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The Rock
Journalist Aaron Smith's new memoir holds up a unique mirror to Australia. What he sees is at once amazing, disturbing and revealing. The Rock explores the failings of our nation's character, its unresolved past and its uncertain future from the vantage point of its most northerly outpost, Thursday Island.
Smith was the last editor, fearless journalist and the paperboy of Australia's most northerly newspaper, the Torres News, a small independent regional tabloid that, until it folded in late 2019, was the voice of a predominantly Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal readership for 63 years across some of the most remote and little understood communities in Australia.
The Rock is a story of self-discovery where Smith grapples to understand a national identity marred by its racist underbelly, where he is transplanted from his white-boy privileged suburban life to being a racial and cultural minority, and an outsider. Peppered with his experiences, Smith gradually and sensitively becomes embedded in island life while vividly capturing the endless and often farcical parade of personalities and politicians including Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott.
Smith pulls no punches while he reflects on the history of Terra Australis incognita, dissecting what is truly Australia, and its gaping cultural and moral divide.
'A credit to regional journalism, Aaron carried on the fine tradition of the Torres News holding governments to account and telling stories of everyday life in the Straits, never shying away from controversies, lifting all the rocks and even out foxing prime minister Tony Abbott on his visit to Mabo's grave.' — Stefan Armbruster, SBS
'Aaron Smith makes a huge and extremely valuable contribution to journalism in Australia. With insight and committment he brings issues of national and international significance to audiences in Australia and beyond.' — Dr Tess Newton Cain, Griffith Asia Institute
'Aaron's journalism has provided a rare and valuable insight into issues affecting the Torres Strait Islander community. Navigating cultural protocols and geographical challenges, he has given a voice to some of Australia's most marginalised people and shared important stories that would otherwise have gone unheard.' — Ella Archibald-Binge, Sydney Morning Herald
Smith was the last editor, fearless journalist and the paperboy of Australia's most northerly newspaper, the Torres News, a small independent regional tabloid that, until it folded in late 2019, was the voice of a predominantly Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal readership for 63 years across some of the most remote and little understood communities in Australia.
The Rock is a story of self-discovery where Smith grapples to understand a national identity marred by its racist underbelly, where he is transplanted from his white-boy privileged suburban life to being a racial and cultural minority, and an outsider. Peppered with his experiences, Smith gradually and sensitively becomes embedded in island life while vividly capturing the endless and often farcical parade of personalities and politicians including Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott.
Smith pulls no punches while he reflects on the history of Terra Australis incognita, dissecting what is truly Australia, and its gaping cultural and moral divide.
'A credit to regional journalism, Aaron carried on the fine tradition of the Torres News holding governments to account and telling stories of everyday life in the Straits, never shying away from controversies, lifting all the rocks and even out foxing prime minister Tony Abbott on his visit to Mabo's grave.' — Stefan Armbruster, SBS
'Aaron Smith makes a huge and extremely valuable contribution to journalism in Australia. With insight and committment he brings issues of national and international significance to audiences in Australia and beyond.' — Dr Tess Newton Cain, Griffith Asia Institute
'Aaron's journalism has provided a rare and valuable insight into issues affecting the Torres Strait Islander community. Navigating cultural protocols and geographical challenges, he has given a voice to some of Australia's most marginalised people and shared important stories that would otherwise have gone unheard.' — Ella Archibald-Binge, Sydney Morning Herald
- GenresNonfiction
Paperback
Published January 1, 2020
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About the author
Aaron Smith
3 books9 followersAaron Smith has been a punk rocker, actor, truck driver, construction worker, scuba diver guide, sound engineer, filmmaker, playwright, English teacher, and barman in various countries. He is now a freelance journalist who continues to travel extensively through Asia and Latin America. His work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and journals in Australia, the US, and South America. Aaron makes regular appearances on the radio and at literary festivals to discuss his travels. He lives with his Brazilian wife and daughter in Australia (or where ever they drop their bags).
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 13, 2023
essential reading. rtc
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January 18, 2021A new genre is emerging. Call it ‘‘I’m one of the good ones’’ lit: writing in which authors acknowledge the limits and privileges of their subject position without ever having to sacrifice anything materially. The field is recognisable for its ‘‘defensive crouch, a bid to put [oneself] down before others can’’, as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote in her review of Barack Obama’s new memoir.
Aaron Smith, a self-described ‘‘boozy newshound with a shady past’’ (the combination of machismo and ridiculousness is entirely typical), has previously published two travelogues. His third book, though billed as memoir, is more a grab-bag of personal and sociocultural reflections inspired partly by his six-year stint as chief of staff, senior journalist, and paperboy for The Torres News, a small independent tabloid formerly based in the Torres Strait.
As in his other books, Smith is careful to disclaim white privilege while wrapping it tightly around himself. He just isn’t like those other white guys (although if he was, he would be the first to let you know). Characteristic of the genre, the flagging of one’s identity and its associated privileges doubles as a bid for forgiveness, a kind of absolution. ‘‘I am also a voyeur,’’ Smith writes, ‘‘chasing my spiritual El Dorado by trying to define my own mythology.’’
He admits occasionally to some discomfort, particularly around being a white male acting as ‘‘a prominent voice for the region’s mostly Indigenous population’’. Never mind: someone has to do it. ‘‘I want to make this not my memoir but the Torres Strait’s,’’ he writes. Having previously worked as a telemarketer ‘‘until I couldn’t take being hung up on or told to fuck off any more’’, Smith now strives to be the first to hang up on himself.
Continue reading: https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/...
Aaron Smith, a self-described ‘‘boozy newshound with a shady past’’ (the combination of machismo and ridiculousness is entirely typical), has previously published two travelogues. His third book, though billed as memoir, is more a grab-bag of personal and sociocultural reflections inspired partly by his six-year stint as chief of staff, senior journalist, and paperboy for The Torres News, a small independent tabloid formerly based in the Torres Strait.
As in his other books, Smith is careful to disclaim white privilege while wrapping it tightly around himself. He just isn’t like those other white guys (although if he was, he would be the first to let you know). Characteristic of the genre, the flagging of one’s identity and its associated privileges doubles as a bid for forgiveness, a kind of absolution. ‘‘I am also a voyeur,’’ Smith writes, ‘‘chasing my spiritual El Dorado by trying to define my own mythology.’’
He admits occasionally to some discomfort, particularly around being a white male acting as ‘‘a prominent voice for the region’s mostly Indigenous population’’. Never mind: someone has to do it. ‘‘I want to make this not my memoir but the Torres Strait’s,’’ he writes. Having previously worked as a telemarketer ‘‘until I couldn’t take being hung up on or told to fuck off any more’’, Smith now strives to be the first to hang up on himself.
Continue reading: https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/...
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January 23, 2021An excellent insight into life on Torres Strait and the impact of Australian government policies regarding Indigenous Australians. Aaron was somewhat shocked when learning more about the cultural divide during his tenure at the Torres News. His story deals with confronting practical situations as an outsider in a tight-knit Indigenous community. Many of the social and political issues identified in The Rock are revealed as longstanding cultural matters that have resonated since pre-Australia, the colonial period. Aaron approaches the subject with simple boldness, reflecting on historical example when inspired by the coontemporary witlessness of politicians and a divided national identity. The Rock is a gift to Australia, with a question, who the fuck are you?
The Rock is well timed, to meet a generation of young Australians who struggle with the developing national identity yet understand very little about the national history, nor the present day challenges faced by our Indigenous populations. It is also a thrilling account of Aaron's experiences, honest to the point of political brutality and unapologetic. Aaron deserves congratulations, for inspiring others to look a bit deeper, into themselves, into the characteristics of our national identity, and into the widespread fraud that inflicts harm on all of us.
The Rock is also a tribute, to the objectivity of freedom and the sensibility of reason.
There is a sense that humanity will prevail, as Aaron investigates the national identity through the eyes of racial identity, with reference to 'professional Aboriginal' Kerryn Pholi and journalist Stan Grant, each identifying with or denying their Aboriginal status, yet excelling in their multi-cultural lifestyles. After revealing government policies that aim to reduce cultural freedoms and establish classes of citizens, Aaron pays tribute to asylum seeker / author and long-term prisoner of the Australian Government, Behrouz Boochani, also to the nieces of Australian legend Nancy Bird-Walton, of whom one was also threatened with detention by the Australian Government without having committed a crime. These people did not suffer as a result of administrative error, they were victims of fraudulent and determined government policies. Aaron asks, are they second class citizens?
Personally, I have entertained the argument many times; some people say Australia was born on the back of the sheep, others say the camel. Again, some believe the enduring national identity has only the lash, buggery, and rum to be thankful for. Without tales of warfare or black-birding, Aaron has a way of coasting the reader towards confronting the truth, Australia was built on the back of oppressed Indigenous populations and the indentured laborer.
Australia has an unusual self-perception, after 120 years still refusing to actively commemorate its own Federation; preferring to celebrate the anniversary of colonization as Australia Day, and promoting the bicentenary of NSW as that of the nation federated in 1901. This is an affront to the Indigenous population, and to the descendants of those who worked to achieve Federation.
Rarely do we see an endeavor like The Rock, highlighting the gap between reality and accepted fictions, asking all Australians to reconsider their perspective on Indigenous related issues and the national identity. The Rock will stir something inside every Australian; I could not put it down.
The Rock is well timed, to meet a generation of young Australians who struggle with the developing national identity yet understand very little about the national history, nor the present day challenges faced by our Indigenous populations. It is also a thrilling account of Aaron's experiences, honest to the point of political brutality and unapologetic. Aaron deserves congratulations, for inspiring others to look a bit deeper, into themselves, into the characteristics of our national identity, and into the widespread fraud that inflicts harm on all of us.
The Rock is also a tribute, to the objectivity of freedom and the sensibility of reason.
There is a sense that humanity will prevail, as Aaron investigates the national identity through the eyes of racial identity, with reference to 'professional Aboriginal' Kerryn Pholi and journalist Stan Grant, each identifying with or denying their Aboriginal status, yet excelling in their multi-cultural lifestyles. After revealing government policies that aim to reduce cultural freedoms and establish classes of citizens, Aaron pays tribute to asylum seeker / author and long-term prisoner of the Australian Government, Behrouz Boochani, also to the nieces of Australian legend Nancy Bird-Walton, of whom one was also threatened with detention by the Australian Government without having committed a crime. These people did not suffer as a result of administrative error, they were victims of fraudulent and determined government policies. Aaron asks, are they second class citizens?
Personally, I have entertained the argument many times; some people say Australia was born on the back of the sheep, others say the camel. Again, some believe the enduring national identity has only the lash, buggery, and rum to be thankful for. Without tales of warfare or black-birding, Aaron has a way of coasting the reader towards confronting the truth, Australia was built on the back of oppressed Indigenous populations and the indentured laborer.
Australia has an unusual self-perception, after 120 years still refusing to actively commemorate its own Federation; preferring to celebrate the anniversary of colonization as Australia Day, and promoting the bicentenary of NSW as that of the nation federated in 1901. This is an affront to the Indigenous population, and to the descendants of those who worked to achieve Federation.
Rarely do we see an endeavor like The Rock, highlighting the gap between reality and accepted fictions, asking all Australians to reconsider their perspective on Indigenous related issues and the national identity. The Rock will stir something inside every Australian; I could not put it down.
February 17, 2021
The Rock (Transit Lounge 2020) by Aaron Smith is subtitled: Looking into ‘Australia’s heart of darkness’ from the edge of its wild frontier, and the book certainly lives up to this promise. Opening first with a quote from Oodgeroo Noonuccal: ‘Let no one say the past is dead. The past is all about us and within’, and also with a depiction of the four axioms of the bush: The Missionaries, The Murderers and Madmen, The Misfits and The Mercenaries, the book proper opens with the words ‘Fuck you. With all due respect, fuck you – yes, you, dear reader of this page. Fuck you Australia, lost in the Great Forgetting, the Great Unknowing, the Great Denial of your bloody heart of darkness.’ This gives you a sense of what you are in for – and it’s quite a ride.
Aaron Smith’s memoir of his time as the last editor of Australia’s most northerly newspaper, The Torres News, (a small, independent regional tabloid that operated for 63 years until it folded in 2019), gives a unique perspective on the cross-section of life as seen by a white Australian immersed in the culture of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people. And what he sees is often uncomfortable and unpalatable. Racism is exposed as he is ‘transported from his white-boy privileged suburban life to being a racial and cultural minority, and an outsider’. Smith becomes completely immersed in local life and gains a fascinating perspective on the treatment of our northern countrypeople, the political games played with their lives, and the lack of resources available to them, resources that most of us take for granted in this country. As he pulls apart Australia’s issues and examines them from the inside out, he is outspoken, bold and confronting.
Covering everything and everyone from Mabo to Morrison, from Abbott to PNG, from traditional owners to indigenous history, from the media to community to an endless stream of political posturing, from stories of belonging and identity to protests and polls, from disenfranchised indigenous people to empowered Aboriginal leaders, from our shameful history to our shameful present, from stories that made the headlines to those that quietly slipped away unnoticed, from incarceration to inequality to government failures, this book highlights stories of the little people – the unknown characters – all the way to the famous cases that will be familiar to readers. This is a white man writing about indigenous issues, and some readers might take issue with that, but the fact remains that Smith lived and worked in community for six or seven years and has a fascinating and confronting perspective on the topical matters of the times.
Aaron Smith’s memoir of his time as the last editor of Australia’s most northerly newspaper, The Torres News, (a small, independent regional tabloid that operated for 63 years until it folded in 2019), gives a unique perspective on the cross-section of life as seen by a white Australian immersed in the culture of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people. And what he sees is often uncomfortable and unpalatable. Racism is exposed as he is ‘transported from his white-boy privileged suburban life to being a racial and cultural minority, and an outsider’. Smith becomes completely immersed in local life and gains a fascinating perspective on the treatment of our northern countrypeople, the political games played with their lives, and the lack of resources available to them, resources that most of us take for granted in this country. As he pulls apart Australia’s issues and examines them from the inside out, he is outspoken, bold and confronting.
Covering everything and everyone from Mabo to Morrison, from Abbott to PNG, from traditional owners to indigenous history, from the media to community to an endless stream of political posturing, from stories of belonging and identity to protests and polls, from disenfranchised indigenous people to empowered Aboriginal leaders, from our shameful history to our shameful present, from stories that made the headlines to those that quietly slipped away unnoticed, from incarceration to inequality to government failures, this book highlights stories of the little people – the unknown characters – all the way to the famous cases that will be familiar to readers. This is a white man writing about indigenous issues, and some readers might take issue with that, but the fact remains that Smith lived and worked in community for six or seven years and has a fascinating and confronting perspective on the topical matters of the times.
October 28, 2022
You might have read the brief of this book. You may be aware that the author was the last editor of the last editor of Australia's most northerly newspaper, Torres News, where during a six year span he won two Queensland Clarion Journalism Awards and nominated as a finalist for another four. you may be aware that this work covers almost exclusively that period on his life and provides his insights, views and experiences into life on Torres Strait.
It is a forthright insight. He is a man who is very consistently devoted and confident in his views, opinions and thoughts. You are not left wondering where he stands, who he developed respect for and for those who he did not. And vise versa.
In short, he presents as a true journalist, some may say journalist of old, as he calls it as he sees it and does not tow the line of a corporate owned or directed form of journalism that is all too common in current Australia and to the detriment of us all.
This therefore is not my review of this views or his opinions. It is not my review of the author. It is rather, a review of this work.
The story recounted is powerful. It should create thought. I will possibly create either support or combative reaction. It covers topics of Australian culture that many are unfortunately unaware of, complacent in or deaf to. You will, hopefully, be your own judge and be respected for your thoughts.
It is in my opinion a work that should be readily available in public libraries, in school libraries and potentially, on a balance school curriculum in the mid to senior years.
It is a forthright insight. He is a man who is very consistently devoted and confident in his views, opinions and thoughts. You are not left wondering where he stands, who he developed respect for and for those who he did not. And vise versa.
In short, he presents as a true journalist, some may say journalist of old, as he calls it as he sees it and does not tow the line of a corporate owned or directed form of journalism that is all too common in current Australia and to the detriment of us all.
This therefore is not my review of this views or his opinions. It is not my review of the author. It is rather, a review of this work.
The story recounted is powerful. It should create thought. I will possibly create either support or combative reaction. It covers topics of Australian culture that many are unfortunately unaware of, complacent in or deaf to. You will, hopefully, be your own judge and be respected for your thoughts.
It is in my opinion a work that should be readily available in public libraries, in school libraries and potentially, on a balance school curriculum in the mid to senior years.
December 2, 2020
I finished reading The Rock nearly a week ago. Have castigated myself every day since for not writing this review. It should be simple but I’ve never found reviewing biographies and memoirs simple at all. I feel like I am judging a life! And yes, I know people do put their lives out there for others to judge but it makes me feel a little uncomfortable.
Aaron Smith was the editor/ only journalist/photographer of the Torres News, local paper for the Torres Strait Islanders and local Aboriginal peoples. The paper folder in 2019 after 63 years. Aaron was there from 2013 to the end.
The Torres Strait stretches from the tip of Northern Australia to nearly Papua New Guinea. It is an area of treacherous seas and shipwrecks and disputed territories. When I look at it on the map I think of pirates and Errol Flynn. The crime TV show The Straits was set there. Aaron Smith mentions various lurid early 20th century novels set in the region, featuring misfits and head hunting. It has been a stepping stone between Australia and Asia, long before Australia was Australia. It has been a magnet for the Ms. The Missionaries, eager to spread god and control. The Murderers and Mad men, eager to get away. The Misfits, trying to find a place to fit. The Mercenaries eager to exploit.
In its simplest form The Rock is a memoir of one man’s time on Thursday Island. Moving from outsider to, well not quite an insider, but accepted nonetheless. His job was to report the local news, which included the raft of politicians, Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison et al and their swoop in, swoop out visits. But The Rock is more than this, it delves into the history of the region, and of the whole of Australia itself. This is what I loved about it the most. A mixture of Aaron Smith’s personal history and that of Australia. Warts and all. He doesn’t shy away from our terrible, exploitative past, nor does he hold back in displaying the faults of today. Politicians arrive with a gaggle of minders, listening to no one. Outsiders go to work in the Torres Strait, ignoring the locals, the customs, the mythology central to life. And the locals themselves carry on despite interference from the outside.
I highly recommend The Rock to anyone, but especially those who love a read that goes behind the scenes and gets you thinking about how power is wielded in this country. And perhaps, how one man got to be both the minister for indigenous affairs and for women, without being either. It’s mind-boggling!
The Rock is published by Transit Lounge Publishing and written by Aaron Smith.
I’d like to thank them both for my copy of the book. It has been a joy to read. My mind has now wandered to parts I’ve never visited. I now know more about things I thought I already knew {but didn’t} and feel better for it. Thank you.
Aaron Smith was the editor/ only journalist/photographer of the Torres News, local paper for the Torres Strait Islanders and local Aboriginal peoples. The paper folder in 2019 after 63 years. Aaron was there from 2013 to the end.
The Torres Strait stretches from the tip of Northern Australia to nearly Papua New Guinea. It is an area of treacherous seas and shipwrecks and disputed territories. When I look at it on the map I think of pirates and Errol Flynn. The crime TV show The Straits was set there. Aaron Smith mentions various lurid early 20th century novels set in the region, featuring misfits and head hunting. It has been a stepping stone between Australia and Asia, long before Australia was Australia. It has been a magnet for the Ms. The Missionaries, eager to spread god and control. The Murderers and Mad men, eager to get away. The Misfits, trying to find a place to fit. The Mercenaries eager to exploit.
In its simplest form The Rock is a memoir of one man’s time on Thursday Island. Moving from outsider to, well not quite an insider, but accepted nonetheless. His job was to report the local news, which included the raft of politicians, Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison et al and their swoop in, swoop out visits. But The Rock is more than this, it delves into the history of the region, and of the whole of Australia itself. This is what I loved about it the most. A mixture of Aaron Smith’s personal history and that of Australia. Warts and all. He doesn’t shy away from our terrible, exploitative past, nor does he hold back in displaying the faults of today. Politicians arrive with a gaggle of minders, listening to no one. Outsiders go to work in the Torres Strait, ignoring the locals, the customs, the mythology central to life. And the locals themselves carry on despite interference from the outside.
I highly recommend The Rock to anyone, but especially those who love a read that goes behind the scenes and gets you thinking about how power is wielded in this country. And perhaps, how one man got to be both the minister for indigenous affairs and for women, without being either. It’s mind-boggling!
The Rock is published by Transit Lounge Publishing and written by Aaron Smith.
I’d like to thank them both for my copy of the book. It has been a joy to read. My mind has now wandered to parts I’ve never visited. I now know more about things I thought I already knew {but didn’t} and feel better for it. Thank you.
November 24, 2022
This could’ve easily been a 5 star must-read for every Australian, but the white saviour complex is strong, and I can’t decide whether the fact that the author acknowledges this makes it better or worse. I understand a lot of that stems from the fact that this is a memoir. In my mind this would’ve been better as two seperate books, one being Smith’s memoir and one being an insightful look at a part of this land that so few Australians barely even know exists. While I found the personal stories interesting, they did tend to detract from the wider themes a little. Still gets 4 stars because I learnt so much about a beautiful part of the world.
February 20, 2021
Where does one start to tell of all the wrong doings over the past centuries? How does one explain all the ill-tailored policies and misguided attempts to rectify these mistakes.
In this book Aaron Smith tells the stories he was told by the First Nation families of Thursday Island, Australia, in the years he lived there as a local journalist. Through these stories, plus plenty of historical and political research as well as meetings with politicians, who visited the Islands, Aaron is able to pinpoint some major ‘human rights’ issues which remain, still to this present day, a problem for First Nation Australians.
Aaron also addresses the world-wide concern about sustainability and recognises the connection of respecting the cultures and deep knowledge of locals who understand nature and forces in a way others do not.
The book starts with a bit of a rant, which I understood better once I had read a few chapters. Once into the first chapter, I found that I could not put the book down as Aaron tells true story after true story, painting a picture of life on TI and its neighboring Islands over the centuries.
I can highly recommend this book.
In this book Aaron Smith tells the stories he was told by the First Nation families of Thursday Island, Australia, in the years he lived there as a local journalist. Through these stories, plus plenty of historical and political research as well as meetings with politicians, who visited the Islands, Aaron is able to pinpoint some major ‘human rights’ issues which remain, still to this present day, a problem for First Nation Australians.
Aaron also addresses the world-wide concern about sustainability and recognises the connection of respecting the cultures and deep knowledge of locals who understand nature and forces in a way others do not.
The book starts with a bit of a rant, which I understood better once I had read a few chapters. Once into the first chapter, I found that I could not put the book down as Aaron tells true story after true story, painting a picture of life on TI and its neighboring Islands over the centuries.
I can highly recommend this book.
July 22, 2021
A whole lot of, sometimes shocking, truth here, all told with self-deprecating humor, and at times, barely-concealed anger. Pages are given over to verbatim insider comment and analysis from Torres Strait leaders struggling to change the entrenched bullshit and bureaucracy of a government far, far away.
The Rock should be in school libraries and on the curriculum. It also has a great opening line.
Recommended!
The Rock should be in school libraries and on the curriculum. It also has a great opening line.
Recommended!
January 9, 2023
An outsider's experience of life in the Torres Strait with a confronting reflection on the injustices, both current and historical, experienced by the indigenous peoples.
May 26, 2021
A sobering and important read. Informative and heartbreaking. We can do better than the status quo and I applaud Aaron for his work to bring the issues highlighted in his latest book to the forefront for us to face with discomfort that hopefully leads to change.
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