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A Sunburnt Childhood

Toni Tapp Coutts

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Feb 11, 2017 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: memoir, aussie-authors, sent-by-publisher, non-fiction, reviewing-by-request, own-read, 2016-release

Toni was five years old when Bill Tapp came into their lives. They moved from Katherine in the Northern Territory to the newly purchased Killarney Station – Toni’s mother June had no idea there was no home to move into; she was stoic and they made do with their swags, tin shed, no electricity and no running water. As time passed and more children arrived, Toni and her siblings loved life on Killarney Station – but she hated the “long drop” toilet with the disgusting stench and accompanying king Toni was five years old when Bill Tapp came into their lives. They moved from Katherine in the Northern Territory to the newly purchased Killarney Station – Toni’s mother June had no idea there was no home to move into; she was stoic and they made do with their swags, tin shed, no electricity and no running water. As time passed and more children arrived, Toni and her siblings loved life on Killarney Station – but she hated the “long drop” toilet with the disgusting stench and accompanying king brown snakes, red back spiders and many other creepy crawlies.

Surrounded by a dearth of Aboriginal workers and their families, Toni, her brothers and sisters and the Aboriginal children ran wild; Toni’s Mum and Bill Tapp didn’t believe in the segregation of whites from Aboriginals – therefore they all mingled with the small schoolhouse filled with both white and Aboriginal children. Toni and her brothers and sisters (she is the eldest of ten) spent their days working with the cattle, helping their mother in the homestead and tearing around the red dirt on the many adventures that kids always devise.

Toni says “My sunburnt childhood was full of love, fun, danger and adventures as every kid’s life should be.”

A Sunburnt Childhood by Aussie author Toni Tapp Coutts is filled with stories and reminiscences of her childhood. One such humerous moment was when Toni was in the classroom and her little sister had just started her lessons – she had been told to put ticks and crosses in the appropriate boxes….
“Mum returned to check our work and asked Shing how she was going. Shing proudly displayed her beautifully completed page. Crosses were placed in all the appropriate boxes, and little round cattle ticks with eight legs and two eyes were neatly placed in all the remaining boxes. That was Shing’s verson of a tick and why would she think anything different?”

Toni formed many friendships with the Aboriginal people when she was a child; especially with women who were to become very special to her. Toni now lives in Katherine with her husband Shaun – she has three children and two grandchildren. I thoroughly enjoyed Toni Tapp Coutts’ memoir on her sunburnt childhood, and have no hesitation in recommending it highly.

With thanks to Hachette Australia for my copy to read and review. ...more

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