1995, 17 mins, documentary, Hi-8  

Director: Angelo Salamanca     
A monologue by Tracey Mahood

St. Kilda Film Festival 1996

Synopsis

Tracey Mahood felt the call of the desert at the tender age of five and soon after was castrating cattle. Jillarooing in Australia’s north focuses the mind and body. Growing up in the desert puts you in tune with spirituality.

Years after, Tracey left the familiar world of outback Australia and travelled to Central America as a freelance journalist keen to report the mayhem in El Salvador.

Here there were no such things as “heroes” and “cowards” – only instances of heroism and instances of cowardice.

Tracey had firsthand experience in guerrilla war in the troubled country. She was literally caught up in the cross-fire and her memories of those events are vivid and haunting.

Tracey’s account of her life in both Australia’s outback and in El Salvador has passion with prejudice, conviction with bias.

Tales from Afar makes us privy to recollections bursting with colour and joy but also darkness and sadness. It is gripping story-telling.