Like it says on the cover, why not go wayback in time to find out how it was growing up on an Australian wheat farm? But before you start, take some time to learn the Aussie lingo and how to drive on the left side of the road, which is the right side of the road to drive on. You might want to bring your Lithgow 22 rifle and a pair of footy boots to play for the legendary Dimboola Roos as well.
Down Feerys Road, there are many adventures to be had. You start driving tractors at 5 years old, then do rousabouting in an Australian sheep shearing shed. Of course, the inevitable crossing of paths with the deadliest snakes on the planet teaches you as an 8-year-old the wisdom of carrying a shotgun when out in the paddock with your little brother.
That's Uncle Ramon on the right in his Stetson hat and RM Williams boots, firing a few shots with his Colt 38 calibre revolver.
Little sisters are annoying, but fun in a way! They spend time on the wheat farms with their Barbie dolls and on the bus to school.
The guns are put aside when your so-called mates start to make life very interesting when you are trying to impress the girls in your class at Dimboola Memorial High School.
OTHER BOOKS BY GERARD DEAN
Acclaimed combat photographer Shea Murray's evocotive photograph of Tiger 141 defending the WWII Ballarat Airfield during the bitter Battle of Ballaratograd. T'is said that there is no more desolate place on this planet than Ballarat in mid-winter.
The world's most famous model of the iconic German Tiger Tank - PZKW-VI took 10 minutes to dream up and 10 years to build. Featuring a home designed and built 150cc V12 petrol engine and 8-speed gearbox which replicates the real Tiger's Maybach V12 engine and 8-speed gearbox. Tiger 141 won a gold medal in London, then travelled to Germany to run at the WWII armoured base in Munster, and finally travelled the mean streets of Detroit, USA.
The book explains and illustrates the many missteps and mistakes made by the author over the decade - it is more of a How Not To Make A Model Tiger Tank book rather than a How To manual.
Along the way, there are glimpses of the author's early life on the Wimmera wheat farm as well as outrunning Australian cops!
There are many hints and tips on machining and building the hundreds of mechanical parts plus circuits and diagrams of electrical and electronic control components.
Praise for Wayback
I read this book on Kindle Unlimited after the description instantly caught my attention and wow, what a nostalgic, wild, and vividly Australian ride it turned out to be!
From the very first pages, you’re transported back in time to the wheat plains of rural Australia, where growing up meant facing down snakes, surviving droughts, and trying to win over your school crush all while dealing with tough teachers and cheeky mates. The author’s voice feels so authentic that you can almost taste the dust and feel the scorching sun of Dimboola.
As the story moves from high school mischief to the rugged life of mining camps and drilling rigs, the humor and raw energy never let up. I especially loved the cross cultural encounters like the French introducing the locals to “delicacies” such as flying fruit bats and snakes. It’s bizarre, hilarious, and very human.
The action ramps up with high-speed motorcycle chases and a courtroom showdown that changes everything. It’s equal parts coming-of-age, travelogue, and adventure memoir all wrapped in a true-blue Aussie spirit.
If you enjoy stories that mix grit, humor, and heart with a strong sense of place, this one’s a gem. Absolutely worth the read on Kindle Unlimited!
This wonderfully witty collection of stories transports the reader to the wheat plains of rural Australia, where the author grew up surrounded by a gaggle of siblings and a menagerie of animals, including a bolshie sheep named Veerp, and a whippet who turned out not to be so lucky!
The stories span the author's childhood and adolescence in the 1960s and 70s, offering the reader an authentic, and often amusing, first-hand account of this time and place in recent Australian history.
The cast of strong characters who emerge throughout the author's life add their own unique flavour to this memoir, making Wayback both heart-warming and laugh-out-loud hilarious!
If you love true stories told with a authentic and engaging voice, Wayback by Gerard Dean is the book for you!
A Wild, Unforgettable Ride Through the Aussie Outback!
From the wheat plains to the roaring engines of the outback, this book captures the raw humor, grit, and madness of growing up Australian.
The author’s storytelling is both hilarious and heartfelt — you feel every sunburn, snake bite, and schoolyard embarrassment. The scenes with the Frenchmen and their exotic meals are pure gold.
A vivid, funny, and fast-paced read that celebrates rebellion, friendship, and survival.
Emilia
(Goodreads)
A Reader
(Amazon)
Regina
(Goodreads)
BIO
I guess you want to know a bit about the author.... well, a long time ago - wayback in the fifties, actually, Lucky the whippet got a new mate to muck around with on the banks of the Wakool River.
Me and Lucky headed south to the Wimmera, and it went sideways from then. The odd snake made life interesting, and my so-called schoolmates made it even more interesting.
After surviving the droughts and footy and school in Dimboola, I headed west to work in the mines and on the drilling rigs, then back south to work in warships and battle tanks.
Met a gorgeous girl - we started a manufacturing company and a family, and now I crack jokes and annoy my kids and so-called mates at work.
Wimmera Here We Come
Coming to a library in Horsham!