AFTER 15 years, 73,000 words and innumerable tears, a Katherine author is only weeks away from sharing the story of her childhood on one of the Northern Territory’s most iconic stations.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A Sunburnt Childhood, which will be released nationally on March 22, explores what life was like for Toni Tapp-Coutts growing up on Killarney station, 280 kilometres south-west of Katherine.
With a copy of the book in her hand, Mrs Tapp-Coutts told the Katherine Times it had evolved after humble beginnings as a short story written for a competition in 2002.
“I think right from the beginning, I had a story selected for the 2002 NT Literary Awards, and it was a story that’s in the book about going hunting with the old Aboriginal ladies, Daisy and Dora,” she explained.
“The judge at the time said to me that it was really important stuff, so, over the years between that … I just kept writing and adding to it, and hoping that it would all come together.”
The book is a raw, personal look at life that illicits a sensory reaction from readers with vivid descriptions of the landscapes and characters that moulded a remarkable childhood in the harsh Territory outback.
Mrs Tapp-Coutts said that it had been difficult to determine what elements of that period of her life needed to be shared.
“There’s a fine line sometimes between how much you reveal and how much you don’t,” she laughed.
It's really surreal to think that people will walk into Kmart in Sydney and my book’s just going to be sitting up there with all the others.
- Toni Tapp-Coutts
“In my case, I really wanted to, in many ways, honour the people and the lifestyle that I lived.
“The beauty and the uniqueness of the area that we live in – I want people to see what a spectacular place we live in, yeah, but also the spectacular people and the crazy characters that we all are.”
The well-known author will embark on a tour in early April before local launches in Katherine and Darwin, and said she still had to pinch herself when she considered her story would be available on bookshelves across Australia.
“I didn’t imagine it would be selling in Big W and Kmart, and Target,” she said.
“It’s really surreal to think that people will walk into Kmart in Sydney and my book’s just going to be sitting up there with all the others.”