One of my first realisations was that through this book Clare Wright has provided me with a enrich context in which to understand the stories I've come across in developing family trees. Goldfields stories have arisen in the 1850's and '60's in Sunbury, Kyneton, Bendigo in a number of families in which it was clear that women were present. I once owned a little single fronted terrace in Eyre Street, Ballarat, next to a tiny historic hotel. Sadly this little hotel was pulled down to be replaced by two units in 1997--I complained, to no avail. I often visited clients living in old miner's cottages in the mullock hill areas on the road out to Buninyong ...when visiting the Ballarat Art Gallery I would always spend time in front of the Eureka Flag. I had visited, and often passed by the Eureka Stockade park, and from time to time visited Sovereign Hill with its representations of tent life during the gold rushes.... I owned a miner's cottage in Daylesford for over 20 years, and my friends Mary and Leon lived on a Mullock Heap area on the road to Jubilee Lake...so I guess I'd synthesized some 'dreaming' type awareness of life in the goldfields as a base on which to continue reading.
It was clear from the early chapters that it was going to be inclusive of both women and men, also reflected in this review on the Drum website - http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-30/perkins-review-the-forgotten-rebels-of-eureka/5421162 - is that it is inclusive of both women and men... it is not attempting to write anyone out of history...
Then there were links to my own reading, interests, as with the mention of Harriet Martineau and the role of Caroline Chisholm. It also made me think of the book written by Ray and Richard Beckett ....
Also contextualising my own family history - I found that the chapter focusing on ship life made me think about family experiences as various family branches migrated to Australia, something which had been a learning need; and also made me think of the role of my great, great grandfather as a ship's captain, an 'East India' man, and my great grand uncle Henry Taylor as pilot in Port Phillip - both now buried at Queenscliff/Port Arlington.