William Anderson Cawthorne was an artist, author and schoolmaster. He recorded his observations of how Adelaide had been affected by the rush to Victoria for gold, in his diary from 1849-1859 held in the State Library of NSW Manuscripts Collection. The Kangaroo Islanders was originally published in serialised format, from 25 January to 25 December 1865.
Rick Hosking is an Associate Professor in English, Creative Writing, and Australian Studies at Flinders University where he teaches Australian Studies, colonial literary studies, historical fiction and travel writing. He co-authored with Robert Foster and Amanda Nettelbeck Fatal Collisions: the South Australian Frontier and the Violence of Memory.