Outback Midwife

Call the Midwife meets In the Middle of Nowhere in this heartwarming memoir of a down to earth and adventurous Aussie midwife's life 'catching babies'.

Outback Midwife is the story of the Beth McRae's 40 years as a midwife, from her terrifying first day witnessing a birth as a na ve student nurse at Albury Base Hospital in NSW to her training as a midwife in Preston and Northcote in Victoria - the days when the words 'birth plan' were unheard of and what women wanted was a long way from being part of any plan - to the outback.

As Beth's career of catching babies took her from city to bush outposts around the country she bonded with people from all walks of life at one of the most important moments in their lives and witnessed the attitudes to midwifes and birthing babies change dramatically over the decades. But having seen and done so much, there was one more frontier she was determined to conquer, the outback, where she believed her experience was needed more than anywhere else.

So in her late fifties, Beth upped sticks and left behind all the security and comforts of home to move to a remote Aboriginal community in Arnhem Land and embark on a whole other adventure ...

About the Author

Beth McRae began her training as a midwife at Albury Base Hospital in NSW in the days when the birth plans were unheard of and went on 'catch babies' all over Australia. After more than 30 years on the job, in her 50s there was one more frontier she was determined to conquer, the outback, where she believed her experience was needed more than anywhere else. So Beth upped sticks to a remote Aboriginal community in Arnhem Land and embarked on a whole new adventure.