The Constable and the Miner - John Lynch P

This novel is set in the Colony of Victoria in the mid 1800’s. John Williams is a London bobby who clashed with his commissioner, this together with his wife’s poor health made him emigrate. Sean Hogan is a North England former farrier and then miner who has experienced the trauma of a mine collapse and seeks a change in his life. They both emigrate to the Australian Colony of Victoria to find that new life.

John joins the Victorian Colony Police Force and has success with the law and order challenges of those raw exciting days. His performance brings him to the attention of his superiors and he is promoted to District Inspector in a country town. The tests he faces during this time are based on actual events of those heady times.

Arriving in Sydney, Sean is hired as a farrier for a cattle drive to Victoria. Together with a fellow adventurer, also an ex-miner, the two decide to try their hand at gold mining. A chance bucket of water has alluvial gold in its mud and brings them financial success. Sean becomes a country farrier, where he meets and eventually marries John’s daughter, Sarah. Dramas such as a bush fire and an armed holdup are vividly described.

The novel is laced with colonial history and is told with poetic licence. It does not follow the normal history book structure. It is another valued book to add to your Australian Colonial History collection.