Lennie the legend: Solo to Sydney by pony by Stephanie Owen Reeder
National Library of Australia, 2015. ISBN 9780642278654
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Lennie the legend is based on the story of
Lennie Gwyther, who rode his pony Ginger Mick from the family farm
in Victoria to Sydney to attend the opening ceremony of the Sydney
Harbour Bridge in 1932. His journey was reported in the newspapers
of the day, and like the bridge he went to see, helped to lift the
spirits of Australians during the Great Depression.
Stephanie Owen Reeder has developed an effective strategy for
focusing on a personal journey while immersing readers in the daily
life of a bygone era. Lennie's story, told in strong, well-paced
prose and convincing dialogue, relates how he coped with bushfire
and flood, was helped by relatives and strangers alike, and
encountered characters as diverse as swagmen and the Prime Minister.
Each stage of the journey ends with an explanation of one aspect of
social conditions at the time - farming life, the consequences of
the Great War, mass unemployment and the optimism engendered by
nation-building projects such as the construction of Canberra and
the bridge. An epilogue traces the course of Lennie's life until his
death in 1992. These passages facilitate an understanding of the
significance of Lennie's achievement while allowing the narrative
itself to flow uninterrupted by intrusive explanations of its
historical context. The text has been complemented with photographs,
maps and posters, which the designers have presented in the style of
an old-fashioned photograph album. A bibliography, glossary, picture
credits, index and author's notes are evidence of thorough research.
The inclusion of some invented names, dialogue and events is
explained as being due both to necessity, when information is
unavailable, and to a desire to heighten the impact of the story.
Part history and part historical fiction, Lenny the legend brings to
life an inspirational episode from Australia's past and provides an
insight into the values and resilience of a generation that survived
against the odds.
Elizabeth Bor
