Who the Hell Is Ralphy?

<p>Who the hell is Ralphy?</p><p><br></p><p>Have you ever had a night out with a yowie? Have you ever worn a homemade kangaroo skin coat into your local pub or maybe had a near-death experience with a wild boar? How about been kicked in the head by a horse? Or ridden home on your four-wheeler knowing an Eastern Brown snake's on board with you. Did you ever stand in the middle of a paddock with a mad cow charging you? Ever flown double in a one seater? You ever played three football grand finals in a week?</p><p><br></p><p>I have.</p><p><br></p><p>This is a book of tales about my life: a country boy who once set fire to his parents' hay shed;</p><p>a young lad on the up of his professional football career; a man producing world-class ultra-fine merino wool for the fashion industry; and the ongoing struggle to maintain relationships through stress drought and distance. Each life-stage filled with fun mischief mistakes and heartbreaks.</p><p><br></p><p>I am telling these stories before they are forgotten because they reflect so many values skills and ways of life which are eroding or already lost. I hope to inform those of other walks of life of something different and close the gap of time while making you laugh about a few amusing yarns and the occasional joke. However not all is beer and skittles with a history of family murders bushrangers and rebellions. Not to mention ancestors riding with William Lawson the explorer and others working with Governor Macquarie.</p><p><br></p><p>This is my story of life love and loss told through a bit of laughter (and the occasional whinge).</p><p><br></p><p>Who the Hell is Ralphy? is a book of true anecdotes and short stories reflecting an existence some might never see or experience. The book provides a funny and entertaining insight into Australian life on the land over the lifespan of one lucky(?) man: Ralphy. So who the hell is he? Come join me and find out...</p><p><br></p><p>I was not born to the land but spent many happy years as a child and then a teenager living on its fringe in a small country town I call home Mudgee.</p><p><br></p><p>Ralph cover grew up in this district and his book takes me back to the sweet smell of freshly cut lucerne hay rain on a parched paddock woolsheds utes amazing men and women of the land larrikins with big hearts and a generosity of spirit I treasure.</p><p><br></p><p>Ralph the son of a grazing family with a rich colourful heritage captures the very essence of a beautiful life on the land its humour ups and downs in a life well-lived.</p><p><br></p><p>Ken Sutcliffe.</p>