The Story – Mangadoo by David Morgan | Historical Novel on Colonial Australia

Mangadoo the Beginning…

George Nolan is 15 years old when following the murder of his parents in India he is sent back to England to live with his Uncle Toby in Gloucestershire. Uncle Toby is a prominent horse trainer and he recognised George had a natural ability with horses, so he gave him a young colt called Pucklechurch to train.

George excels with the young horse, and it culminates in winning the prestigious English Derby. Following the win, Pucklechurch mysteriously disappears, and George is blamed for being involved in the disappearance.

He is tried, sentenced, and sent to Western Australia, where after arriving in Fremantle he is ordered to serve his sentence by working at ‘Hawkins Wood Mill’ near Pinjarra.

Young George Nolan being sentenced at the Bristol Court

Katherine and George at Hawkins Mill

George’s time at the mill is challenging but eventually he earns the respect of the mill owner and falls in love with his beautiful daughter Katherine.

At the end of his term at the mill George is determined to find out who was responsible for his sentencing to Australia, and he leaves Katherine and the mill to head back to England. There is no ship for weeks, so he travels up the Swan River to Perth where he catches up with a group of scoundrels he had befriended on the outward journey to Australia.

One afternoon, they take him to the local races where he is reunited by chance with ‘Pucklechurch’. Keen to learn more of the horses’ connections he finds one of the owners, Captain Burns, and can’t believe his luck when after a short discussion Burns offers George a job working at a remote colony in the Northwest of Western Australia where the owners of Pucklechurch are establishing a new business venture, mating sturdy station broodmares with high quality thoroughbreds. (Fact – the region did develop such an industry and the horses became known as ‘Nor West Breds’ which they successfully exported to the British Army in India.)

George abandons his plans to return to England and travels north to the new colony and he quickly discovers that he has joined a corrupt but well organised organisation that specialises in selectively stealing quality animals from all around the world and transporting them to their various breeding ventures in Australia. George quickly earns the trust of Captain Burns who sees George as the son he never had but this upsets others.

Captain Burns and George meet at the races.

George being watched by a distrusting Colonel Mitchell.

One of Captain Burns fellow owners, an Irishman called Colonel Mitchell who notices the special bond that George has with Pucklechurch, and he becomes very wary of George. Over time Pucklechurch fails to produce a colt and when Colonel Mitchell learns that a close friend of George’s, Micael, family broodmare had produced a good-looking colt he becomes increasingly suspicious of George.

When the young colt disappears and Micael’s father is found murdered, George befriends the new Roebourne Police Inspector, and he starts helping him with his enquires. When the Police Inspector is found murdered the story line takes a twist when George suddenly discovers that Colonel Mitchell has another agenda…