Track the footprints of Jesus across Australia
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Bourke and BeyondIn his latest book, Dr Paul Roe, The Outback Historian, unearths the hidden heart of Australia in this compelling collection of stories gathered from years of listening and learning on the red dirt plains. These remarkable tales of ordinary people doing extraordinary things celebrate the heart of Australia.
At the entrance to the Back O’ Bourke Exhibition Centre is Henry Lawson’s big claim “If you know Bourke you know Australia.” I’ve chosen twenty five stories that I’ve journeyed with out on the Western plains to show that the great yarn spinner wasn’t completely talking through his hat when he said that. If you’re a local you’ll immediately feel at home with them because they belong to you. If you’re not, then I think their unexpected origins might open your eyes to things about this country that you might have missed. I know they have done that for me and I hope you’ll find some delight and understanding from glimpses into some remarkable lives. Paul Roe |
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Discover the stories, Tell the Stories!
Paul is a historian from the Outback with 50 years experience in engaging audiences, eye to eye, mind to mind and heart to heart with Australia’s powerful often unknown stories to inspire, challenge and equip you to become a storyteller yourself!
Paul holds an honours degree in history from NSW University, a doctorate in history from Macquarie University and a graduate diploma in Christian Studies from Regent College in Canada.
Paul holds an honours degree in history from NSW University, a doctorate in history from Macquarie University and a graduate diploma in Christian Studies from Regent College in Canada.
What people are saying
THE Rt REV'D IAN PALMERFormer Bishop of Bathurst Diocese
People are story-tellers; from the Dreaming of the Aboriginal People to all of us who interpret our times through the stories we have heard and tell. Stories are to be shared and the wide-open spaces of our Land interpreted. Paul Roe is a master story-teller and collector of stories. From linking stories to mud-maps in Bourke, to story-telling with pilgrims in Central and Western NSW, Paul shares and interprets the heritage of faith he has discovered on these plains and in these hills. Paul invites us to listen with an open heart, add our story to those we hear, and create a new story which connects us to one another with faith, hope and love. |
ANDREW VINCENTNational Director, Cornerstone Community
Paul Roe is a rare character - combining the art of story-telling with a wealth of stories from Australia’s history, he possesses a deep love for real people and their real stories, and an interesting life of his own which is itself another story. Paul has a keen interest in the stories that can be found under the surface of the ordinary, and an awareness of the value of each ordinary person’s story. Whether it’s yarn-spinning at the Royal Hotel in Bourke, or presenting an academic paper on the characters that have shaped Australia, Paul’s stories draw you in, hold your attention, and open your heart to what he has found in this vast country of ours and the people that have made their home in it. |
MARK MC CRINDLESocial Researcher
For many years I’ve been impacted by hearing Paul Roe, Australia’s own outback historian, tell the stories of what has made us. While the church doesn’t always feature strongly in the national conversation, we are a nation where faith and belief run deep- and Paul has a powerful gift to coherently and compellingly share this narrative. |
ANDREW HULLThe Bard of Bourke
Deeply considerate of the motivations, trends and forces that shaped the Australia we know, Paul doesn't so much arrange or retell history, as imbue his listeners with it. Poets, paddleboat captains and pioneering legends are managed on and off the stage with expert timing, while a host of lesser characters are given their chance to shine through, central to the overall narrative of Australia's bush past, as scripted by our own 'Outback Historian'. |
IAN COLE
Editor, Western Herald and Manager, 2WEB Bourke Radio
As an historian and storyteller, Paul Roe is an absolute legend! He takes his readers and his audience on a compelling journey through the rich history of Bourke and beyond. Paul delivers his story with conviction, and a compassion for the characters of his stories.
As an historian and storyteller, Paul Roe is an absolute legend! He takes his readers and his audience on a compelling journey through the rich history of Bourke and beyond. Paul delivers his story with conviction, and a compassion for the characters of his stories.
