Japara

A story about a man who changed his life. Supported by the legends of the Australian aborigines and a remarkable woman. Reaching for the stars to discover the true meaning of courage, Robert Richards chief astronomer at Mount Stromlo observatory, Canberra is suffering a life crisis when he meets Rebecca Jones an optical lens engineer and artist. Robert has suffered a very turbulent past and has difficulties getting his life on line. He grew up with a strong contact to the Australian aborigines and two of his best friends Wootara and Birribirri are aborigines too. As an adolescent he experiences for the first time the Brolga dance a dance that leads the dancer into the Dreamtime where it is possible to change something burdening you in your life. He does not complete the ritual. Through his relationship to Rebecca and the tragic death of his best friend Wootara he learns more about his personality and personal challenges but still remains caught up in his tragic past. He takes his life in his own hands for the first time during a major bushfire that destroyed large parts of the Australian Capital Territory including his place of work, Mount Stromlo observatory. He discovers courage and the power to survive rescuing Rebecca and 3 co-workers from the flaming inferno. He himself becomes severly injured and falls into a coma. But the change process does not end here. He enters the Dreamtime to complete the Brolga dance and experiences a healing process supported by the legends of the Aborigines and Yarrabindi the girl with nine toes that will change his life forever. But this is not the only life that changes in this book. A book full of surprises, excitement and ancient wisdom.