We Are the Stars

Gina Chick will be known to many as the woman who spent 67 days alone in the wilds of Tasmania in the first series of SBS’s Alone Australia. Initially Gina came across as a wild, muddy, crazy hippie who sang to a platypus and spoke to trees. As the series progressed and other contestants flagged and fell, and as she caught a wallaby with her bare hands, cooked and ate it, we realised this woman belonged out there.

As the granddaughter of Charmian Clift and daughter of Suzanne Chick, Gina has the talent for writing in her genes. We Are the Stars is a memoir of Gina’s life so far. She had a free-range upbringing, bare feet, running wild, a house filled with animals, books, music and family. At school Gina was a misfit, but nature was her refuge.

In her late 30s, Gina met Lee, fell pregnant and then discovered she had a breast cancer that was fuelled by oestrogen. Doctors advised that pregnancy would aggravate the cancer and possibly kill her. Gina researched and made decisions. She held off on the chemo for as long as she could, her cancer was cured and their healthy baby Blaise was born.

Blaise lived a short three years, dying from neuroblastoma. The way Gina describes going with Lee to deliver their baby to the morgue is desperately sad, strangely beautiful and unforgettable.

Being sceptical of both reality TV and overtly mystical people, it was a surprise to fall for this smart, genuine, powerful woman with an extraordinary life story and a huge talent for telling it. Gina Chick has left me wondering if there just might be something out there that is greater than all of us.