Leah Purcell
An Indigenous Australian Goa, Gunggari, Wakka Wakka Murri woman, renowned as a multi-talented artist: actress, writer, director, and producer. She is celebrated for her powerful storytelling that often explores themes of Indigenous Australian history, injustice, and resilience. Her critically acclaimed play and novel, The Drover's Wife, offers a raw and unflinching look at a woman's struggle in the Australian bush, solidifying her as a significant voice in Australian arts.
In this bold reimagining of Henry Lawson’s short story, Leah Purcell recasts the drover’s wife as a fierce, gun-toting Indigenous woman defending her home and children in the Australian outback. Blending frontier grit with cultural identity, The Drover’s Wife examines race, gender, and survival with raw intensity. Both a novel and a powerful feminist statement, it reclaims and expands a classic narrative from an Indigenous Australian perspective.