Michael Keenan’s fascinating book, “The Shadows of Horses” which was published on Monday opens our eyes to the series of revolutions in rural life which have taken place since the Second World War. We also meet the amazing group of characters he encountered and worked with in the bush, tough and eccentric people, and follow the dangers Michael and they encountered and (mostly!) overcame. A very readable book, and of particular interest to those connected to the land.

The focus on horses indicated by the title is justified by the significant role of horses in rural life during much of the post war to 1980s period. Horses were still important in the business of farming and in travel during the early decades, and of central importance to social life. Many landholders owned and bred racehorses during this time, and picnic races were key seasonal events which brought communities together. They were also occasions for gaining status, as “the ultimate triumph was to win having bred both the horse and the rider”!

Horses were also an important element in Michael Keenan’s life, and this book becomes a social and agricultural history seen through his eyes. Michael has led an eventful life, and farming and horse racing are twin passions. We follow his interest in racing from school days to his career into the 60s and beyond when he is a successful amateur jockey. The ending of his career as a jockey is a powerful indictment of the culture of some rural societies.

This is Michael Keenan’s fifth work of non-fiction, and was inspired by his realisation of the drama of the changes he has seen in rural Australia in these five decades, and his belief that “someone my age has to capture the culture” of this period. The history of this period is told through Michael’s eyes, and through the lives of bush people from outback Victoria to Queensland.

Michael was a risk taker, and as boy and man challenged himself, without consulting his parents, to undertake many life-threatening pursuits. Of an independent nature, he also went his own way while at school in Sydney at Kings.

The book, which follows Michael’s life from the 1940s to the 80s, also charts the bewildering change of fortunes of farmers in that period, from peaks of affluence to troughs of poverty. The connection between factors beyond the control of farmers, such as wars and droughts, and their income and social status, is made clear. The status of women in community gatherings will also be an eye opener in our more liberal era.

Changes in farming practices are also documented, with government policies at times proving more disastrous for the environment in western NSW than drought. An example is the soldier settler developments there, and Michael outlines the impact on the fragile country out west when grazing was replaced by cropping.

The dramatic changes in many aspects of life in farming communities across the eastern states, and in the status and wealth of sections of that community, are depicted. “The Shadows of Horses” paints an often uncomfortable picture of social change in regional towns, from an almost classless society after the war to an ugly class consciousness in later decades. Read Michael’s book for the adventure, the wonderful variety of characters, and to understand our agricultural past.

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The Trib has a copy of Michael Keenan’s “The Shadow of Horses” to give away to a lucky reader. To enter please write your name, address and day time phone number on the back of an envelope, plus the name of the competition you are entering. Put a Trib masthead (top section of front page) in the envelope, and send it to Yass Tribune, P.O. Box 8, Yass 2582 or drop it into the Trib offices in Lead Street.

Get your entries in by noon on Friday July 11 for the draw at 2pm that day.

LTPM/07/20309