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Same Red Dirt
A comical memoir of a rebellious young man's wild and crazy adventures traveling to Australia at the age of 22. Pat Conrad's "Same Red Dirt" tells of his unforgettable escapades working at the notorious Callan Park Mental Hospital and traveling across the Australian Outback and the island of Tasmania on a motorcycle.
201 pages, Paperback
Published March 10, 2018
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About the author
Pat Conrad
2 books2 followersBorn and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida, Pat Conrad graduated from Seabreeze High School in 1967 and a year later, moved to the red dirt hills of Georgia. Although his intense love for the beach will never die, Pat and his family have all adopted north Georgia as their home, where Pat is an avid outdoorsman. Pat lives with his wife Vicki and has two grown children, Zack and Charity, and five beautiful grandchildren. Currently, he and Vicki enjoy living in the country outside of Toccoa, Georgia. They are both active at Toccoa Christian Church, where Pat serves as an elder.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 26, 2018
Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
Same Red Dirt: A Comical Memoir is a nonfiction travel memoir written by Pat Conrad. It was the spring of 1971, and Conrad had decided to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. He’d cross the globe and explore life Down Under. Fresh out of high school, he had been working for Delta Airlines as a baggage handler and had enjoyed not only a decent wage that allowed him to sock away some savings, but travel discounts, which were offered as a perk. Conrad had grown up in Daytona Beach and loved the beach where he had worked summer as a lifeguard. So, Australia’s endless shores and sandy beaches were a powerful lure after three long years in a job that entailed disorienting rotating shifts and a dress code that was decidedly at odds with the prevailing counter-culture of the time. Conrad’s accrued vacation time would allow him to plan a vacation that included him giving notice after he left. After twenty hours of flying, he arrived in Sydney, where his new life began.
Pat Conrad’s nonfiction travel memoir, Same Red Dirt: A Comical Memoir, is an engaging and well-written account of a most unforgettable year abroad. The author gives the reader snapshots in time of Daytona, Sydney and those roads he traveled while in Australia. I was particularly interested in the time he spent working as a male nurse in the Callan Park Mental Hospital. His portraits of the various inmates he worked with are sympathetic and perceptive, and people who one would ordinarily shy away from, because of their not-so-conventional behavior, are revealed as being infinitely human. The time spent on the roads, picking produce and living on his wits, are likewise compelling and entertaining reading. I’ve always been fascinated by the Land Down Under and had a grand time experiencing this through Conrad’s eyes. Same Red Dirt: A Comical Memoir is most highly recommended.
Same Red Dirt: A Comical Memoir is a nonfiction travel memoir written by Pat Conrad. It was the spring of 1971, and Conrad had decided to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. He’d cross the globe and explore life Down Under. Fresh out of high school, he had been working for Delta Airlines as a baggage handler and had enjoyed not only a decent wage that allowed him to sock away some savings, but travel discounts, which were offered as a perk. Conrad had grown up in Daytona Beach and loved the beach where he had worked summer as a lifeguard. So, Australia’s endless shores and sandy beaches were a powerful lure after three long years in a job that entailed disorienting rotating shifts and a dress code that was decidedly at odds with the prevailing counter-culture of the time. Conrad’s accrued vacation time would allow him to plan a vacation that included him giving notice after he left. After twenty hours of flying, he arrived in Sydney, where his new life began.
Pat Conrad’s nonfiction travel memoir, Same Red Dirt: A Comical Memoir, is an engaging and well-written account of a most unforgettable year abroad. The author gives the reader snapshots in time of Daytona, Sydney and those roads he traveled while in Australia. I was particularly interested in the time he spent working as a male nurse in the Callan Park Mental Hospital. His portraits of the various inmates he worked with are sympathetic and perceptive, and people who one would ordinarily shy away from, because of their not-so-conventional behavior, are revealed as being infinitely human. The time spent on the roads, picking produce and living on his wits, are likewise compelling and entertaining reading. I’ve always been fascinated by the Land Down Under and had a grand time experiencing this through Conrad’s eyes. Same Red Dirt: A Comical Memoir is most highly recommended.
May 27, 2018
In Same Red Dirt by Pat Conrad, follow the adventures of one man as he gives up his career and life in the United States, and travels to Australia. He has no definite plan when he arrives. He takes everything in his stride and recounts his adventures with a dark humour and an honesty that is simply entertaining. Pat has some extraordinary jobs, spending eight months working in a mental hospital in Sydney and caring for Australia’s most dangerous patients. He meets some disturbing and troubled characters, and has some hair-raising moments. From there, follow his exciting road trip with his friend across Australia and Tasmania. Pat’s road trip is cut short with news from home. He decides to return to the US, but is still trying to find that missing piece in his life. Explore this brutally honest account filled with daring exploits, memorable characters, and thought provoking life lessons. Back in the US, he makes an acquaintance that will change his life in a remarkable way.
Same Red Dirt by Pat Conrad will make you want to give up the daily grind of your 9-5 routine and embark on your own adventure. His experiences in Callan Park Mental Hospital were compelling and amusing. The descriptions of the patients, especially Bart, were told with compassion and humour. The stories of corruption and bribery from the nurses on D Ward were horrific and quite disturbing. I admired his openness and honesty throughout this book. He didn’t paint himself to be anything but a man who was searching for a life purpose, but found adventure and eternal memories instead. He has proven that life is to be lived and I was glad when he finally found meaning in his life at the end. It came in the most unusual form, but I feel it was his destiny to finally find peace. A thoroughly well written and candid book.
Same Red Dirt by Pat Conrad will make you want to give up the daily grind of your 9-5 routine and embark on your own adventure. His experiences in Callan Park Mental Hospital were compelling and amusing. The descriptions of the patients, especially Bart, were told with compassion and humour. The stories of corruption and bribery from the nurses on D Ward were horrific and quite disturbing. I admired his openness and honesty throughout this book. He didn’t paint himself to be anything but a man who was searching for a life purpose, but found adventure and eternal memories instead. He has proven that life is to be lived and I was glad when he finally found meaning in his life at the end. It came in the most unusual form, but I feel it was his destiny to finally find peace. A thoroughly well written and candid book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews