Southern Steel: Dymphna Cusack

Dymphna Cusack, in collaboration with Florence James, wrote a hugely successful novel about Sydney in war-time entitled Come in Spinner. Southern Steel is staged in the steel city of Newcastle, New South Wales, again set in World War II when the Newcastle steel works - here called "Southern Steel" - was vital in war-time production. Souther Steel dominates the city and against this background there's a dramatic tale of family disunion, feminine rivalries, soldiers' lusts and lovers' ecstasies.