Russ Talbot suffered an ABI (Acquired Brain Injury) as the result of surgery to remove a brain tumour in 1996. The effects of this were much like a stroke.

As a result he has some physical compromises, like poor balance and a speech impediment, but he is unaffected mentally.

A couple of years after his ABI he began writing.

Russ explains:

My voice has been the most alien thing about the new me to the old me—it just doesn’t fit with how I think of myself.

That's what led me to writing. When I write I can ‘play’ with words in a way that is denied to me now—my voice isn't adroit enough to articulate my thoughts. When I speak I tend to be purposeful and efficient, to make it as easy as possible for the listener and maximise my chances of being understood. When I write, I sound like me. Writing sets me free.

After his first visit to Broken Hill, Russ wrote about his experiences in "The Broken Hill Chronicles, Volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4"(!), which he emailed to his world-wide network of friends and readers. With his permission, we've reproduced them here.

Hugh

The Broken Hill Chronicles, Vol 2
Orientation

G’day all, and welcome back to Broken Hill!

Before we start, sit with me in my memory a moment. It’s Saturday morning, just after 9am, and we’re in Sturt Park.

On Monday it will be, relatively, noisy here as the new week kicks into gear. A street-sweeper will crawl along the kerb (unlike Unley’s little-man-with-a-moustache, Broken Hill’s is a large truck). Council-maintenance-workers driving a ride-on lawnmower and trailer will emerge like a short train from a shed-hole in the hill and choof off to a far corner. There will be traffic. Well, sort of. Occasionally there will be two cars on the road at the same time.