Grace McClure
MY CHILDHOOD

I was raised on an outback isolated sheep and cattle station in far Western New South Wales; it certainly was a far cry from the perceived glamour and bright lights of the entertainment industry.

I was the youngest of five daughters and being the only girls we were left with no choice but to take on all the traditionally male roles on the station. We had a lot of fun and worked hard at everything from mustering sheep and cattle, to digging trenches, riding motorbikes and (as far fetched as it sounds!!) actually having to kill the venomous snakes which would sleep on our doorsteps in the summer. As our closest town was eighty kilometres away we were educated via "School Of The Air." This required us to attend one, half-hour lesson talking on transceiver radio with other isolated children each day, and complete the remainder of our studies by post.

It was a beautiful, unique and valuable childhood which taught me to have a go at anything, gave me an ongoing love of nature and taught me the value of determination, hard work and most importantly to never, ever give up. I love the outback, the mateship, the real people, their values and the entire lifestyle of the country.

For me, it is certainly true that you might take the girl out of the country, but you will never take the country out of the girl. After primary school I attended Pembroke School in Adelaide which I absoloutely adored and eventually achieved a NSW equivalent TER of 97.3. Drama was my main interest at school and ever since I can remember, I have dreamed of being an actress and TV presenter. .