A new book about John Denis Fryer, after whom the Fryer Library is named, has been published this year by Boolarong Press.
In Remember me to all old friends, Dr Melanie Piddocke focuses on the lives of the Fryers during World War I to give readers a greater understanding of the effects war had on Australian families.
Dr Piddocke has been researching the Fryer family for almost 5 years. In her role as a Museum Development Officer with the Queensland Museums Network, she curated an exhibition relating to Springsure Hospital and the Fryer Family in 2016. The Fryer Library's collections, particularly the John Denis Fryer Papers (UQFL23), were essential research material for both the exhibition and the recently published book.
Fryer Librarian, Simon Farley, who wrote the foreword to the new book, had this to say about the publication and the story of the Fryer family:
In 2016 I had the opportunity to travel to Springsure in Central Queensland to attend the opening of Melanie’s exhibition about medical practices during WWI. This was held in the heritage-listed old Springsure Hospital Museum building. The trip allowed me the opportunity of visiting JD Fryer’s grave and the Fryer family’s house.
For those of us fortunate enough to have homes to retreat to, and work or study from, we will no doubt find solace in books, films and tv series. In times like this we value the important contribution of creative artists, publishers and authors who help us see into ourselves and connect to other people and places across time and space. Collections like those housed in the Fryer Library are a treasure trove of Australian narratives. As we connect through words and stories let us take the time to remember the story of Jack Fryer and his family…and may we understand that we are not alone in adversity.
Find out more
You can view items from the John Denis Fryer Papers on UQ eSpace as well as finding out more about the Fryer family as part of our digital exhibition, JD Fryer: Student and soldier.