Best Australian books: new 4x4 products

SET UP camp at a remote site, surround yourself with peace and quiet, and open up a good book … sounds like a good time to us.

These two books covering significant events in Australian history are both great reads, so pour yourself a glass of your favourite tipple and enjoy!

The Last Snake Man

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For nearly a century, John Cann’s family ran a famous snake show at La Perouse, in Sydney. This book, co-written with journo Jimmy Thomson, details Cann’s amazing upbringing and includes the 45 years he and his brother George ran his parents’ snake show. By the time he’d retired in 2010, Cann had survived five venomous snake bites.

Besides wrangling some of the world’s most poisonous reptiles, Cann was also an Olympic athlete, state representative rugby league player and also state boxer, as well as a world authority on turtles (the Cann’s snake-necked turtle is named after him). He was even awarded an OAM in 1992 in recognition of his community and conservation work.

The book is a brilliant read, following Cann on his many adventures in Oz and through the PNG jungle.

RRP: $33
Website: www.allenandunwin.com

Women to the Front

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When World War I started, 129 women were registered as medical practitioners in Australia, with many of them keen to contribute their skills and expertise to the war effort. The leaders at Australian military HQ thought that the concept of women on the battlefront was unthinkable but that didn’t stop around 24 Aussie female doctors from heading to the front regardless.

This book from Heather Sheard and Ruth Lee recounts the many stories of Aussie women serving as surgeons, medical officers and anaesthetists during the years of 1914-19. Ridiculously, despite saving hundreds of lives, there is very little mention of this in official military records both here in Oz and in the UK.

From the Eastern to Western Fronts, to Malta, and to London, the often horrific conditions (and injuries that needed dealing with) are revealed, along with the heroism of all of those involved. A great read.

RRP: $35
Website: www.penguin.com.au