The Ballad of Abdul Wade: The Incredible True Story of Australia's Unsung Pioneering Heroes - the Afghan...

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Ryan Butta

The Ballad of Abdul Wade

The Incredible True Story of Australia's Unsung Pioneering Heroes - the Afghan Cameleers

Ryan Butta

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English

Affirm Press
26 July 2022

History; Australasian & Pacific history

Separating the bulldust from the bush poetry, Ryan Butta reveals a gritty alternative history that defies the standard horse-powered folklore to reveal the untold debt this country owes to the humble camel, its drivers and the Afghans who brought them here.

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When Afghan entrepreneur Abdul Wade first brought his camel trains to the outback, he was hailed as a hero. Horses couldn't access many remote settlements, especially those stricken by flood or drought, and camel trains rode to the rescue time and time again.

But with success came fierce opposition fuelled by prejudice. The camel was not even classed as an animal under Australian law, and, in a climate of colonial misinformation, hyperbole and fear, camel drivers like Wade were shown almost as little respect. Yet all the while, for those in need, the ships of the desert continued to appear on the outback horizon.

After his interest was piqued by a nineteenth-century photo of a camel train in a country town, Ryan Butta found himself on the trail of Australia's earliest Afghan camel drivers. Separating the bulldust from the bush poetry, he reveals the breadth and depth of white Australian protectionism and prejudice. Told with flair and authority, this gritty alternative history defies the standard horse-powered folklore to reveal the untold debt this country owes to humble dromedaries, their drivers and those who brought them here.

By: Ryan Butta
Imprint: Affirm Press
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm, Spine: 29mm
Weight: 425g
ISBN: 9781922806000
ISBN 10: 1922806005
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 26 July 2022
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Ryan Butta grew up in regional New South Wales. Before he started writing he worked in international trade and has lived and worked extensively overseas. He is Editor at Large for Galah Press and also authors the Out of Office a newsletter, a publication that charts his course of quitting office life to pursue a writing career. When he is not writing Ryan enjoys fly fishing, cooking over flame and telling people that he once played cricket for Argentina. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese but mostly enjoys long silences. Ryan currently lives in the NSW Hunter Valley with his wife, Carolina, and a Cavoodle called Canela.