A Sandwich Short of a Picnic

<p><strong>A Sandwich Short of a Picnic</strong> delivers another <em>skeleton in the closet</em> from the Australian High Country. It is a tale brought to life by ardent local historian Janice Newnham. The narrative firmly reflects the true story of <strong>Claude Batson</strong> but the author has reimagined the facts into a colourful and intriguing novel.</p><p></p><p>The novel has an idyllic setting: The countryside around Walwa and Jingellic two picturesque rural villages on opposite sides of the upper reaches of the Murray River. The villages are undeniably picturesque situated at the junction of verdant fertile valleys and sheltered by a backdrop of rugged ranges. The tale was preserved in numerous grainy newspaper clippings and archival records from 1924 but although shocking and dramatic at the time it had been erased from memories.</p><p></p><p><strong>A Sandwich Short of a Picnic</strong> is a tale of a marginalised and fragile young man pushed too far. In the summer of 1924 the community of Walwa-Jingellic finds itself at a critical juncture: local gold and tin mines are failing rabbits and drought are destroying farmland and a global economic depression in concert with dark echoes of the horrors of WWI fuel social upheaval and anxiety. Against this backdrop a misunderstood and socially challenged young man is broken by a series of misfortunes gossip manipulation and maybe a poison he invented.</p><p>Gunshots and a blood-stained picnic rug herald a descent into madness unleashing the <strong>Last Bushranger of the Riverina.</strong></p><p class=ql-align-center>~*~</p><p><strong>Claude Valentine Batson</strong> was an eccentric loner content to live a simple life in the Australian bush living off the land with his only companion a rangy yellow dog called <em>Ding</em>. By reputation his one true love was his rifle. Bullied and belittled since childhood and ostracised for being different spurred Batson to remove himself from society maintaining only one long-term relationship. Ruth Barber wife to a former employer represented the mother figure Batson had craved during a traumatic childhood. He was drawn to her kindness and felt validated by her attention. Batson was her pet project for several years but then she too let him down.</p><p></p><p>Struggling with a perceived rejection by Ruth Batson also suffered a litany of misfortunes in a few short months. He had worked feverishly to invent a new rabbit poison and delivery system which he predicted would make him rich and prove to his detractors that he was worthy of their respect. The invention failed. He became a laughingstock; his dreams were shattered and his psyche imploded.</p><p></p><p>One beautiful Sunday afternoon adjacent to the chortling sparkling Jingellic Creek the joy and companionship of a picnic was shattered by gunshots. Picnic blankets were splattered with blood and screams ripped through the heavy summer air. Batson snapped and launched his career as a bushranger the <strong><em>Last Bushranger of the Riverina. </em></strong></p><p></p><p class=ql-align-center>The similarity between the <em>Sniper at Jingellic</em> scenario and the <em>Botanic Gardens Killer</em> (as the headlines described Batson and Norman List and his rampage in Melbourne just two weeks prior) put journalists into a frenzy of sensationalist reporting. Batson was propelled to become Australia's first <strong>copycat killer </strong>and the <strong>Last Bushranger of the Riverina</strong>.</p>