It’s probably been said before but it’s too tempting to resist calling this article Tassie’s treasure because that is what Rachael Treasure undeniably is. It would be hard to find a more cheery, genuinely friendly individual who is also a best selling author, fantastic female farmer and innovator in a phosphate free farming. For all of her accomplishments Rachael is genuinely down to earth and so easy to talk to it is as if meeting a lifelong friend. Even though we are having a phone interview Rachael is so warm and welcoming that I feel I am sitting opposite her in her kitchen.
With a career in rural journalism behind her and confidently farming a 29 acre block among many other accomplishments Rachael has all the knowledge and experience to write great novels on rural life, sweetened with a bit of romance.
This year Rachael launched at Fullers bookshop, with gusto (a crowd of something like 150 people and Tassie country music group the wolf brothers), her latest fictional offering, ‘The Girl and the Ghost Grey Mare‘, a celebration of 20 years of reflection of her craft, a critically acclaimed short story collection, the title alliteration alludes to a collection that ranges from the supernatural, to the funny (see tractor factor), sad, the romantic to the downright macabre, (see The Mysterious Handbag’ and ‘Preserved’.
This collection proves Rachael is not soley focused on ‘country romance’ in the vein of ‘Macleod’s Daughters’ or ‘The farmer wants a wife’, although she applauds these programs for their bringing stories of rural life to the mass market. Many of this new collection of stories found their genesis in magic realism writing classes and newspaper stories.
Rachael’s writing is diversifying even more, as she tells me she has written and performed at the launch at Fullers, a song she co wrote with The Wolf Brothers. Through a series of coincidences she has managed a cross promotion for the boys and is working hard to establish them as Tasmania’s first country band. Rachael will meet up with the boys again in Tamworth.
Rachael depicts gutsy, strong women part of a sisterhood but not altogether immune to romance.
Away from books Rachael is hands on in managing her farm and is something of a visionary, working toward a phosphate free farm with the help of Colin Weis (who incidentally appears as one of her handsome farmers in an upcoming novel). She believes deeply in providing healthy food from Australians farms rather than importing.
Rachael believes that if a bit of education on an important issue such as fossil fuels is wrapped in a compelling story we are all the more likely to identify and listen to the message.
And so the subject of Rachael’s fifth novel will be the no fossil fuels farm. In between the writing of novel number 5 Rachael may get more chances via her friend and neighbour Louella Goggin to lead a horse out to the field for, or after a race. She may also start planning for a trip to Brazil where her novels are about to be released.
With all that Rachael manages to pack into her day, and taking and collecting her children from school we can only guess what is next. To quote the title of a recent movie ‘I don’t know how she does it’ but does it she does and exceedingly efficiently.
Perhaps the collaboration with The Wolf brothers and her recent foray into the supernatural with the title of her new book ‘The Girl and the Ghost Grey Mare’ will see her next novel enter the world of the twilightesque?
Paula Xiberras
