Rachel: brumby hunter, medicine woman, bushrangers’ ally and trouble maker for good….the remarkable pioneering life of Rachel Kennedy. Jeff McGill. 2022.

Rachel Kennedy was a colonial folk hero. Born in the wild and remote Warrumbungle mountains of western New South Wales in 1845, she was described by Duke Tritton  of The Bulletin as Australia’s greatest pioneer woman of them all.

Rachel caught brumbies, hid bushrangers, went to war with squatter kings, fed starving families during the shearing strikes, worked as a revered bush nurse and midwife, and fought for the underdog after observing the bitter experiences of the Chinese on the goldfields. She also built rare friendships with A original people, including a life-long relationship with her ‘sister’ Mary Jane Cain, a proud campaigner for the rights of her people.