 First edition | |
| Author | Ion Idriess |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | novel |
| Publisher | Angus and Robertson |
Publication date | 1933 |
Drums of Mer is a 1933 Australian novel by Ion Idriess set in the Torres Strait in present-day Queensland, Australia. [1]
It was based on a true story about the survivors of the wrecked ship the Charles Eaton . The characters were composites of real people. [2] [3]
Idriess later called the book "'a blood-thirsty thing, and it's told from the angle of the Torres Strait islanders. There are killings and wars and all sorts of horrible things in it, but it seems to appeal. I was a bit frightened at first, that the womenfolk would not like it. They seem to want it, however." [4]
Idriess later reworked the same material in a children's book, Headhunters of the Coral Sea . [5]
Sandy Harbutt planned to make a film version of it in the late 1970s with his then-wife Helen Morse as associate producer. Research trips were undertaken to various locations in 1977. [6] In October 1977 Harbutt was reportedly writing a script in the New Hebridies and hoped to start filming in April 1978. [7] In 1999 Harbutt said he still intended to make the movie. [8] However no film resulted.
In 1996 the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre presented a theatre production based on the novel. [9]
Torres Strait Islanders are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal peoples of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped with them as Indigenous Australians. Today, there are many more Torres Strait Islander people living in mainland Australia than on the Islands.
Cinesound Productions Pty Ltd was an Australian feature film production company. Established in June 1931, Cinesound developed out of a group of companies centred on Greater Union Theatres that covered all facets of the film process, from production to distribution and exhibition. Cinesound Productions established a film studio as a subsidiary of Greater Union Theatres Pty Ltd based on the Hollywood model. The first production was On Our Selection (1932), which was an enormous financial success.
Helen Morse is an English-born Australian actress who has appeared in films, on television and on stage. She won the AFI Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the 1976 film Caddie, and starred in the 1981 miniseries A Town Like Alice. Her other film appearances include Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Agatha (1979), Far East (1982) and The Eye of the Storm (2011).
Ion Llewellyn Idriess was a prolific and influential Australian author. He wrote more than 50 books over 43 years between 1927 and 1969 – an average of one book every 10 months, and twice published three books in one year. His first book was Madman's Island, published in 1927 at the age of 38, and his last was written at the age of 79. Called Challenge of the North, it told of Idriess's ideas for developing the north of Australia.
Sandy Harbutt was an Australian actor, writer and director, best known for the outlaw biker film, Stone (1974) starring his friend Ken Shorter. Although it was very successful at the box office and became a cult classic, it was the only feature he ever directed. He was once married to actress Helen Morse.
Madman's Island is a 1927 novel by Ion Idriess set in northern Australia.
Gold Dust and Ashes is a book by Ion Idriess set in Bulolo in the New Guinea goldfields. It covers the history of gold exploration in the region, including occupation by the Germans, transfer to Australian governorship, the efforts of Cecil Levien to pioneer gold mining, and the role of New Guinea Airways in the industry.
Forty Fathoms Deep: Pearldivers and Searovers in Australian Waters is a 1937 book from Ion Idriess about pearl divers.
The Australian Guerilla series was a series of 6 handbooks published in World War II by Ion Idriess. Idriess had been a sniper during World War I. The books were written when Australia was under threat of invasion during World War II.
Men of the Jungle is a 1932 book by Ion Idriess. It covered three years in the life of Idriess and his three companions as they worked in north-east Queensland.
The Tin Scratchers: The Story of Tin Mining in the Far North is a 1959 autobiographical book by Ion Idriess.
Outlaws of the Leopolds is a 1952 non-fiction history book by Ion Idriess. It concerned the aboriginal resistance leader Sandamara in the 1890s.
Nemarluk: King of the Wilds is a book by Ion Idriess about aboriginal warrior Nemarluk.
The Wild White Man of Badu is a 1950 novel by Ion Idriess. It is about two convicts who escape from Norfolk Island and travel to Badu Island on the Torres Strait.
Isles of Despair is a 1947 historical novel by Ion Idriess based on the true story of Barbara Thomson, a white woman who was the sole survivor of a shipwreck and was raised by Coral Sea islanders, before being rescued in 1849.
Horrie the Wog Dog is a 1945 book by Ion Idriess about the adventures of Horrie the Wog Dog, the Australian war mascot.
Prospecting for Gold is a 1931 non fiction book by Ion Idriess. It is a guide on how to prospect for gold.
Badu people are an Indigenous Australian group of Torres Strait Island people based on the central-west Badu island.
Charles Eaton was a barque, launched in 1833 for use as a merchant ship. Whilst under the command of Captain Fowle, she was wrecked in 1834 among the Torres Strait Islands, off the northern coast of Queensland, Australia, and her passengers and crew attacked and nearly all killed by Torres Strait Islanders on Mer Island. A cabin boy and small child survived and lived with the islanders until being rescued by Captain Lewis and crew on Isabella in June 1836, who also found skulls of some of the murdered people on a nearby island and took them back to Sydney for burial.
Poey Passi was one of the first two Torres Strait Islanders to be ordained a priest in the Anglican Church of Australia in 1925.
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