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Into the well-trodden footsteps of Australia’s second-most-notorious bushranger comes an exciting new voice.
Captain Moonlite (Andrew George Scott) was an adventurer, fraudster (and perhaps a fabulist) who found a respectable post in Victoria as a lay preacher in Bacchus Marsh. Things went haywire after he was convicted of various crimes – at least some of which he probably committed. Long story short he ended up in Melbourne’s Pentridge Gaol where he met the love of his life, James Nesbitt. Scott seems to have been a remarkable public speaker. When he directed these skills to prison reform, the authorities put every possible obstacle in his way. The life of a bushranger beckoned and his gang of young companions set off for New South Wales.
The adventure ended with the inevitable shootout with cops and armed locals at Gundagai, NSW. In the book, Cormick describes Scott’s love for Nesbitt, and the emotional impact of loss. In his letters, Scott describes he and his mate as being ‘united in every tie that could unite human friendship, we were one in hopes, one in heart and soul and this unity lasted until he died in my arms’. This narrative of Scott’s life reveals that love, loyalty and rebellion were as important in the past as they are for us.
Author: Craig Cormwick
Paperback Published 26 April 2023 105 pages
"This playful amble through the tale of a renowned bushranger is a charming narrative and, better than most bushranger tales, one that is disarming and subtle." ~ Thomas Keneally, Booker Prize Winner.
"Inventive and playful - an insider's account that will have you on the edge of your seat. Reading Craig Cormick's A Darker Shade of Moonlite is like listening to a story told around a campfire. One of the most enjoyable books you'll ever read." ~ Professor Mark McKenna, Historian and winner of the Prime Minister's Literary Award.
"Playful, irreverent and highly entertaining, in A Darker Shade of Moonlite Cormick gives us a wild tale about a very wild man indeed." ~ Nigel Featherstone, author of Bodies of Men and My Heart Is a Little Wild Thing.