Perth Words… exploring possibilities.

Recently as many people were mesmerized by the Blood Moon, the event indeed lived up to its name in South Africa, when at least half a dozen rhinos were slain. More casualties in the war on poaching.

The rhinos were slain in Kwazulu-Natal in a private reserve. With rhino poaching stats well over 700 now, 85 have been in the Kwazulu-Natal area alone.

Six rhino carcasses. An amazing feat. In a park the size of the state of Michigan , in alternating open and hilly terrain; to find and dehorn just one of the elusive rhinos would be difficult, perhaps with the right team two would be lucky. But six?! To have entered undetected, located the rhinos, slain them, dehorned them, AND left unscathed is obviously an organized inside job.

Rhinos in KZN. photo: unknown

Although some private reserves are doing what they can to obtain funding for anti-poaching efforts and implement strategies; others…

by Nicole Melanson ~

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of attending the inaugural Writers in the Park, beautifully organized by Susanne Gervay. The festival didn’t get to make the most of its lovely location at The Residences, Centennial Park, on account of rather crummy weather, but neither the participants nor the attendees let the rain dampen their spirits.

The first event on the adult stage was Publishing: What’s on your mind? – a panel discussion with Shona Martyn from Harper Collins, Jane Curry of Ventura Press, Helen O’Dare representing Hinkler Books, and literary agent Rick Raftos, moderated by Bem Le Hunte.

Shona Martyn and Bem Le Hunte

Shona spoke to the current popularity of coloring books saying that they do a great job of drawing people into bookstores, where hopefully books with actual words will catch their eye. She is currently seeking strong…

We came rushing in; each person carried something pivotal to the procedure, everyone having a part to play in the de-horning of this massive, majestic rhino. She lay in the brush (as rarely do they collapse into more convenient, open areas), immobile, helpless. The sedative taking effect.

Before the vet could even start directing the all too familiar procedure, the chainsaw roared to life, immediately going to work to clear away the thorny bushes and branches around her. Time was crucial, as leaving an animal under anesthetic or in the same position for too long, could be damaging.

There is no shortage of help in keeping this rhino safe and healthy during the procedure.

Once space was made, a team of no less than 6 men rolled her into place. The chainsaw still in hand, the work began. As the horn was sawed away, a little at a time, the minutes became more surreal. What…

Almost home after a day of errands with Mama and Daddy, my sisters and I were crammed into the back seat of the car. For a second we didn’t know what Mama meant when she spoke to Daddy in the driver’s seat.

“He’s gonna get hit.” Mama said.

We in the back seat jockeyed for position to get the best view through the windshield up front. We had to see who “he” was.

“He” was a dog.

The little blond dog trotted ahead of us right in the middle of the road. His fluffy tail, with long strands of blond hair trailing in the wind, curved up towards his back. He paid no attention when we passed but as we turned into our driveway he followed.

Daddy came to a stop in the driveway and so did the little dog. Through the window the dog and I stared at each…

Just out, the final issue in the special WA volume of Review of Australian Fiction, guest edited by Laurie Steed. And what a finale, with tense, intriguing stories from David Whish-Wilson and Sam Carmody.

Established author David Whish-Wilson has published three crime novels, two of which (Line of Sight and Zero at the Bone) are set in 1970s Perth. His next, Old Scores, is forthcoming from Fremantle Press in 2016. He is also the author of Perth, in NewSouth Books’ city series. David coordinates the creative writing program at Curtin University.

David is paired with emerging writer Sam Carmody, whose debut novel, The Windy Season, was shortlisted for the 2014 Vogel Award and will be published by Allen & Unwin in 2016. His short fiction and non-fiction have been published widely, including in Griffith Review and ABC’s The Drum. Sam currently lectures…

THE PATTERSON GIRLS

Author: Rachael Johns
Harlequin MIRA Australia RRP $29.99
Review: Monique Mulligan

The seed of the book that became The Patterson Girls, Rachael Johns’ first foray into contemporary fiction, came from a weed. As Johns tells it, the paddocks around the town where she then lived were covered in what appeared to be a beautiful purple flower. She soon discovered that the flower was an invasive weed known as Paterson’s curse or Salvation Jane … and the word curse stuck with her. The result was The Patterson Girls, a warm and engaging tale about a four sisters and a family curse.

Four sisters return to Meadow Brook in rural South Australia to share Christmas with their bereaved father. Their mother died six months earlier, and after the funeral they all went back to their separate lives: Madeleine in the USA, Lucinda in Perth, Charlie in Melbourne, and…

Back stateside, after 2 weeks in the bush… we learned so much, met fantastic people with great minds and passion for wildlife, and were able to re-focus as we looked into both current and new strategies in our part in the poaching war.

Starting off in the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC) , Fight for Rhinos sponsored the dehorning of one of  two poaching survivors, and personally sponsored the other. They are well cared for and coming along nicely in their rehabilitation.

Lions Den & Dingle Dell, poaching survivors at HESC before the dehorning. Photo: Fight for Rhinos

We left HESC feeling satisfied and productive after meeting with such professional and experienced people. As we arrived at the airport, a chopper flew low overhead. A moment later we heard of a possible poaching.

A feeling of dread set in, mind racing, as we wondered about the rhinos we had just seen, both in the Centre and in the bush. Was…