Mrs Sally Rodwell
Whittlesford - Cambridge - England

10-3-1985

Dear Mrs Rodwell,

Thank you so much for your letter of 9th December and the papers. Congratulations on your paper. It contains some very interesting information. I hope this letter reaches you at Cambridge. You may have already moved out to Hong Kong. I guess this letter would be forwarded on to you if you have moved. Please let me have your address in Hong Kong as I would like to keep in touch.

I am enclosing a photostat from a book by one of our Australian writers who wrote many books of his travels throughout Australia and other parts of the world. I have collected most of his books which are very interesting. He is somewhat of a historian you might say. This information I feel could be of interest to you if you could get across to Taiwan which is not so far from Hong Kong.

Just a couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to get the opportunity to view the private art collection of a chap in Newcastle (20 miles distant from me). It is the only time the collection has been open to the public. It is in his own home and is considered to be one of the best private collection of this kind perhaps anywhere in the world. The value is hard to estimate.

Of interest to me was a couple of 10th century Persian ceramic plates, one of them particularly which had on it design of a fowl, so close to the present standard of the Modern Game Fowl that it was remarkable. He offered to let me photograph it some time in the future. I will endeavour to take the opportunity.

I am pleased to hear that more interest is being taken in the origins of the domestic fowl amongst the British archaeologists. The is still a lot to be learnt on the subject, a lot of gaps to fill.

It’s unfortunate you will not be able to pursue your work in England with British Academy award but perhaps as they say one door closes and another opens and as you speak Chinese this fact will be a big advantage in the Far East and I feel there could be opportunities to carry on your studies, especially if you can get across Taiwan.

You mentioned you would show my book to Don Boothwell of the Institute of Archaeology. I thank you for passing the word along. If he would like a copy I would be only too pleased to send him one. Would appreciate some comments from him. I will contact Dr Ridley as you suggest. I thank you for the contact.

I have also obtained the addresses of another couple of contacts one in the US and one in China. Perhaps they may provide further information. Monash University in Melbourne all helps in assisting to find some more answers to fill the gaps of what we know at present.

I hope the next book I can do in the series will be on the Gallus species. In it I will add a section from the feedback received from book 2 (Chicken bone recoveries ).

What is happening is what I had hoped for and is further information on the subject will come forth from other sources. Being here in Australia does in a way isolate you from many of the sources of information. It necessitates making contacts in other parts of the world and endeavour to gather material.

The overall subject of the domestic fowl is really a very comprehensive subject, more so than many people realise and my endeavour is to coalate and hopefully get into print as much as I can on the subject while I am around.

Perhaps I have left it a bit late as I’m coming up to 64 years of age but I’ll do what I can while I’m here. I have quite a deal of material to work on. It’s getting it together is what takes the time.

Best of luck for the your future in the Far East and please keep in touch.