20 October 2003
The Alphabet of Light and Dark
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by Danielle Wood
Abridged by Gail McCallum
A coin found inside a Cloudy Bay oyster, a postcard of a white-haired child leaning against a beached dinghy and a coconut peeled and carved once upon a time on the Batavian coast. These trinkets, found in a tea chest, and the fragmented memories of her grandfather's tall tales are all Essie Lewis knows of her family history. Intrigued by this collection she returns to the Tasmanian lighthouse where her great-great-grandfather kept watch for nearly forty years.
Transcript
This transcript was typed from a recording of the program. The ABC cannot guarantee its complete accuracy because of the possibility of mishearing and occasional difficulty in identifying speakers.
Beneath the Cape Bruny lighthouse, she begins to write the story of her great aunt, Alva, the lighthouse-keeper's daughter.
But on Bruny Island, Essie is unexpectedly involved in another story. She meets a man she remembers from childhood, now a hunter and sculptor, Pete Shelverton. And, as their shared story unfolds, Essie finds her own long-forgotten histories.
The Alphabet of Light and Dark is the winner of The Australian/Vogel Literary Award 2002, and is published by Allen and Unwin.
Sound Engineer: Judy Rapley
Directer/Producer: Anne Wynter
