The Long Patrol
East Timor was ruled by foreign powers for almost 500 years. The Long Patrol traces East Timor's torturous and tragic path to Independence in 2002. In particular, it examines Australia's relationship with East Timor and the role Australia has played over three periods in the country's history: World War II, the twenty-four year Indonesian occupation, Independence and its aftermath.
Using primary sources, this book is a thorough and thought-provoking history and student resource, offering valuable insight. Sources include a Japanese soldier, Portuguese officials, UN personnel, aid workers, Australian soldiers and diplomats, and importantly, the East Timorese themselves - villagers, resistance fighters and leaders, priests and nuns, ordinary men and women.
About the Drum Series
Books in series order
- 1.The Black Snake(2002)
- 2.Alexander the Great(2004)
- 3.Scarecrow Army(2005)
- 4.Joan of Arc(2006)
- 5.Red Haze(2006)
- 6.Mary Bryant(2007)
- 7.The Kokoda Track(2007)
- 8.Fly a Rebel Flag(2007)
- 9.The Games(2008)
- 10.The Long Patrol(2008)
- 11.Shakespeare: The Most Famous Man in London(2009)
- 12.The Death: The Horror of the Black Plague(2009)
- 13.Creforce: The Anzacs and the Battle of Crete(2010)
- 14.Closets Are For Clothes(2010)
- 15.Fromelles(2011)
- 16.Atmospheric: The Burning Story of Climate Change(2015)
Reading age: 12+ years
The Drum series combines first-person accounts and non-fiction to bring history roaring to life. The points of history are quite diverse in subject and time-period, ranging from historical figures such as Alexander the Great and Joan of Arc, sobering battles of the First and Second World Wars and Vietnam, to a lighter account of the highs and lows of the modern Olympic Games. These historical accounts are well-researched and written to be quickly engaging.