How much do you know about bushrangers? How many can you name – and how many of them are men? When we think of bushrangers, the same names tend to surface, yet few ever consider figures like Jessie Hickman. If you’ve never encountered Jessie before, The Legend of Jessie Hickman brings her vividly to life.
From her early days performing in a circus to her years roaming the bush, Jessie became a striking and underestimated figure. A skilled sharpshooter with a fearsome reputation in the stockyards, she built a legend through daring feats and her uncanny ability to evade police. Despite the impact she made in her own time, she remains little known today.
Stories like Jessie’s broaden our understanding of Australian history and the many roles people have played in shaping it. Exploring why someone lived the life they did – and how their world influenced them, from Jessie’s post-circus years to the era after World War I – enriches our sense of the past. Social history and personal stories give depth and texture to our national story, and Jessie’s is one that reminds us just how much there still is to discover.
Reviewed by Ashleigh Meikle
Age Guide 5+
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