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Writer's pictureDK Marley

A Sprawling Tale of Australian Convicts - an Editorial Review of "Dancing to Her Own Tune"

Author Bio:



SHEILA HUNTER, of Avoca Beach 1924 - 2002


Sheila was born in 1924 to Murdoch and Mabel McDonald, Engineer, in Ngakawau in New Zealand. Her parents were Australian originating from Ballarat in Victoria. She was the youngest of the four children who all born in New Zealand. When aged three, her family moved back to Australia, to Canberra, where they lived in Ainsley. Her father worked as a Engineer on road building in the City. Over they years the moved many times following her father's work wherever it went, Perth, Yanchep, and many places in Melbourne. It was when here, when she was 13, that her father moved back to New Zealand to be with his first two children from an earlier marriage.

There was of course, no widows pensions or similar like today and so to make ends meet, she and her brothers helped her mother run a service station, which was the dockland area in Melbourne. She attended Strathearn School and later PLC Melbourne, leaving after her intermediate Certificate. She worked through the war and depression at the service Station, carting coal bags and doing heavy the labour of a man! She learnt a lot about cars and during this time, became the first woman in the Melbourne Light Car Club, a thing previously unheard of! She was navigator for rally cross drivers and her team won their share of races. When in 1947 her mother moved to NSW and in 1948, Sheila, at 23, was now able to fulfil her dream by training to be a nurse. Her family had always treated her as dumb, as school work had definitely not been her forté. I was not expected that her dream of being a nurse was going to be able to be achieved, but she excelled. She trained at the Alfred Hospital and then went on to work at the "Queen Vic", she graduated and gained certificates. In about 1951 she moved to NSW and worked in The Royal Hospital for Women (known as "the Royal"), then to the Tresillian at Vaucluse (her 3rd Certificate) and then late 1953 and she moved in with her mother again next door to her sister, Judy Tudor, in Avoca Beach and she worked at "Roma Hospital" in East Gosford.

At this time she had heard about Norman Hunter but had only seen him a few times from a distance. In 1955 Norman (now 51) and Sheila (now 31) Hunter were married at St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney. Sheila's life has turned around. No more nursing, but motherhood and local village care as resident district nurse, although this was unofficial, she was called out on many occasions until 1966 when Avoca had its own Doctor in the "New Shops" as they were called.

After marrying Norman, Sheila took on many complimentary positions in the community, i.e Secretary of the Liberal Party Branch, Secretary of the inaugural Red Cross Club. Convener of the inaugural 4H Club (like Junior farmers) and Local Girl Guide Commissioner for 4 years from 1967 and with Mr Peter Patton, was responsible for getting the local Scout/Guide Club built, Inaugural Vice President of the Bowling Club in Avoca. Sheila also followed Norman in to functions at their local Anglican Church. She became the President of the Women's Guild for over 20 years, and when this was abolished in the '80's she then became inaugural President of the Church Fellowship, which she has again been voted into. She in also involved in many of the Church Groups including a Carer's group, which is helping elderly and shut-in's and their carer's (including herself!), Norman at 94 needed full time care and she faithfully took on this role while her strength and breath lasted, he died just weeks short of his 96th birthday. She was passionate about history and their family history, and occasionally combining the two and putting pen to paper writing novels loosely based around one or other lines of the family stories.

Sheila died aged 2 days short of 78. Up until 74 years of age, she was still heavily involved with the Community and also family life, she was still a well known and very well loved figure in the Village. She was also involved in assisting the setting up of the Rumbalara Environmental Centre in Gosford, hand drawing insects and their life cycles for posters for children to study. She found life a challenge and gave her entire life to the help and care of others, not holding back for herself but giving and giving.

In 2000 she was one of the 20 NSW Australian recipients for the Year of the Senior Citizen Award for services to the Community.

Sheila left me her mostly finished manuscripts 2 years before she died and it has been a labor of love to finish them and have them published. She wrote 3 period novels - set in the Early Australian colony of 1840 to 1860's. She also wrote a children's novel and mostly finished her biography, which I hope to also publish when completed.

Sheila's Facebook page can be found at:- https://www.facebook.com/Sheila-Hunter-841584135879644/timeline/



SARA POWTER worked with her mother, Sheila Hunter doing their family history. Through this research, they discovered many wonderful Australian Colonial stories from the four Convicts they found in their tree. Sheila thought the stories were too good to forget so penned an Australian Colonial Trilogy, which, after Sheila's death in 2002, Sara had printed.

Sara now continues the retelling. Weaving fact with fiction, to tell of the amazing and intrepid souls who worked together to make our wonderful country the fabulous place it is today. The convicts turned adversity to advantage! Stolen from the arms of loved ones in England. They worked and were rewarded with 'Tickets Of Leave', each becoming some of Parramatta's and Emu Plains’ leading citizens. Like many of the untold convict stories, there was often faith behind them. Their strong Christian Faith was taught to each generation.

She writes “Over 200 years have passed since the first arrival of our family on this beautiful but rugged shore. Each day I come to love it more. Lee Kernaghan’s song "The Odyssey" sums it up! This country's got a hold on me! I will never regret that they came as convicts! I'm proud of that!” They were ripped from their loving families arms, never to return. Most were sent for very petty crimes. It made them strong and resilient, but also determined to do the best they can for their family!

The retelling of Charles and Sal's story mirrors John Ellison's and Sarah Watkins story. They were my GG Grandparents along with Joseph Huff and Amelia Harlow. They regularly attended St John's church in Parramatta. Without their faith and example of Christian love, their own children and grandchildren may have followed different paths.

Sara is married to Stephen Powter. They have two grown children. Stephen an Anglican Minster, is recently retired. She loves to fish and he to surf, so you may well see them travelling up and down the Pacific Coast of the Eastern States of Australia, in an old caravan with rods and Surfboards boards under their 50 year old tinny! They live on the Central Coast of NSW.



Book Buy Link:


Editorial Review:


“Sam, I dance to my own tune. I live my life by my own rules, and I make the best of what I have. I live each day as it comes, and I love what I have.”


This is a book for the ages... and a winding tale matching the sprawling landscape of Australia. During the late 18th century, scores of convicts were sent to the land down under to serve their terms, far away from their former life in England. Annie White, a servant at a grand estate in England, finds herself attached to the former Lord in a tempestuous love affair and subject to the jealous rage of the Lord's wife, who accuses her of thievery. Annie is sent to Australia under the care of another mistress to serve out her term. After seven years of servitude, she is released and begins a new life in the young town of Sydney. Upon arrival at a boarding house and trying to figure out her next move forward, she receives a visit from a man from England who, ultimately, brings much change to her life. His uncle, her former lover, left her a bequest to help her rebuild her life, and she begins life anew with a small cottage. She decided to start a food bakery. Before long, the queue outside her tiny shop window is long, and her past life as a convict is receding. Before long, she meets a very ill Sam Corbett, another freed convict who also served out his sentence in Australia for theft, and the two of them connect on a deep level, after Annie nurses him back to health. He has suffered much hardship in his servitude and his spirit is crushed. Together, they settle into a daily routine, with Sam living in the shed behind the house and helping out with the gardening and other matters around the house. The novel then settles into a daily rendition of normal activities throughout much of the chapters until Sam and Annie decide to make a go of their relationship they marry. After a year she realises she is pregnant.


Again, the imagery of the rambling landscape of Australia sets the mood for this epic story of two people trying to rebuild their lives after false accusations and finding answers to the questions in the back of their minds. Not only that but finding a sense of spirituality, of forgiveness, not only from others but for themselves. But, the past comes back to haunt them, not only in having to face their accusers but also facing the reality of who they really are and how that news will change their very life... not to mention change the life of their son, who has grown up in Australia, married and has children of his own. They have never seen the shores of England. And yet, when secrets are revealed about Sam's true identity, their son and his family leave for England for a vast estate. Ultimately, even Sam and Annie find their way back to that long lost land and discover things about themselves they never knew.


The secrets revealed of their pasts change everything that they thought they held dear in Australia. Mrs Powter is to be commended for taking her mother's unfinished novel and taking up the reins to finish this story. In reading about their story, these two amateur genealogists, who discovered their own family history involving Australian convicts, Sheila Hunter, started this novel. They adapted some of their own history into the storyline, but in 2002 Sheila passed, and her daughter subsequently completed the story, which pays homage to her mother's storytelling ability.


For the most part, “Dancing to Her Own Tune” is an interesting concept in taking the lives of two convicts on a “Cinderella” type ride, from poverty to riches; and yet, the narrative, at times, dragged on as if you were on a wagon riding through the Australian outback going from one station to the next... endless hours passing by in day to day activities and conversations. From a reader's standpoint, the introduction of the stranger, Tim, at the boarding house and the sudden thrust of money, a cottage, and means of living upon Annie without the backstory of “why” initially left me confused. It is explained later, but I almost wished for more of an explanation at the outset since, for quite a while I could not figure out the relationship between Annie and Tim and her mysterious former lover back in England.


However, that being said, the story continued on, with many of the initial questions answered, and as the characters and storyline developed deeper into the last third of the book, a better understanding developed as well into what made these characters act and think. I think this next quote says it all:


“Watmore had only taught religion; Hugh taught faith and forgiveness. The history of their births had nothing to do with how God saw them. They were both born innocent, as was every other child. Yet they paid the price of their parents' infidelity, and still, God had protected and brought them together to discover such a godly love for each other that they drew others to them to share it.”


****


“Dancing to Her Own Tune” by Sheila Hunter and Sara Powter receives FOUR STARS from The Historical Fiction Company.


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