OUTBACK PEOPLE
The
men and women of the Outback define the very best in the Australian character
- resourceful, resilient, colorful and friendly.
R.M. Williams OUTBACK magazine's team
of leading writers and photographers captures the essence of the people who
make a visit to the Australian outback an unforgettable experience.
Meet them in this selection of articles from back issues of OUTBACK magazine.
One that didn’t get away
Issue 37 Oct/Nov 2004
Robert ‘Bluey’ Vaughan created a fisherman’s dream-come-true
when he turned his love of angling into a business on the edge of some of
the world’s most prolific waters.
Homecoming
vet
Issue 36 Aug/Sept 2004
Raised on a Blackwater cattle station, Myffawny Lawrie spent years studying
in Brisbane before coming the full circle and returning to central
Queensland as
a bush vet.
Step into the light
Issue 35 June/July 2004
Ben Dark is a bushy at heart and the Darwin-based Getaway presenter is eternally
glad of his origins.
Just being Ernie
Issue 34 April/May 2004
Ernie Dingo is an Aboriginal who has embraced and enjoyed the benefits
of the white world, but a deep-seated sense of his indigenous culture and
customs continue to figure strongly in his life.
New
tracks for the Bush Tucker Man
Issue 33, Feb-Mar 2004
Les Hiddins' latest mission is off-camera and close to his heart - establishing
a retreat for veterans in Queensland's Cape York.
Slim Dusty
- Voice of Australia
Issue 32, Dec 03/Jan 04
Slim Dusty always knew he'd have to 'walk that country mile'. While we mourn
his passing, there is cause to celebrate his life and lasting contribution
to Australia.
A
passion for farming
Issue 31, Aug - Sep 03
Ask Rod Manning what sort of agricultural business he's involved in and he
will reply that he is a 'grower of grass'. It's all part of his passionate
commitment to change the way Australian farmers are viewed - and how they
see themselves.
A life going
bush
Issue 30, Aug - Sep 03
Rex Ellis is ecstatic and it's easy to see why.
When
land counts least
Issue 29, Jun - Jul 03
Mountain horseman and stockman Chris Stoney is pushing a mob of cattle across
the Howqua River at Sheepyard Flat near Mount Timbertop.
Saint
of the streets
Issue 28, Apr - May 03
Through his love of the land, Father Chris Riley is giving city street kids
a second chance at life when many people wouldn't give them a second thought
From the
Heart
Issue 27, Feb - Mar 03
Working as a jillaroo and rural journalist proved to be great fodder for
Rachael Treasure's first novel Jillaroo, which is taking both country and
city readers by storm.
White Man's
Dreaming
Issue 26, Dec 02 - Jan 03
There's a bit of Harry Butler, Les Hiddins, Steve Irwin, Dick Smith, Mick
Dundee and Ernie Dingo in Max Davidson. Naturalist, environmentalist, adventurer,
anthropologist, historian, entrepreneur and showman, he is one of those larger-than-life
characters who invariably - or inevitably - find their way to remote Australia.
Committed
to learning
Issue 25, Oct - Nov 02
Megan McNicholl is relaxing - for her a rare indulgence. She is lunching
with friends in the garden of Arklow, the 7400-acre family cattle property
20 kilometres south of Dulacca in south-west Queensland which runs, with
another 8800-acre holding, about 1800 Shorthorn-Brahman cattle.
All his own
work
Issue 24, Aug - Sep 02
Forty-five years after he set out from school in Brisbane for a life in the
bush, Ken Warriner has accomplished more than most in the cattle industry.
From packhorse droving and mustering camps in the late 1950s to the chief
executive of Kerry Packer's agribusiness empire today, it's been a monumental
journey.
The
master of bronze
Issue 23, Jun - Jul 02
To those who know his work, Eddie Hackman is a genius - a sculptor who creates
life-like images of outback symbols. But the man who has the bush ingrained
in his soul remains relatively unknown in his adopted land. Not that he really
cares.
The
quintessential bushman
Issue 22, Apr - May 02
When Melbourne dentist, Richard Bassed, booked on a gulf country safari tour
he never imagined it would result in fulfillment of a childhood dream - and
meeting a man who would change his life.
The water
method man
Issue 21, Feb - Mar 02
"Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink... "Although
he lives a long way from the sea, John Seccombe understands that sentiment well,
for he is the driving force behind a program to preserve Australia's underground
water supply.
Tunnel
vision
Issue 20, Dec 01 - Jan 02
When North Queensland cattleman Gerry Collins looked for ways to make his
property more viable, he found the answer right below his feet - and in doing
so he created one of Australia's most unique tourism ventures.
Queen
of the road
Issue 19, Oct - Nov 01
Edna Jessop has been a legend in Australia's north for half a century. Now
in her seventies, her striking features may have felt the bite of age, but
her spirit remains tough and unremitting.
The
Canyon Kings
Issue 18, Aug - Sep 01
Northern Territory tourism operators have much to thank the Cotterills, an
English family largely responsible for making the Red Centre the tourist
mecca it is today. One remains, keeping his father's dream alive.
Music
to her ears
Issue 17, Jun - Jul 01
Helen Dickie's place in politics and as manager of the Bushdrovers is far
from what some expected of the farmer's wife from Berrigan, southern NSW.
It's all about supporting communities in the bush, a job she's passionate
about.
Running
with the bulls
Issue 16, Apr - May 01
The story of John Quintana, 52, is something of a frontier story for the
21st century, as romantic as it is remarkable.
Fred's
fighting for Cracow
Issue 15, Feb - Mar 01
In countless outback towns, Fred Brophy is a hero. Now he's bought the type
of town in which he's idolised.
Crazy
about crocs
Issue 14, Dec 00 - Jan 01
It's a long haul from Beechworth to Broome, but for outback aeventurer, film-maker,
crocodile farmer and conservationist, Malcolm Douglas, it has been the greatest
trip of all.
Destined
for gold
Issue 13, Oct - Nov 00
An injury to her horse cost Natalie Blundell an equestrian place in Australia's
Olympic Games team, but she'll be back.
The
guru of rock art
Issue 12, Aug - Seo 00
An overfull roll-your-own dangles precariously from his ever-present cigarette
holder. He stretches back in his chair and expounds. Percy Trezise, acclaimed
painter and rock art historian, is discussing his second favourite subject
The
making of a legend
Issue 11, Jun - Jul 00
He's only 22 but Ben Hall is already a legend in the making, a horseman of
rare ability who is Australia's undisputed campdrafting king.
God's
boundary rider
Issue 10, Apr - May 00
Fred McKay was a legend of the outback. A man who devoted his life to others,
who was admired by people of all ages, races and creeds. The Reverend Fred
McKay died recently but he has left a remarkable and enduring outback legacy
of service.
Hats off for
towns that hurt
Issue 9, Feb - Mar 00
Meet Lee Kernaghan - a bushie through and through who passionately taking
up the fight for the people, towns and communities he sings about, and who
is determined that rural Australia has access to services and facilities
that citysiders take for granted.
The
Cunnamulla storyteller
Issue 8, Dec 99 - Jan 00
Herb Wharton went back to Cunnamulla to write his novel Yumba
Days. He didn't have a typewriter and hadn't had one writing lesson in his life.
The
Bard of Bowthorn
Issue 7, Oct - Nov 99
Sydney and Melbourne book reviewers are raving about Kerry McGinnis' recently
released first book Pieces
of Blue.
Hawkes
: the legend begins
Issue 3, Feb - Mar 99
The art of spinning a yarn has been part of Australian outback culture since
the first Irishman strode into the desert and lived to tell about it.
In
the middle of nowhere
Issue 2, Dec 98 - Jan 99
When John and Terry Underwood began shaping more than 2000 square kilometres
of Northern Territory Outback wilderness into a cattle station, little did
they realise just how much they, too, would be shaped by this harsh, isolated,
yet beautiful country.
The real
Troy Dann
Issue 3, Feb - Mar 99
He's developed a strong following in the cities but the people in the bush
aren't so sure. Love him or hate him, one thing is certain - what you see
is what you get with Troy Dann.
Back
to the bush
Issue 3, Feb - Mar 99
Former Great Outdoors reporter, Bridget Adams, and her partner Damien Curr,
are hotting up the Outback Queensland town of Ilfracombe with a unique bush
show and historic hotel experience.
Bullo
open for business
Issue 2, Dec 98 - Jan 99
Sara Henderson's next bestseller may not be a book but a farm stay venture
on her remote Northern territory cattle station.
Return
of the Ringer
Issue 2, Dec 98 - Jan 99
Stockmen and stock horses make their comeback against the helicopter in northern
Australia.
