A man with wheatbelt origins has wrote a book on the beginning of agriculture in the region, through the stories of creative writers.
Tony Hughes-d’Aeth, senior lecturer of english and cultural studies at The University of Western Australia, studies the works of writers including Dorothy Hewett, Peter Cowan, Jack Davis, Tom Flood, J.K. Ewers, Barbara York Main.
“My grandfather was born in Wagin in 1908 and my aunt married a farmer in Watheroo near Moora,” he said. “Driving out to their farm in late December I used to wonder about how these farms came to exist.
“When I pursued a PhD at UWA in my early 20s I came across the poetry of John Kinsella and that made me see the wheatbelt in an entirely new way.”
Ten years later, Mr Hughes-d’Aeth has finished the book and will be travelling to York Toodyay and Northam in coming weeks to speak about his experience.
He will be speaking this Friday night at the York RSL Hall from 5.30-7.30pm.
