 Carol Heuchan (pronounced 'Hugh Can') was born in the heart of Sydney - but right from the start, animals, especially horses, were her magnet. From nine years old she worked at Riding Schools on weekends and all the school holidays escaping to the bush at every opportunity. Carol even knocked back a University Scholarship to go to work to support her passion, horses. By the age of fifteen, she had lay-byed her horse and paid it off over two years by collecting and selling bottles.
Carol commenced her career as a registration clerk in a solicitor’s office while she managed to hold her own in the fiercely competitive world of Show Horses, turning 'rejects' into stars and competing at every Royal Easter Show (thirty-four of them in all!)
After marrying in 1967, she lived at Mulgoa, on her own acreage at last, and Joshua, the pride of her life was born in 1971. Four years later, the family moved to Cooma and lived in a cottage on a large sheep, cattle and horse property, Carol in her element. They bought a little place in Nimmitabel. The boys skied, Carol rode and had a horse column in the Monaro Times and wrote Cryptic Crosswords for them for several years. After a marriage breakup, Carol and her son moved up to Central Coast/Hunter Region. In 2003 time came to consider retirement from competitive riding. Unwilling to ride at a lesser level and finding it too demanding physically and financially to continue alone any longer, she had started to 'unwind' just as the poetry 'fell into her lap.'
It wasn't until her first book 'Horseplay' was published and friends took her to Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2003, that she even saw a Bush Poetry Competition. Carol’s poetry started of course with horse poems and in this field, she excels. But her work runs the gamut of hilarious, quirky, contemporary, political, reflective, impacting, historical and moving ballads right through to sheer nonsense!
In 2004, Carol won the richest prize in poetry history - a Case JX55 Tractor valued at $34,000.00! She has made a huge impact on the Australian Poetry Scene, amassing award after award for performing, writing and recorded works. Three top selling books to date, two award winning CD's and five Australian Bush Laureate awards are to her credit, including 'Performer of the Year'. At the Australian Bush Poetry Championships at Bray Park in Queensland, 2008, she retained her title against a strong field. She is rapt in the whole scenario and continues to work tirelessly in the pursuit of excellence in all fields.
Carol has tremendous appeal to a wide range of audiences. Carol travels extensively to a variety of functions from intimate gatherings to schools to special functions and fundraisers large and small, variety concerts, 'niche' entertainment to the biggest Folk Festivals and Country Music Festivals throughout Australia. She is also comperes at functions, festivals and competitions.
Carol Heuchan's poem The Last Pit Pony
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