Ross Rolley

In 2019, at the age of 72, I had time on my hands - time to do this or that, time to ponder my life and family. Until then, I had never attempted, or been interested in, any sort of creative or artistic effort. For some reason, I was mildly motivated to write a poem about my life and to feature the people I hold dear. I do not know how it started, or why, but one line led to another.

I am not too modest to say I am happy and proud with the result. I wish my Mum could read the poems. She loved poetry. I have included two special ballads in this book, ‘My Country’ and ‘Lost’. Mum had learned both at school in Wondecla, about 1934. We have a video of her reciting them in 2004, at the age of 83. My Dad would have loved ‘The Timber Getters’. I know how he worked in ‘wet grass to the waist’. I was there, in the Ravenshoe area to see it all, towards the end of his time in the timber industry.

I would like my descendants to read and learn a little about those lives and times that are so vastly different from their own. I hope they will understand and appreciate what I have written here. I do have a level of concern about our children and future generations. Some of the poems tend to hint at our Australian culture and values, the evolution and quality of our civilisation, respect for law and order, and democratic principles such as freedom of speech and worship. This all seems to be at varying levels of risk. I hope I am wrong.

On many occasions, I have been perplexed to realise that sections of our population generally have neither knowledge of, nor interest in, poetry, or the works of the ‘Old Masters’. In publishing this book, I am hoping that hundreds, perhaps thousands of people over time, especially children, will enjoy the photographs and understand the narratives. The inclusion of the photographs, ‘Commentary’ and a ‘Glossary’ has been an attempt to gain attention. I hope the content will have wide reader appeal and will pave the way for objective thought and broader experiences. Apart from tiny doses of ‘poetic licence’ I have endeavoured to maintain a high level of accuracy and reality.

My concern deepens when I encounter illogical and erosive attitudes being directed at our rural sector. Some city people, perhaps those under the age of fifty, need prompting to help them comprehend the joy and satisfaction, the lifestyle and the hardship, of living and working ‘Beyond the Great Divide’. All country people, east and west, deserve to have Australians understand that the reliable, productive efforts of remote communities are crucial to the preservation of our secure and enviable way of life.

I have met many people who do not realise that, in critical times, farming families in some areas may not have access to enough water to wash clothes or take a daily bath. That is an absolute truth!

I have met many people who have never heard of a poem titled 'My Country' and have never heard of the fabled poet and writer, Dorothea Mackellar. Accordingly, this book pays tribute to her and extends appreciation for the words she chose to describe our homeland.

These are the reasons I produced ‘A Sunburnt Country’. I believe it has something to offer readers, young and old, from far and wide. I hope my book will be received in the same positive context in which it was written.