The Red Chief

This book has the original source notes written by Stan Ewing that Idriess worked on to create The Red Chief narrative. Stan Ewing was the son of John Ewing, Sergent at Gunnedah Police Station. As Idriess notes in this : This story needs an explanatory note, otherwise many readers could be forgiven for doubting that it is a factual story. …. The notes were lent me – or rather forced upon me in such a nice way that I had to grudgingly promise “Oh well, I’ll have a look at them!” – by Mr Russell McDonagh, of McDonagh Pty Ltd, Gunnedah, NSW. Mr Russell McDonagh is very keen on recording the old pioneering records of his district. He has an interesting collection, painstakingly gathered through the years. Among these were notes, actually the aboriginal [sic: lower case a] /?missing word/ in straight-out form, of far and away the best remembered chief of the now extinct Gunnedah tribe. This story was written down word by word years ago by another well-known Gunnedah identity, the late Mr Stan Ewing. The story was from the lips of old Bungaree, last full-blood aboriginal of the tribe... Introduced by Kenton Campbell. 90 pages, illustrated. Available in September 2026.