A one teacher school, a dusty paddock for a sports/rodeo ground, an artesian borehead, close knit families whose kids love thrashing through the scrub on BMX bikes. That is West Siding, a small settlement in the dusty outback of Australia. Join Rodney, Scott, Kevin, Christine, Jack, their bushmen Dads and long suffering Mums as the West Siding BMXers take on the townies. Enjoy the laconic bushmen's humour, reflected in their sons and the relief of Jack's Mother as she sees her uncoordinated, hyperactive little boy with stars in his eyes. A few settlements like West Siding still exist. But not as many as previouslya when the railway carried the goods and people across the vast Australian outback regions. Instead of today’s fly-in/fly out workers servicing the maintenance needs of remote areas, the railway had many tiny settlements. The men who maintained the line brought their families to live in railway houses. The young author based this story on her own experiences. Living in a remote settlement like West Siding, she would hitch a lift with a mail truck to go BMX racing in a large town over 500 kilometres away. The kids of the settlement were keen to race BMX too and after race training on an assortment of bikes in the bush around the settlement, they went to a large town to race and events unfolded out much as in the story. FOR: Kids age 7 to 11 REVIEWS - What others are saying about “Flashing Pedals”
|
