JUMPING HURDLES Rehabilitation, Reconnection and Catherine Scott’s BackTrack Boys
As the screen fades in from black in the opening of Catherine Scott’s BackTrack Boys (2018), Bernie Shakeshaft emerges as the calm centre of a storm of activity, surrounded by his mongrel mix of kelpies and border collies. The pack, working dogs in the truest sense, are a joy to behold – full of energy and joy, and always ready for a cuddle. Leading them out into the paddocks, Shakeshaft appears relaxed and confident as he directs his animals with quiet, one-word commands. Though simple, it’s an opener full of metaphorical meaning about Shakeshaft and the work he does with his youth program, BackTrack, which helps young people mostly aged twelve to eighteen when others have given up on them: teenagers who are homeless, struggling with addiction, disengaged from traditional schooling and often in trouble with the law. Here, too, Shakeshaft acts as a source of calm and consistency – but this time, for kids who may have never known anything other than lives in constant turmoil.
The underlying concept behind BackTrack originated during Shakeshaft’s time as a jackaroo in the Northern Territory, where he learned the art of catching dingoes from a group of Aboriginal elders. In the film, he reflectsanimal had been to anticipate where it would appear in future. As Shakeshaft muses:
