Boy from Boomerang Crescent

Betts, Eddie
Boy from Boomerang Crescent

Boy from Boomerang Crescent

Betts, Eddie

$34.99

In stock

Longlisted for the 2023 Indie Book Awards.

It's a long, hard road from the Nullarbor to the MCG.

How does a self-described 'skinny Aboriginal kid' overcome a legacy of family tragedy to become an AFL legend? One thing's for sure: it's not easy. But then, there's always been something special about Eddie Betts.

Betts grew up in Port Lincoln and Kalgoorlie, in environments where the destructive legacies of colonialism - racism, police targeting of Aboriginal people, drug and alcohol misuse, family violence - were sadly normalised. His childhood was defined by family closeness as well as family strife, plus a wonderful freedom that he and his cousins exploited to the full - for better and for worse.

When he made the decision to take his talents across the Nullarbor to Melbourne to chase his footballing dreams - homesickness be damned - everything changed. Over the ensuing years, Betts became a true giant of the sport: 350-plus games, 600-plus goals, multiple All-Australian nods and Goal of the Year awards, and a league-wide popularity rarely seen in the hyper-tribal AFL.

Along the way, he battled his demons before his turbulent youth settled into responsible maturity. Today, the man the Melbourne tabloids once dubbed 'bad boy Betts' is a dedicated husband and father, a respected community leader and an increasingly outspoken social activist.

Sometimes funny, sometimes tragic and always honest - often laceratingly so - The Boy from Boomerang Crescent is the inspirational life story of a champion, in his own words. Whether he's narrating one of his trademark gravity-defying goals from the pocket, the discrimination he's faced as an Aboriginal person or the birth of his first child, Betts's voice - intelligent, soulful, unpretentious - rings through on every page.

The very human story behind the plaudits is one that will surprise, move and inspire.

Cover image (c) Kristina Wild

Author:   Betts, Eddie
Publisher:   Simon & Schuster Australia
ISBN:  

9781761420658


Pages:   304
Publication Date:   05 April 2023
Bind Format:   Paperback
Availability:  
This item is in stock and will be dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

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Longlisted for the 2023 Indie Book Awards.

It's a long, hard road from the Nullarbor to the MCG.

How does a self-described 'skinny Aboriginal kid' overcome a legacy of family tragedy to become an AFL legend? One thing's for sure: it's not easy. But then, there's always been something special about Eddie Betts.

Betts grew up in Port Lincoln and Kalgoorlie, in environments where the destructive legacies of colonialism - racism, police targeting of Aboriginal people, drug and alcohol misuse, family violence - were sadly normalised. His childhood was defined by family closeness as well as family strife, plus a wonderful freedom that he and his cousins exploited to the full - for better and for worse.

When he made the decision to take his talents across the Nullarbor to Melbourne to chase his footballing dreams - homesickness be damned - everything changed. Over the ensuing years, Betts became a true giant of the sport: 350-plus games, 600-plus goals, multiple All-Australian nods and Goal of the Year awards, and a league-wide popularity rarely seen in the hyper-tribal AFL.

Along the way, he battled his demons before his turbulent youth settled into responsible maturity. Today, the man the Melbourne tabloids once dubbed 'bad boy Betts' is a dedicated husband and father, a respected community leader and an increasingly outspoken social activist.

Sometimes funny, sometimes tragic and always honest - often laceratingly so - The Boy from Boomerang Crescent is the inspirational life story of a champion, in his own words. Whether he's narrating one of his trademark gravity-defying goals from the pocket, the discrimination he's faced as an Aboriginal person or the birth of his first child, Betts's voice - intelligent, soulful, unpretentious - rings through on every page.

The very human story behind the plaudits is one that will surprise, move and inspire.

Cover image (c) Kristina Wild

Product Details
Author:   Betts, Eddie
Publisher:   Simon & Schuster Australia
ISBN:  

9781761420658


Pages:   304
Publication Date:   05 April 2023
Bind Format:   Paperback
Availability:  
This item is in stock and will be dispatched immediately.
Reviews

Reviews

Recent Reviews

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