Letter from Kalangadoo

Book excerpt: Roly Parks is one of the most endearing and beloved characters created by political satirist Bryan Dawe. Roly lives in the town of Kalangadoo, a small district in South Australia. Each week, Roly writes a letter to his son, Gene, who lives in London with his partner, Ahmed, a Moroccan ballet dancer, formerly with the Royal Ballet. Roly's letters have been broadcast nationally in Australia on ABC radio for over 25 years. Roly's letters range from his ongoing marriage counseling encounters with his wife of 50 years, Sonya; his run-ins with the town gossip Beryl Coates and Mrs. Phipps, the letter-opening post-mistress; and an assortment of other characters, like the 'Whingeing' Jack Smillett, 'Sick' Alf, and Roly's annoying elderly doctor. In this collection, readers will hear of Roly's hilarious attempts with his old mates to scatter the ashes of his best mate 'Bull' Devine in the river at Port Adelaide, Roly's futile effort to placate the ghost of the late Dot Mathieson, and how he copes with a new courtship of his closest friend Milton's crime-writing sister, Margaret. Letter from Kalangadoo: The Roly Parks Collection is ironic, humorous, and deeply touching. This is Australian storytelling at its finest from, Bryan Dawe, one of Australia's most acclaimed satirists. *** Librarians: ebook available on ProQuest and EBSCO [Subject: Humor]