When hard times among the People revive the old stories of the hero Jackaroo, an innkeeper's daughter follows her own quest to unlock the secret reality behind the legend.

“False, they were all of them false, the stories; as false as the stories of fairies dancing in moonlight glades on Midsummer Night.” But they served a purpose. In a distant time and far-off kingdom, life is hard. People don’t have enough to eat, and winter is upon them. There’s little that offers hope, and many turn to the legends of Jackaroo—the masked outlaw hero who rides at night giving aid to the helpless and coin to the destitute in exchange for solace. But Gwyn, the Innkeeper’s daughter—sensitive, industrious, and independent—is too practical to believe such tales. However, when a snowstorm forces her and a young Lordling to seek refuge in an abandoned house, Gwyn wonders if perhaps she has been too cynical. Hidden away in an old forgotten cupboard, Gwyn discovers a package: a cloak, a mask, a sword....Jackaroo? Could the stories be true? It takes a shock and a devastating betrayal for Gwyn to begin to understand what—and who—Jackaroo really is. And she comes to know what part she will play in discovering the truth, such as it may be, behind the legends.

Jackaroo; n. a male station hand. That is according to the "Australian Slang Dictionary' whereas the Macquarie Dictionary gives a more realistic version. " A jack of all trades". Certainly a jackaroo is far more than 'a male station hand', which will be evident as the reader moves through this recount of the writer's five years of 'Station Management Apprenticeship"', possibly a more precise definition of the word. ('Station" being a large sheep and/or cattle property/ranch). The origin of the word 'jackaroo' has been debated as long as the word has been in existence, but the most popular belief is that early English migrants, who worked on stations in the Australian Outback, were given the name of "Jack Raw", being raw to the ways of the Australian bush. One such English migrant, whose name was Jack Carew may have had an influence on the foundation of the word. There is also the more recent female counterpart, known as a jillaroo. It is however, generally agreed that the word has no connection with the famed Australian icon, the kangaroo.

This book will take you on a hair-raising journey from the 1929 to 2005, from horse and carts to helicopters, and across the country from the Conondale Ranges around Kilcoy to Cloncurry and the Kimberley, form Moree to Mt Isa, and from the Murray River through the Channel Country and up to the Barkly Tableland. Along the way you'll find rough horses, plenty of spills, battered vehicles, rum drinkers.

From choirboy to cowboy . . . In 1967, fresh from boarding school humiliations, and having lost his father to alcoholism, gangly teen Michael Thornton was packed off to a tough sheep and cattle station to work as a jackaroo. He was to learn the wool trade from the lamb up, under a boss legendary for working his farmhands in an almost military regimen. Tasked with the dirty, disgusting and downright dangerous jobs, jackaroos are the dogsbodies of our farms. But at Habbies Howe, in central Victoria, somewhere between castrating lambs with his teeth and hauling backbreaking sacks of fertiliser for no obvious purpose, Michael discovered inner strength, and the friendship and male role models he'd craved. He also earned respect – enough to later walk into a job with the nation's most famous farmer, the Defence Minister and future PM Malcolm Fraser. In Jackaroo, Thornton recalls his years learning the ropes in an era when farm work was still done on horseback. Engaging, candid and often funny, his memoir reveals the hard working lives of the unsung all-rounders of the country. 'Engaging and energetic' The Australian

The ten pound pom' was the description of those people who emigrated to Australia from Britain between 1945 to 1972. Government Assisted Passage Scheme devised by British and Australian government.Australian government subsidised the fare to only £10 paid by the immigrant. '£10 Pom' was born.This is the personal memoir of one of these '£10 pound Poms '. His history, the reason for the journey and life in the outback is set down in this book in an informative and interesting way.Included in these memoirs are snippets of living conditions and attitudes. Songs and tales of life. Personal struggles. Interesting information of the layout and job allocation. Risks of the job are many including the fauna and flora dangers that must not be overlooked. Tales of the outback and also tales of the locals and the passions and temperaments of the many interesting characters found in this wild but beautiful country. Enjoy this wonderful tale and dream of the life under the southern skies!

Chap. 5; Herbert R. area, cannibalism, food gathering & hunting, shelters, fires, weapons (sport & fighting), secret rites, superstitious beliefs, E.S.P. outlined, cave paintings Murray & Herbert R. district; Chap. 6; Attack, Herbert R.; Chap. 9; Police retaliation, cannibalism & Chinese killings, clashes; Chap. 10; Clashes Upper Herbert R., Mullah tribesman; Chap. 11-12; Tracking ability, massacre at Greendale, retaliation by Webster brothers.