“It’s here, in Gloucester, where I explore what it means to be an Aboriginal person today, what it means to be a farmer, and even what we mean when we say we are Australian,” the book’s early pages read.

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Josh was born in Gloucester where his parents grew up, and where both sets of grandparents lived their whole lives.

His parents later moved to Sydney where his mum was studying to become a school teacher.

When he was a young child Josh and his family moved to the town of Boorowa in the south west slopes of NSW, where he developed a fascination with agriculture and its impacts.

“I became enthralled in the world that surrounded the small town I grew up in, literally watching our local economy be built and thrive on the sheep’s back right in front of me,” Josh writes in the book’s introduction.

When he was ten the family moved to Bulahdelah, where he completed his schooling before heading to Newcastle University to study law and accounting.

As a child Josh was aware of his Aboriginal heritage, but it was not until high school that he really began to delve more deeply into Indigenous history, his family’s background and their connection to the land.

His interest was also increased when his father Andrew Gilbert became chair of the local Aboriginal Land Council.

In his fourth year of universityJosh attended a young farmers’ activity and had a light bulb moment where he realised that agriculture, rather than law, was the path for him.

He promptly dropped out of law school, however continued his accounting studies.

Josh is now a beef farmer and working towards his PhD in agriculture.

He is also undertaking studies in regenerative farming.

In his book Josh draws on his skills in agriculture and his knowledge of Indigenous history, particularly the impact of colonisation on his ancestors and the Aboriginal community more broadly, to develop an agricultural definition for Australia.

“Josh seeks to provide a new understanding that Australians, as a nation of farmers and land managers, need to develop our agricultural system into one where Indigenous and Western knowledge converge,” explains the publisher’s blurb.

“So that we can create a truly Australian agricultural yarn – one that we all build together.”

The book, published by Penguin, will hit bookshops on 27 May.

By John WATTS