Drover

The truly remarkable story of a legendary drover – who happens to be a woman. Now in paperback. Courageous, clever and daring, Drover is one of a kind. Travelling through the heart of the outback, Drover delivers a mob of cattle. Searing heat, dust and flies, hardship and danger: these are just part of the job. But there's no place Drover would rather be. This true story is brought to light through stunning oil illustrations and suspenseful text that capture the drama as Drover pushes a herd of cattle from the Kimberly to Queensland. Readers are in for a surprise ending - the drover is not a man, but the legendary Edna Jessop.

About the Author :
Neridah McMullin loves animals, true stories and history. An author of twelve books for children, Neridah is also an award-winning short story writer and poet. Her middle-grade fiction novel Evie and Rhino was shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year in 2023, shortlisted for the Readings Prize and won the Australian Speech Pathology Book of the Year for Younger Readers. Her picture books Drover, Shearer and Tearaway Coach, set during the Victorian gold rush, were published to great acclaim. Her picture book Eat my Dust was a CBCA Notable in 2024. Neridah believes she was born at least 100 years too late. She loves old books, old people and local historical societies. She also loves footy, family, walking her dog and meeting other people’s dogs. Sarah Anthony is a painter and metalsmith. She completed six years of art study in the UK, culminating in a BA Joint Honours in Fine Arts and Metalsmithing from Camberwell College of the Arts in London, in 1994. In 2009 she graduated from La Trobe University with a Masters in Art Therapy. Her early artworks were small metal sculptural pieces and contemporary jewellery; these were exhibited in Dublin, London, Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney. After a substantial break from art-making due to raising her young family, she has recently returned to artmaking and exploring the medium of oil painting. Drover is her first picture book.

Review :
This book was a joy to read, and is perfect for teaching history and social studies at an early level in junior school This book tells the story of this remarkable Australian in a time before technology. Edna could do the work any male drover could do. As she puts it, “If you’re good at your job, it doesn’t matter out there.” Throughout the story, the author references all sorts of aspects of the drover’s life and their incredible skills—from the Bagman’s Gazette to milling cattle. This is a book about our Australian past. About the people who opened up the land and shows the wonderful heritage and legacy of droving in Australia. Drover is a beautifully told, quintessentially Australian story which will give readers an insight into an interesting aspect of rural life. The energy of the story perfectly matches the pace of the cattle, from slow moving through to still and at rest and then onto the wild night-time stampede. This is a wonderful look at a time in the not too distant past, when cattle were not trucked, but herded across country, an almost unimaginable lifestyle recreated before our eyes. This is a fine, heroic tale, strong on iconic images of Australian ruggedness— and innovative in putting a woman in the saddle and in charge.