Dreamtime Cowboy

Dreamtime Cowboy is a rare, intimate audio biography unlike anything you've heard before — a powerful blend of bushcraft, ancient Dreamtime knowledge, lived poetry, and raw Australiana. It’s the real-life story of 89 year old Aboriginal Australian elder Francis Firebrace - recognised as an international ambassador for indigenous Australian culture, art and story. Francis’ life began in hiding. With a white mother and an Aboriginal father, his very existence defied the laws and racial taboos of 1930s Australia — a time when Aboriginal people were still classified under the Flora and Fauna Act. His family fled society on horseback, surviving in the Australian bush for years. His Aboriginal father’s deep bush knowledge kept them alive. As a child, Francis thought the world ended at the riverbank — until he saw a chaotic crowd of Depression-era white settlers camped in tents and thought, “I never imagined that many people existed.” From outback isolation to inner-city racism, from cowboy droving to international acclaim, Dreamtime Cowboy charts Francis’ breathtaking odyssey. You'll hear how a small-town police constable taught a bullied boy to box, how Francis became a real-life stockman just like the Lone Ranger cowboy whose comics he had so adored as a child. Francis finally went from the saddle to become Australia's first Aboriginal filmmaker to win the Moomba International Film Festival — all while hiding his heritage to survive. But the journey doesn’t stop there. Following personal tragedy, Francis withdrew from society and began a spiritual reawakening. Embracing the sacred teachings of the Dreamtime, he re-emerged as a cultural ambassador, artist, storyteller, and educator. His voice would go on to echo in schools, universities, embassies, townships, and palaces. His paintings adorned Australia House. His image appeared on stamps in both the UK and Australia. He stood as a mascot for the Olympic Games, spoke at the 250,000-strong Sydney Harbour Reconciliation