Alice Girl - Tanya Heaslip

As far as our eyes could see were miles upon miles of emptiness huge blue skies and bare earth. We heard pink cockatoos squawk in the gum trees and crickets click and clack at night but it was also a place of silence. There was not a person or town to be seen. We could shout into the hills and hear our voices echo back to us. We could lie on our backs at night and imagine the sky of stars swallowing us whole. We could die out here under the savage summer sun and our bones would turn white and dissolve in the dry winds. Nobody would ever know we'd been there. We thought that was kind of exciting. Whether working the mobs of cattle with the stockmen playing cattleduffing on horseback or singing and doing lessons at their School of the Air desks Tanya Heaslip and her siblings led a childhood unimaginable to many Australians. Growing up on Bond Springs Station a vast and isolated cattle property just north of Alice Springs Tanya tells of wild rides of making far-flung friends over the Air. the dangers the fun and the back-breaking work. But while M'Lis Brett and Benny loved riding hard and furiously Tanya's heart was always back at the homestead with her books and stories. As the eldest child though her added responsibility was to look after the littler ones so she was by their sides dealing with snakes the threat of bushfires and broken bones. Tanya's parents Janice and Grant 'the Boss' Heaslip were pioneers. They developed Bond Springs Station where water was scarce where power was dependent on generators and where a trip to town for supplies meant a full day's journey. Grant was determined to teach his children how to survive in this severe environment and his lessons were often harsh. In a childhood that most would consider very tough Tanya tells of this precious time with raw honesty humour love and kindness. This is the story of an Alice girl.

Features

• Tanya Heaslip
• Allen & Unwin