A Youth Not Wasted (Ian Parkes, HarperCollins)

In 1951 at the age of 16, Ian Parkes decided to leave his Perth home to work on a sheep station. For the next few years he was a stockman and then overseer at various properties, one of which was ‘only’ one million acres. Parkes was good at what he did and was often in charge of men older and more experienced than he, which occasionally caused friction (and fisticuffs). Parkes carried responsibilities that seem extraordinary considering his age, regularly riding off with a few men, a tucker box and a dog and mustering hundreds if not thousands of sheep or cattle. They camped rough, ate a very restricted diet and worked in the heat and dust until the job was done. Despite the hardship, Parkes developed an attachment to the landscape. He conveys its beauty and magic, describing the sunrises, bird calls and straggly bush wonderfully well. This was a time when Australia was ‘riding on the sheep’s back’ so Parkes saw the best years of the industry. After illness, and missing female company, Parkes returned to city life but he still retains his affinity with the bush. He regards his time as a ‘youth not wasted’. The publicity material for this book draws comparisons to Albert Facey’s A Fortunate life, and I would tend to agree. It tells a story that 99% of Australians have had no contact with, but will nonetheless find enthralling. It is well written and evocative.

Heather Dyer is the owner of Fairfield Books in Melbourne

Tags: nonfiction

Category: Reviews