Salmons of Ashmont / Riverton Press (ePub)

Ashmont was the name of the land where the family led by James and Mary Ann Salmon lived from 1922. It was then on the outskirts of Wagga Wagga, NSW, and now lends its name to a suburb of that city. The old family home is today part of the Loreto Home of Compassion and a carpark stands where there was once a magnificent orchard.

James and Mary Ann had 10 children and this book tells of their personalities, interests and conflicts and the financial difficulties faced during the Depression years.

Within the framework of the stories of each of 10 children and their parents, Anita Buswell shows how rural New South Wales changed in the first half of the 20^th century. The children went to school on horseback, by horse and sulky and later by bicycle. Dad finally bought a car for his eldest daughter. Her father was a generous man unwilling to charge his creditors and got caught out badly by the financial crises of the Depression. Her mother had to keep things going with small business enterprises like selling eggs.

Family pastimes included exploits on horses at local gymkhanas and rodeos, flying lessons for one brother, violin classes, singing and dancing around the piano, choir, bush poetry.

The book includes photos of family members and their beloved horses, and the cover drawing by Denise McKenzie is based on iconic family imagery. A print version of the book was published in 1996.