King Billy of Ballarat

By Morley Roberts

Book Overview

""King Billy of Ballarat"" is a historical novel written by Morley Roberts. Set in the mid-19th century, the book tells the story of Billy, a young Aboriginal boy who is taken from his family and brought to the Ballarat goldfields in Australia. There, he is forced to work as a slave for a white settler named Mr. Brown. Billy dreams of freedom and becoming a king, and his wish comes true when he escapes from Mr. Brown's grasp and joins a group of other Aboriginals who have also been taken from their homes. Together, they form a community and elect Billy as their leader, calling him ""King Billy."" However, their peaceful existence is threatened when the white settlers begin to encroach upon their land and resources. The novel explores themes of colonialism, racism, and the struggle for freedom and equality. Through Billy's journey, the reader is given a glimpse into the harsh realities of life for Indigenous Australians during this time period.The mind of King Billy was not a big mind; it would no more have taken in an abstract idea than his gunyah would have accommodated a grand piano. He was as simple as sunlight, and to resolve his intellect into seven colours would want the most ingenious spectroscope. But he could make an inference from a positive fact, and, having made it, he did not allow more remote deductions to trouble his legitimate conclusion.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1161438386
• ISBN13: 9781161438383
• Release Date: May 2010
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
• Length: 34 Pages
• Weight: 0.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.0" x 10.0"