Whispering Wind: Adventures in Arnhem Land

by Syd Kyle-Little

Memoir by a Patrol Officer who lived and worked in the Northern Territory of Australia, and who made several remarkable expeditions on foot into Arnhem Land, a territory very difficult of access due to the escarpment country which characterizes much of it.

Genres: Biography

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

Reviews

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent one-off memoir by a former Patrol Officer of the Native Affairs Branch in Darwin, Australia. He recounts the remarkable journeys he made on horseback and foot into the heart of Arnhem Land at a time when some of the tribes were still largely unaffected by European influence.

[Rory · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. I was delighted to find this book is back in reprint again and I would definitely recommend it to anybody that likes adventure stories and/or about indigenous Australians and the outback in general. For sure one of the best Australian adventure stories I have ever read. (thebookdepository currently has it)

The author of the book comes across as a highly likable guy with a very lively intelligence and a straight-as-an-arrow kind of honesty. He tells his story with an old-fashioned sense of fun and daring, I loved it. What a drive this fellow (S. Kyle-Little) had, a real hard-nosed digger to be sure, no macho bs about him, you just get a sense of real toughness and resilience in his character. Also, (and this is very important for me) is his undoubted expression of love and respect for the Aboriginals of Arnhem Land, it comes across very strongly throughout the tale and I found it very heart warming to read.

All in all a fantastic read, an "adventure classic" that I found to be very worthy of the title.

[Travis]

(Synopsis copied from www.abebooks.co.uk)

"First published in 1957 this autobiography of a patrol officer in the Australian Native Affairs Branch describes his patrols through Arnhem Land between 1946 and 1950, on foot and by canoe. Tells of his relationships with the Aborigines of the region, and the physical challenges he encountered on his travels through the rugged terrain."