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From the history of stock saddles to a flying medico’s memoir, Victoria Carey takes a look at the latest books.
WORDS VICTORIA CAREY
Wild Ride: The Story of the Australian Stock Saddle by Fiona Carruthers
I learnt to ride in an old Australian stock saddle, where I felt very safe and secure, before I progressed into an English-style ‘self emptier’ as the lovely jackaroo who taught me a lot about horses used to call it. The cobalt blue serge of the underneath of the saddle flashing above me as we saddled up is one of my earliest riding memories.
Recently, my mother gave me some of my old horse gear so I had been thinking about saddles, and their history, when Wild Ride landed on my desk. So there’s no doubt about it, I’m the ideal reader for this book. And it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Meticulously researched, its 352 pages are filled with everything you would want to know about the ‘armchair of the bush’. From how it was developed in the 1800s to cope with Australian riding conditions to the stories of the saddlers themselves, it’s a very comprehensive reference.
And, as is often the way, there’s a story behind the story here. In this case, it’s businessman Michael Drapac and the saddle collection he began as a passion project almost a decade ago. Part 3 of the book documents the Drapac Collection. It includes a 1947 R.M. Williams ‘one-owner’ saddle and the last saddle made by Denis Jackson in 2018. (Denis, regarded by many as Australian saddle royalty, made the saddles used in the movie Australia.) As Michael writes in the foreword, every saddle has a story and he hopes this book “will inspire people to take another look at the saddles in their garages or sheds, and perhaps even inspire young saddlers to take up the tools of the trade”. As I head out to my shed to take another look at that pile of old tack, I’m pretty sure it will.
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
This debut novel from Cooma-born author Mikki Brammer caused a bidding war in the book world. The title character, thirtysomething Clover, collects the regrets people express to her when they are dying. She works as a death doula — yes there is such a thing — and begins to realise that she hasn’t really lived her own life to the full. So Clover faces up to the hard question of what regrets she too might have.
The Flying Vet by Dr Ameliah Scott
Named after Amelia Earhart, this Ameliah also loves flying. “I don’t like borrowing other people’s cars, let alone their aeroplanes,” she says in the opening pages of this memoir. Based in western New South Wales, with White Cliffs as the closest town, her family property covers 60,000 hectares and there’s always something happening on it, somewhere. She also has a busy and interesting job which makes this an enjoyable read.
The Olympic gold medalist chats to Graziher about her love of the land and how the work ethic her parents instilled in her from a young age has helped her persevere through setbacks and injuries.
The emergency physician reckons a by-product of the family’s cheesemaking operation has healing properties for skin.
Everything you need to know about how to submit your Dollar Diary, for the chance to receive a free two-year subscription to Graziher magazine.
We also asked them whether they were worried about having enough super when they retire.
Ingrid’s approach to garden design is similar to her take on interiors — she likes to create a series of outdoor ‘rooms’ that invite you to pause and enjoy the space.
