his own family and the other families of Erambie. Do you think it was the right choice? What does this decision say about Banjo’s ethics?
3. What would you have done if you were Hiroshi – stayed in the prison camp or attempted to break out? Is there shame in staying behind? Would you be able to survive on the run?
4. What are your thoughts on Mr and Mrs Smith? Was John Smith trapped in his role as the mission Manager or were there things he could have done to help out the residents of Erambie? Could John Smith have led a less harsh regime while still complying with government expectations?
5. The Japanese and Italian POWs were treated differently by the townspeople, with the Italians working and more integrated into life outside the camps. Were the Italians less discriminated against than the Japanese? Do you think any of these perceptions between the different cultures are still held in the broader community today?
6. Indigenous soldiers fought for Australia in the First and Second World Wars (and other conflicts) despite not holding Australian citizenship. Can you understand why people made this choice? Why/why not? Were these Indigenous soldiers treated equally in and after wartime? What sacrifices did they make for Australia?
7. Have you ever been to Cowra, in rural New South Wales? What were your experiences there?
8. What rights have Aboriginal people won since the 1940s? Do you think that all Australians are treated equally today?
9. Mary was only seventeen when she fell in love with Hiroshi. Did you fall in love as a teenager? How did it turn out?
10. Do you think Mary is truly happy in her decision to marry Raymond? Why/why not?
About the author
© Amanda James
Dr Anita Heiss is the author of non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women’s fiction, poetry, social commentary and travel articles. She is a regular guest at writers’ festivals and travels internationally performing her work and lecturing on Indigenous literature. She is a Lifetime Ambassador of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation of central NSW. Anita is an Advocate for the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence and an Ambassador of Worowa Aboriginal College. She is an Adjunct Professor with Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, UTS, and currently divides her time between writing, public speaking, MCing, managing the Epic Good Foundation and being a ‘creative disruptor’. Anita was a finalist in the 2012 Human Rights Awards and the 2013 Australian of the Year Awards. She currently lives in Brisbane.
Find out more about Anita on her website at
www.anitaheiss.com
on Twitter at @AnitaHeiss
and on her Facebook page
Also by Anita Heiss
Fiction
Not Meeting Mr Right (2007)
Avoiding Mr Right (2008)
Manhattan Dreaming (2010)
Paris Dreaming (2011)
The Tightening Grip,
written with the students of St Laurence’s College, Brisbane (2012)
Tiddas (2014)
Nonfiction
Sacred Cows (1996)
Dhuuluu-Yala: Publishing Indigenous Literature (2003)
I’m Not Racist, But . . . (2007)
Am I Black Enough For You? (2012)
Young adult and kids
Who Am I? The Diary of Mary Talence, Sydney 1937 (2001)
Yirra and Her Deadly Dog, Demon,
written with the students of La Perouse Public School (2007)
Demon Guards the School Yard,
written with the students of La Perouse Public School (2011)
Harry’s Secret (2015)
Matty’s Comeback (2016)
Poetry
Token Koori (1998)
Anthology (ed)
Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature,
edited with Peter Minter (2008)
Life in Gadigal Country (2002)
BARBED WIRE AND CHERRY BLOSSOMS
First published in Australia in 2016 by
Simon & Schuster (Australia) Pty Limited
Suite 19A, Level 1, Building C, 450 Miller Street, Cammeray, NSW 2062
A CBS Company
Sydney New York London Toronto New Delhi
Visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.au
© Anita Heiss 2016
Basho translations © Professor Donna Weeks, Musashino University, Tokyo
Quotes from wartime coverage in the Cowra Guardian are reproduced with permission from Australian Community Media (Fairfax Media).
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher.
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Creator:
Heiss, Anita, 1968 – author.
Title:
Barbed wire and cherry blossoms/Anita Heiss.
ISBN:
9781925184846 (paperback)
9781925184860 (ebook)
Subjects:
Erambie Aboriginal Reserve (NSW) – Fiction.
Prisoner-of-war escapes – New South Wales – Cowra – Fiction
Prisoners of war – Japan – Fiction.
Prisoners of war – New South Wales – Cowra – Fiction.
Women, Aboriginal Australian – New South Wales – Cowra – Fiction.
Man–woman relationships – Fiction
Love stories.
Dewey Number: A823.3
Cover design: Christabella Designs
Cover images: Australian Scenics/Getty Images, Winai Tepsuttinun/Shutterstock, AVprophoto/Shutterstock
Typeset by Midland Typesetters, Australia