I’m extraordinarily grateful for the great reception that my last novel, Wild Lands received. In writing about the opening up of northern New South Wales in the 1830s I was cautioned by some who were concerned about my writing from the perspective of both white settlers and Australia’s First People. I was also reminded by others of Kate Grenville who, when embarking on the creation of her acclaimed novels set on the Hawkesbury River, discussed the concept with an eminent indigenous Australian who suggested it would be more appropriate not to try and step into the shoes of our First Australian’s. KG took her advice.

My response. Why not?

For me, it is impossible to write many a bush story without the inclusion of Australia’s First People. They are part of the fabric of this land and over the last 122 years have been an integral part of the workforce on our property. I may well write popular fiction, however as long as the depiction of both sides (black and white) is fair and equitable, as long as the narrative is balanced and unbiased, then the work should do what historical fiction is supposed to do; provide an entertaining read, one that is steeped in historical fact. I don’t think anyone can deny that many of us learn more from historical fiction than we ever did from a text book.

One well-known indigenous personality said to me at the Moree Library, ‘us blacks may have been here first, but out here, us and you whiteys have been woven together for years. We want our story told. We don’t want to be left out.’

I was grateful for those words and for the support. It made me realise that we can in fact be too precious about our history and the part played by both black and white in the settlement of this country. In writing about that period we discover not only the hardships of life back then, for all, but also the treatment of the land by both peoples. It was a fascinating journey researching the period and the prevailing attitudes and as always I was intrigued by the rich traditions of Aboriginal culture.

Writing about frontier Australia is difficult and confronting but there is so much more to our recent history than Governors, convicts, outlaws and troopers.

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