Top Rail Politician
Top Rail Politician
Top Rail Politician
Top Rail Politician
Top Rail Politician
Top Rail Politician
Top Rail Politician
Top Rail Politician

Chris Long's raw and honest poetry speaks truth to power, celebrating traditional Australian values in an age of forgotten sacrifice.

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About The Book

From the Author

In 1979, at just sixteen, I left home to explore the Australian bush and the characters that made it unique. The Australia I knew, shaped by Pioneers and Anzacs, bears little resemblance to today’s nation. Our strong sense of identity, belonging, and purpose has been eroded, while values like mateship, loyalty, and a fair go are overshadowed by political correctness and a loss of morality. Youth crime, unaffordable housing, and addiction are rampant, with little sympathy for those who still hold to the principles our forefathers embraced.

Once defined by hardship, resilience, and common sense, Australians have seen these traits undermined from the top down, with institutions like the police, schools, and courts losing their authority. My greatest supporters—Elderly, Veterans, and Bush Folk—have endured enough to recognize wisdom, and my poems reflect the Australia we were. I hold hope for a return to these values, but until then, I offer a few yarns from the Top Rail Politician. God bless Australia.

- Chris Long

Product Details

Publisher: Chris Long

Paperback: 122 pages

Dimensions: 14.8 x 21 cm

Publication Date: 2003

Paper Back Length

122 pages

No. of Poems & Stories

70

Dimensions

14.8 x 21 cm

Publication Date

2003

I wrote Top Rail Politician because, like so many Australians, I’m tired of seeing our country lose its heart. This book is a tribute to those who’ve given everything for Australia’s freedom—and a wake-up call for what’s at stake.

  • -Chris Long, Author

Imagine a Nation True to Its Legacy...

A return to an Australia where values mean something.

Your children and grandchildren grow up in an Australia that honours its past while building their future.

Politicians who remember they serve the people, not multinational corporations.

See an Australia where justice is fair, strong, and protective of everyone’s rights

Chris' Poems Have Been Recognised By Readers Like You...

Let customers speak for us

from 69 reviews
top rail politician

I really enjoyed this book and I bet only one percent of all politicians will read it 👍 🍺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

Gene Mawer
Top Rail Politician
Top Rail Politician: “A great read”

I found this book incredibly hard to put down. The stories and poetry, drawn from the author’s life in the Top End of Australia, are both heartfelt and captivating. Each page offers a window into the lives of Chris, his family, and friends—their journeys, struggles, and the deep connections they share with the land and each other. The blend of personal anecdotes and poetic reflections creates a vivid, authentic portrait of life in the outback. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Australian life, storytelling, and the enduring strength of community and family.

Jim Simpson
Top Rail Politician
Only just started

Only just dipped my big toe in but already have the feeling “it’s a great read”

Wendy
Top Rail Politician

Top Rail Politician is a thought provoking book of poems and short stories. Fair Dinkum Aussies will love this book.

Barry Kochevatkin
Top Rail Politician
Book Top Rail Politician

I purchased this book as a birthday present have just glanced through it and love the poetry, which I am hoping my Husband will love also

Denise Smallwood
Top Rail Politician

Great, have given 2 for gifts, loved it, memories!

Beth Harrington
Top Rail Politician
Thoroughly enjoyed

I recently went away on a week caravan trip and finally got the chance to read your book. I thoroughly enjoyed the poems and short stories.

Paul Bergin
Top Rail Politician
Brian's Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed the read. Chris's background enables him to write from experience that brings his poetry to life. The character depictions are excellent as are those of the locations about which he writes. I have spent time in my early working days in western Queensland on a sheep station and can relate to his descriptive work. Also in my hydrographic work in North Queensland in the early 70s I understand his love of those times there and I was well aware of the value of the famous Bush Pilots that his father was involved in with. Well done Chris. Brian Russell.

Brian Russell
Top Rail Politician

Excellent wanted to pass on our history as it should be bought for my 3 daughters to pass on to their children well done thanks john

john Butler
Top Rail Politician

only just got it havent read yet.

Alan Dickson
Top Rail Politician
Great read

This is a true blue fair dinkum Aussie book of poetry and yarns reminiscent of Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson and in my opinion Chris Long is right up there with them!

Linda Cusack
Top Rail Politician
Top rail politicians

I have enjoyed the book so far, fantastic, well put together and sad in some

Tess Leckie
Top Rail Politician
Great Aussie poetry.

Have not read all the stories as yet but love the poetry.

Annette Holmes
Top Rail Politician

What I have read of the book since I have received my copy is fantastic and brings back memories of talking to some of the old fellas at the RSL from my younger days ,

raymond Hurley
Top Rail Politician
top railpolitician

great stories of the australia i know and grew up in

maryanne delost
Top Rail Politician

By Service Men...

And Received Multiple Awards And Recognition...

I was born in Brisbane in 1963, the second eldest of seven kids, growing up with a deep appreciation for mateship and the hard work that defines our Aussie identity. From an early age, I was drawn to adventure, spending countless hours exploring the bush on horseback. I learned to ride bareback like an Indian and was already a skilled horseman by the time I left home at sixteen to work on cattle stations in Queensland. Those years in the outback taught me resilience, character, and a work ethic that’s hard to come by today.

It was there, among the cattle and the rugged landscape, that I first found my love for bush poetry, listening to the verses recited by true bushmen who understood the land.

At nineteen, I joined the Queensland Police Force and spent the next decade seeing life from a new angle. I served in North Queensland and spent two adventurous years in the Torres Straits

Those years showed me another side of life, one where I encountered both the best and worst of human nature.

During that time, I had the privilege of training with Sensei Matsumoto, a Japanese Marine Biologist and pioneer of Australian Karate. He became a strong mentor, and even forty years later, I’m still practicing karate and own my own dojo in Cairns. Teaching and training in martial arts taught me the value of discipline, both mental and physical, which has served me well through the years.

After my police service, I felt the pull of a new adventure and decided to pursue bush flying. I trained as a commercial pilot, flying light aircraft over the remote reaches of North Queensland, landing on rugged beaches and navigating the challenging terrains.

One of my most memorable experiences was circumnavigating Australia with a friend in 1992, an adventure that brought plenty of close shaves and humorous stories that I still tell today. I’ve never been one to settle for a quiet life, and this chapter was one of the most thrilling, satisfying my need for challenge and deepening my respect for the vast, wild land of Australia.

Alongside these adventures, I took on other roles to provide for my family. I worked in armed security, ran a pottery studio, invested in real estate, and became a father to three boys. I’ve always believed in sharing what I’ve learned, which led me to my current role as a life mentor and driving instructor in a Community Development Program. 

This position allows me to pass on the values of strength, integrity, and common sense to young people who are searching for direction or struggling with life’s challenges.

My family heritage is steeped in Anzac and pioneering history. My father, Pat Long OAM, was a pioneer of the Australian Helicopter Industry and was largely responsible for founding the heli-mustering industry. My uncles, grandfathers, and great-uncles served in nearly every major Australian battle, and some paid the ultimate price for their country. 

These family stories of courage and sacrifice fuel my writing and give me a strong sense of duty to preserve our Australian identity.

Now, in my sixties, I feel a renewed calling to share these stories. Times have changed, and I see values slipping away, with big social issues taking root, like youth crime and a generation being let down by those in power. Writing has always been a way for me to express what matters, and I see it now as a way to pass down the culture, strength, and resilience that make us uniquely Australian. 

Through my poems and stories, I hope to remind readers of what we stand for, where we came from, and what we must protect for future generations.

  • -Chris Long, Author

What Customers Are Saying...

Customer Reviews

Based on 60 reviews
90%
(54)
8%
(5)
2%
(1)
0%
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0%
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98.3
100.0
G
Gene Mawer
top rail politician

I really enjoyed this book and I bet only one percent of all politicians will read it 👍 🍺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

J
John cornelius
top rail politician

very good i found it intersting o.k. john c.

J
Jim Simpson
Top Rail Politician: “A great read”

I found this book incredibly hard to put down. The stories and poetry, drawn from the author’s life in the Top End of Australia, are both heartfelt and captivating. Each page offers a window into the lives of Chris, his family, and friends—their journeys, struggles, and the deep connections they share with the land and each other. The blend of personal anecdotes and poetic reflections creates a vivid, authentic portrait of life in the outback. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Australian life, storytelling, and the enduring strength of community and family.

W
Wendy
Only just started

Only just dipped my big toe in but already have the feeling “it’s a great read”

B
Barry Kochevatkin

Top Rail Politician is a thought provoking book of poems and short stories. Fair Dinkum Aussies will love this book.

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