Inspired by her experiences with working dogs, Cootamundra’s Catherine Rains has now penned and published two children’s titles in the past 12 months. Photo: Catherine Rains.
On a farm 20 minutes outside Cootamundra, Catherine Rains is rewriting her life story, bringing a slice of real country life to readers far and wide.
The former Melbourne dog trainer has become an unlikely children’s author, having released two self-published books about working dogs based in the Riverina.
And it all began with a trip to a sheep expo in Hamilton in Victoria.
“I went to watch the kelpies, to see if I could pick a breeder,” she told Region. “I met this guy, bought a dog from him, then bought another dog from him, and he is now my husband.”
This led Catherine out of the big smoke to South Australia, then to farms near Coolac and Bowning, before settling on their current property near Muttama six years ago.
Here, surrounded by 26 dogs – mostly working kelpies – the now mother-of-three discovered a hidden talent, unearthed by a dog named Minky.
“When he was a pup, we kept four of them initially, and the other three wanted to work sheep, and he just didn’t want a bar of them,” Catherine explained.
With patience and training, some courage and self-belief, Minky overcame his fear of sheep, and at nearly 11 years old, he’s now a beloved family pet who occasionally still goes to work with Catherine’s husband.
But Catherine, who had dabbled in writing poetry since childhood, said her experience working with Minky stayed with her, in verse.
“Yeah, I came up with a poem about Minky that floated around in my head for years; I always thought the story would make a good kids book but I had no idea how to do that,” she said.
But the World Wide Web even reaches Muttama and online courses offered by Ballarat author and publisher Laura Feldman, means Minky is now immortalised in print through Catherine’s debut title The Sheepdog Who Was Afraid of Sheep, self-published under the imprint “Louey’s Library”, named after her first dog Louey.
The success of this first book, released in February, prompted her to quickly pen a second which hit the shelves in June.
The Sheepdog Who Got Lost in the Hills, featuring another of the family’s kelpies, Mac, is another true story told in rhyme, this time about a dog who gets lost in scrubby bushland during a muster.
Not only did Catherine write the stories, she also illustrated them – a feat she still finds surprising.
“I always described myself as a non-artist,” she said. “The fact that I’ve illustrated two books just blows my own mind.”
Catherine’s entrepreneurial spirit didn’t stop at writing, illustrating and self-publishing.
She’s expanded her offerings to include kelpie soft toys – the red and tan Minky and black and tan Mac, designed in Queensland and made in Thailand.
“It’s not easy to find a kelpie toy of any description,” she said, “but they’re actually quite realistic.”
While both her books are rooted in rural experiences, they’re resonating beyond the farm gate.
“I have had feedback about how the stories open conversations about courage and trying new things, even for city kids unfamiliar with farm life,” she said.
Her next project aims to bridge the urban-rural divide even further with The Clever Kid’s Guide to Living with Dogs which she says will offer rhyming advice on interacting safely with canines.
And the sheepdogs still get a look-in with plans for an additional title The Sheepdog Who Lived in the City – based on her own experience of raising a working dog, Trigger, in Melbourne before her move to the country – also forthcoming.
As Catherine juggles her writing and packing book orders with raising three young children, school and library visits, and helping on the farm, she says she’s happy knowing she’s helping young readers understand and appreciate the working dogs that are so integral to Australian farming life.
Her unlikely literary adventure is proving that sometimes, the most inspiring stories are found in our own backyards – or in her case, among the sheep paddocks of rural NSW.
Catherine Rains’ books are available online. You can also keep up with her via Facebook and Instagram.
Original Article published by Edwina Mason on About Regional.
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