Elephants in the Bush and other Yamatji Yarns

A huge snake takes refuge under the body of a napping grandfather. A sixteen year old girl keeps three hundred head of cattle together for a couple of weeks without loosing a beast. A young Aboriginal boy witnesses a man being thrown off a train onto a remote railway siding for being Jewish. Two trackers lead a police party deep into the desert to apprehend a murderer and rescue a young, abducted woman. From station life to dusty outback towns, Clarrie Cameron recreates the campfire yarns of his past on the page by deftly weaving together anecdote, wit and allegory. He captures the peculiarities and contradictions of human nature which readers all over the world will instantly recognise.

About the Author

Clarrie Cameron is from the Nhanhagardi tribe of Champion Bay, WA. Born into a strong family of Aboriginal rights activists, Clarrie attended Meekatharra Primary School, then Carmel College, in Perth, working on pastoral stations in the holidays, to pay for his education. He worked as a court officer for the Aboriginal Legal Service in the Pilbara. In 1972, he moved back to his grandfather’s country in Geraldton to join the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. At the age of 50, Clarrie completed a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Aboriginal Affairs. Clarrie is a well-respected painter, carver and jewellery maker. He is also a committee member of the Yamatji Language Centre and the Yamatji Marlpa Land and Sea Council.