The Confessions of a Beachcomber - Softcover

Banfield, E. J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1480228834 ISBN 13: 9781480228832

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012

Synopsis

Does the fact that a weak mortal sought an unprofaned sanctuary — an island removed from the haunts of men — and there dwelt in tranquillity, happiness and security, represent any just occasion for the relation of his experiences — experiences necessarily out of the common? To this proposition it will be for these pages to find answer. Few men of their own free will seek seclusion, for does not man belong to the social vertebrates, and do not the instincts of the many rule? And when an individual is fain to acknowledge himself a variant from the type, and his characteristics or idiosyncrasies (as you will) to be so marked as to impel him to deem them sound and reasonable; when, after sedate and temperate ponderings upon all the aspects of voluntary exile as affecting his lifetime partner as well as himself, he deliberately puts himself out of communion with his fellows, does the experiment constitute him a messenger? Can there be aught of entertainment or instruction in the message he may fancy himself called upon to deliver? or, is the fancy merely another phase of the tyranny of temperament?

About this title

From the Author:

Does the fact that a weak mortal sought an unprofaned sanctuary--an island removed from the haunts of men--and there dwelt in tranquility, happiness and security, represent any just occasion for the relation of his experiences-experiences necessarily out of the common? To this proposition it will be for these pages to find answer. In these pages there will be an endeavor to refrain from egotism, and yet how may one who lives a lonesome life on an island and who presumes to write its history evade that duty? My chief desire is to set down in plain language the sobrieties of everyday occurrences--the unpretentious homilies of an unpretentious man--one whose mental bent enabled him to take but a superficial view of most of the large, heavy and important aspects of life, but who has found light in things and subjects homely, slight and casual; who perhaps has queer views on the pursuit of happiness, and who above all has an inordinate passion for freedom and fresh air. Moreover, these chronicles really have to do with the lives of two people-not youthful enthusiasts, but beings who had arrived at an age when many of the minor romances are of the past Whosoever looks for the relation of sensational adventures, exciting situations, or even humorous predicaments, will assuredly be disappointed. Possibly there may be something to interest those who wish to learn a few of the details of the foundation of a home in tropical Australia; and to understand the conditions of life here, not as they affect the man of independence who seeks to enlarge his fortune, nor the settler who in the sweat of his face has to eat bread, but as they affect one to whom has been given neither poverty nor riches, and who has proved (to his own satisfaction at least) the wisdom of the sage who wrote--"If you wish to increase a man's happiness seek not to increase his possessions, but to decrease his desires."

From the Back Cover:

America had Henry David Thoreau, James Audubon, John Burroughs, and John Muir. Australia had E.J. Banfield, the beloved Beachcomber of Dunk Island.

Join Banfield as he describes his escape from hectic civilization to the simpler pleasures of a tropical paradise. A physical wreck, Banfield literally crawled onto the beach in Brammo Bay from the ship's launch that brought him to the island where he would spend the remainder of his life and would find renewed health and interest in life.

A disciple of Thoreau, Banfield became a champion of species preservation, and using his pen as his sword, he eventually persuaded the Australian government to set aside Dunk Island as a protected area for wild birds of all species.

During his life on the island, Banfield became a keen observer of the nature around him, and while he argues his amateur approach to the study of nature, his catalog of the island's life provides an intriguing and comprehensive look at what it means to live free on a tropical island.

For modern readers, Banfield's observations remind us of an intriguing, complex, interesting, and intensely enjoyable world beyond the television screen and computer monitor.

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1480228834
• ISBN 13: 9781480228832
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 266