“My father didn’t talk about the war much, but sometimes he would firmly grip the edge of the kitchen table and shout, ‘SINKING STATIONS!’ – apparently it was something they used to do in the mess on the ships when tall stories were told.”

Sinking Stations is a son’s story of his father’s life during the Great Depression and as a sailor in the Navy in World War II. The reward of a Soldier Settler block in the Central Highlands of Tasmania was an opportunity that brought with it a new set of challenges – isolation, drought, flood and fire. Self-sufficiency was vital.

Nigel Nichols tells his story through his experiences as a young boy on a remote property at the end of a long road. It’s a story of life in the 1950s and ’60s, not much different from life a hundred years before. Without power, cut off by flooding rivers, enduring cold harsh winters and isolation, family was all important.

The stories of Nigel and his father are of a post-war Tasmania, but when you read this you might be surprised: that is not really so long ago. – Chris Wisbey