Outback Constable Jack


Book Description

Outback Constable Jack By: Shirley Richards Starting a new chapter in his life, Outback Constable Jack has a deep empathy for the locals, a commitment to justice, and a longing for companionship. His world revolves around solving crimes, helping people, and finding lost folks in Bullocky Hole. Although he feels his duties are pretty straightforward, he is constantly being asked to grow beyond these responsibilities and immerse himself in the locals’ culture. Jack quickly finds himself a regular at the secondary school, teaching the children through his original ditties, captivating stories, and dashing personality. As Outback Constable Jack solves squabbles and finds lost loved ones (some human, some not) he begins to feel himself put down roots in Bullocky Hole. He becomes a respected member of the local community, determined to help all those in need. After solving the problems of the locals, he begins to do some searching of his own: for a loyal dog and a good woman to keep him company. With the stars aligned and a teacher who is brand new in town, Jack might just be able to find the woman for whom he’s always been searching...




The Outback Vs the Wild West


Book Description

In this volume, Drake focuses on the famous pastoral explorers, drovers and trail drivers; the poddydodgers, horse-thieves and rustlers; the wars of the land grabbers with Australian Aborigines and the American Indians; the clashes of lawless western entrepreneurs with the laws of the bit cities in the east; the colourful females who ventured our into a man¿s world and made thier names, the transport by puffing billies and famous stage coach lines and buckjumpers, roughriders and rodeos.




Gentleman Jack, Bushranger


Book Description

'Gentleman Jack, Bushranger' is a Western-themed novel, set in Australia, written by John Sandes. The story begins with a murder trial, where a man named Maynard has been falsely accused of shooting a man to death.




The Outback Volume 6


Book Description

This collection of short stories about the Outback is the result of the sixth writing competition for the Outback Writers’ Festival held in Winton on 22–24 June 2021. The winner was announced at the Festival. Boolarong Press sponsored the under 18 section. The best stories are in this book. See www.outbackwritersfestival.com.au and Facebook for the results. Follow us on Facebook and let us know whether you think the judges got it right. All royalties go to the Festival to assist in attracting great Australian authors to the festival in Winton.




Legends of the Outback


Book Description

Heroes, visionaries and eccentrics! Outback writer Marie Mahood is the author of the much loved Icing on the Damper and A Bunch of Strays. In the 1960s she raised cattle and kids on the world’s most remote cattle station, Mongrel Downs, in the Tanami Desert. Here she writes about the heroes, visionaries and eccentrics of Australia’s vast outback. Her thirty-two characters include the greatest drover and Gulf trekker of them all, Nat Buchanan: prince of poddy-dodgers Harry Readford; the cattle king Sidney Kidman; outback surveyor supreme and all-round good bloke Len Beadell; Aboriginal warrior Jandamarra; Mat Wilson at the NT Depot store; gun shearer Jackie Howe; drover Edna Zigenbine on the Murranji Track; explorer and goldmine Christy Palmerston in the heartland of Cape York Peninsula; eccentrics such as the Gulf Hero and the Barkly Hermit; and drovers who were also painters and poets of repute.




Savage Wilderness


Book Description

On 2 December 1942, the B-24 Liberator, Little Eva, returning from a mission over New Guinea, was thrown off course by a violent storm. Running out of fuel and with no fix on their position, the American crew had no option but to bail out. So began one of the longest and most arduous searches ever mounted in the Australian outback.




The Crash of Little Eva


Book Description

"A riveting read--the stuff of nightmares, perhaps, but testimony to the resilience of the human spirit, and I couldn�t put it down." --Red Harrison, Weekend Australian "Tales of human endurance and survival don't come much better than the one Barry Ralph tells." --Michael Jacobson, Gold Coast Bulletin This tragic story is a moving account of the powers of human endurance. It recounts in authentic detail the fateful circumstances of Little Eva's last mission from a remote U.S. air base in Far North Queensland and follows the dedicated searchers and skilled trackers who risked their lives trying to save the lost crewmen. On December 2, 1942, Little Eva, an American B-24 Liberator, went down in the Australian outback after a failed bombing mission over New Guinea. When the bombs failed to dislodge, pilot Capt. Norman Crosson decided to make a run for their secondary target after the bombardier made adjustments to the bomb bay. On the way to their secondary target, the plane ran into a severe storm and crashed, forcing the men to parachute into the unknown. Four men died in the crash, while six crewmen landed safely. The fate of the remaining six airmen and the attempts at finding them in the outback by Queensland Police, led by Constable Bob Hagarty, are faithfully researched and recounted in this story of survival.




True History of the Kelly Gang


Book Description

SOONTO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE The international bestseller, Booker Prize winner, and winner of the 2001 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book. Out of 19th century Australia rides a hero of his people and a man for all nations: Ned Kelly, the son of poor Irish immigrants, viewed by the authorities as a thief (especially of horses) and, as a cold-blooded killer. To the people, though, he was a patriot hounded unfairly by rich English landlords and their stooges. In the end, Kelly and his so-called gang (his younger brother and two friends) led a massive police manhunt on a wild goose chase that lasted twenty months, in which Ned’s talents as a bushman were augmented by bank robberies and the support of nearly everyone not in a uniform. His one demand – for which he would have surrendered himself was his jailed mother’s freedom. Executed by hanging more than a century ago, speaking as if from the grave, Kelly still resonates as the most potent legend in the land down under.




The Oceans Between Us: A gripping and heartwrenching novel of a mother's search for her lost child after WW2


Book Description

Inspired by heartrending true events, a mother fights to find her son and a child battles for survival in this riveting debut novel. 'A warm-hearted tale of love, loss and indefatigable human spirit' Kathryn Hughes 'A heartrending story' Jane Corry 'A mother's loss and a son's courage... A heartrending story that spans the world' Diney Costeloe For readers of Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly, The Letter by Kathryn Hughes, and Remember Me by Lesley Pearse. A woman is found wandering injured in London after an air raid. She remembers nothing of who she is. Only that she has lost something very precious. As the little boy waits in the orphanage, he hopes his mother will return. But then he finds himself on board a ship bound for Australia, the promise of a golden life ahead, and wonders: how will she find him in a land across the oceans? In Perth, a lonely wife takes in the orphaned child. But then she discovers the secret of his past. Should she keep quiet? Or tell the truth and risk losing the boy who has become her life? This magnificent, moving novel, set in London and Australia, is testament to the strength of the human spirit and the enduring power of love. Readers worldwide have fallen in love with The Oceans Between Us... 'A beautiful tale of a mother's love. A wonderful book. Full of emotion, heart, joy and sorrow' Emma's Bookish Corner 'Heart-wrenching debut novel. A story based on actual events which will have you glued to the pages' Waggy Tales 'It has opened my eyes to the injustice done to so many' Shaz's Book Blog 'I flew through this emotional book. I raged at just what some had to endure. But I also felt their bravery in finding justice for all children who suffered. Highly recommended' Between My Lines 'A story that will touch every reader's heart. An absolute must-read' By The Letter Book Reviews ** DON'T MISS THE ORPHANS ON THE TRAIN, COMING SOON FROM GILL THOMPSON **