THE DAY MY LIFE BEGAN

It wasn't at birth. Nope. Don't get me wrong - I had a great childhood, a very unique one and my life up to recently has been OK. Not great, not bad. I've had my ups and downs like everyone the world over. But I feel that my life really DID begin only a few years ago. I awoke one morning with my epiphany - I suddenly realised that I had to get my father's book published.

'The Sawers From Pitcairn' traces the lives of the first of our ancestors to move from our seat in Scotland out to Australia, their employment on various sheep and cattle stations in New South Wales and South Australia, finishing with a detailed and indepth look at recent years and life on the station which remains in our family today. Dad had literally finished writing the manuscript weeks prior to his death in 1993. In the ensuing years the manuscript and pile of accompanying documents and photos passed back and forth between his four children with the hope that one of us might finally have it published.

When it landed in my hands for the umpteenth time shortly before that particular birthday I initially reacted in the same way - OK - who to hand it onto next? But THEN I woke on that birthday - with my epiphany - I KNEW I had to get it published and out there. I am still trying to work out exactly WHY I felt that way so suddenly. Maybe it had something to do with my Mum's advancing age (late 80s) but she was as strong as a mule (is that the right saying? And admittedly she was also the world's leader in hiding any minor problems like health issues). But I was suddenly faced with my epiphany - I had to do something I have ALWAYS wanted to do, but never known how to. Have a book published. That just might have been enough to put me off if not for the memory of Dad's sheer passion for his writing, ancestry and the outback of Australia which kept nagging at me - coupled with the knowledge of Mum's pride in Dad's efforts but not seeing it come to fruition - that DID it. But - again - how? Seriously. HOW do you publish books??? Good old Google to the rescue. 'Surfing the net' (I like these sayings - if they are right...) I eventually found a self-publishing business that offered precisely what I was looking for. Full steam ahead. No stopping this writer now.

Dad's book was published exactly a week after Mum died in 2010. Darn. Missed by a week. However I was and still am assured that she knew that something had finally been done and that made her a happy woman at point of death - well, OK, as happy as anyone can be when facing their passing.

This was my epiphany and the catalyst for my writing. It is absolutely in my blood and I am following a lifelong dream of writing and publishing books. Next off the rank was one about bullying - once published I then combined my writing with another lifelong passion which I shared with Dad - an intense love for the outback of Australia. My book on stations is a work in progress.

As I say, my life really did begin on that birthday. I am just so passionate about all that I am doing now. I am very happily married (we have just celebrated 30 years), have two successful adult daughters, work full time for a dietitian and love that, am writing to my heart's content and cannot get enough. I am meeting the most wonderful and inspiration people on this road. I am also working very hard and passionately on two causes: I am fighting bullying. I am a past victim of this (having been raised in the outback my primary education was provided by School of the Air followed by six nightmare years at boarding school - a pure nightmare because I was bullied 24/7) as were both my daughters, my husband and far too many others. I am now fighting the government of Australia, gaining support along the way, doing media interviews about it and about to start writing for select magazines which cater for young people. My other cause which I am equally passionate about is encouraging our wonderful elderly to talk about their lives, have their histories/stories/memoirs recorded before they pass on and these are lost forever.

OK, enough of me.

Let me just summarise in saying that I have turned my life around. I couldn't love life more. I have the odd set back but nothing that I cannot get around - upward and onward. LIFE IS TERRIFIC. THE SKY REALLY IS THE LIMIT.

Thank you.