Conversations Encore: A family story of growing up poor in Outback Queensland
Oct 8, 2026
Rick Morton, an Australian journalist and author of 100 Years of Dirt, recounts growing up poor in Outback Queensland. He explores his grandfather’s tyranny, a devastating family accident, and his mother’s struggle to raise three children in public housing. Morton also discusses class, trauma, addiction, sexuality, and the barriers poverty creates, even for those who manage to escape it.
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When Isolation Replaces The Rule Of Law
- In remote cattle country, isolation can replace formal law with a culture of silence and self-policing.
- One or two police officers may cover areas the size of the United Kingdom, leaving station communities to suppress abuse themselves.
The Cattle Baron Who Controlled His Children
- George Morton used immense landholdings and family dependence to control his seven children and keep them working for him.
- He manipulated siblings into competing for approval, turning ordinary station tasks into threats of punishment.
The Fire That Changed The Morton Family
- A lighter ignited fuel vapour in a vehicle pit, severely burning eight-year-old Toby on an isolated station.
- Neighbours and the Royal Flying Doctor Service improvised care, while kerosene cans lit the runway for the evacuation plane.
