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Encore: A family story of growing up poor in Outback Queensland
Journalist Rick Morton on how his mum raised three children in poverty and the class disparities in Australia.
Rick's family come from the vast country of Outback Queensland, near the Birdsville Track.
His grandfather, George Morton, was a wealthy landholder and he ruled over his family like a tyrant.
When Rick was little, a terrible accident was followed by the break-up of his family and Rick, his mum, and his two siblings were driven out of the family home into crippling poverty.
This led Rick to think deeply about the true nature of poverty in our country, how hard it is to thrive when you're bumping along from week to week.
After high school he decided to get into journalism and became a social affairs writer at The Australian newspaper.
Rick's memoir is called a 100 Years of Dirt This episode was first broadcast in 2018.
Further information
Rick now lives in Paris and writes about his life in a newsletter called Nervous Laughterhttps://rick-morton.ghost.io/100 Years of Dirt is published by MUP
