The Australians: Peter Luck

Australians are a remarkable hybrid and this book is Peter Luck's celebration of the special breed found in our young and extraordinary nation. Looking beyond the image of the typical Aussie being a lean and laconic bushman, as big as the Outback and dry as a drought, there's a different character, one that defies definition. There's still a fair bit of the Aussie psyche in the philosophers, workers and 'lurk merchants' (taxi drivers); there's still some of the Aussie battler in sporting heroes and hustlers alike; and there's still plenty of 'guts' in the bronzed Anzacs. We are a forward-looking country - but our character is moulded by our memories. We cling to our traditions, both those inherited and those which evolved here. Here's Toots, the lady truckie; the Boorowa Debutantes; Sydney taxi drivers and some of their more unusual experiences; the old Diggers who 'did' the Kokoda Trail; Jeff St. John, hard man of Aussie rock; the Shearers; Pro Hart, the unpretentious and unpredictable artist; Eagle, the crime reporter who lives it hard and walks on the edge for a story; and much more. Illustrated with colour and black and white photographs.