Alex: Through My Eyes - Australian Disaster Zones

by Rosanne Hawke, Lyn White (Editor)

A gripping story of one Australian boy's experience of devastating drought.

A few kookaburras laugh in the gum trees. Alex grins - they don't often come up this far. His grandpa told him that if kookaburras laugh late in the afternoon, it will rain next day. 'Ha, someone needs to tell the rain to listen, hey Tangi?' She grins at him like it's a good joke. Alex wishes it was just a joke.

Thirteen-year-old Alex lives on a drought-affected property in South Australia with his mum, his dad, his kelpie dog Tangi and colt, Jago. When he meets his new next-door neighbour, Bonnie, he is grateful to make a new friend and fascinated by the camels her family has brought to the farm.

For years it hasn't rained enough for them to put a crop in. And while all the farmers in the area are suffering, Alex's dad is struggling more than most. It's nearly winter and the paddocks are still brown. But when Bonnie comes over to visit and cook with him, Alex feels lighter inside. And his mum loosens up a bit as well. 

As the drought stretches on, Alex must help his mum with the farm work, and draw wisdom and strength from his support networks so he can find a way into a brighter future.

This inspiring Australian Disaster Zones series is a powerful and contemporary reminder of the effects of natural disasters and the ever-increasing threat of climate change to our vast and volatile continent.

229 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 29, 2023

About the author

When little I ran around with a jotter and a pencil, pretending to write a story but not knowing how to spell any words except Dick, Dora and cat. My mother asked me to tell stories. A lot of my stories stayed in my head, as being the youngest and living in the country didn't bring many opportunities for an audience. I was born in Penola, in South Australia. We had a sheep farm until I was six, then we moved to a property in Central Queensland. I went to school at a one-teacher school in Banana, a little country town named after a bullock.

My first short story was published in the Moura State School magazine in 1967 when I was in grade 8. At 14 years, I moved back to South Australia and attended Gawler High School where I won an Arts Scholarship to complete Years 11 & 12. I started a romantic novel when I was 17 but I burnt it later.

It wasn't until I was working in the Middle East and Pakistan, teaching ESL, bringing up kids, when I started to write seriously. My kids loved the story game we played and one night after telling a story, my daughter asked me to write it down.

I have a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide and teach Creative Writing at Tabor Adelaide, South Australia, a Christian accredited tertiary institution. I have researched Cornish identity in Australian children's literature and enjoy writing about culture, faith, relationships, displacement and belonging, music and cats.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thirteen year old Alex lived on a farm with his parents in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia. They'd been in drought for years and when bushfires flew over the region, devastation and loss hit hard. Alex's dad, Tom, had been depressed since the fires, and Alex and his mum Rachael picked up the slack. Alex had Tangi, his dog and Jago, his horse, for company, and when Bonnie and her family move onto the property next door, with their camels, Alex and Bonnie were soon fast friends. Alex's sister Lily was in Adelaide for her schooling, staying with their grandparents, and Alex missed her, as did their parents.

Alex, his best friend Harry and Bonnie went by bus to school each day. The trip was almost an hour each way but they kept busy, chatting and drawing. When Bonnie and the boys came up with a sustainable plastic upcycling idea, it became a community project, one which was followed far and wide. While the drought continued, Bonnie and Ruby, her camel, visited Alex's farm often. Jago didn't like the camels so they were getting him used to them. But there were feral dogs that were coming closer to the farms in the area because they were hungry and thirsty. What could they do to rid the surrounding properties of their menace?

Alex: Through My Eyes - Australian Disaster Zones by Rosanne Hawke is an excellent rendition of life on drought stricken properties in Australia, and how people cope. Alex, his friends and parents are part of a close-knit community and it's obvious in the telling how they all have one another's backs. An enjoyable and informative read which I enjoyed very much. Recommended.

With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for PRC

[Dianne Wolfer]

The sense of place is very strong in this exciting, multi-layered adventure. The setting and problems faced by regional communities rang true with characters that stepped off the pages into my heart.