Click on images for background and research
Books and EssaysÂ
Alice A Tasmanian Story
Book Release in September 2026. 305 pages
This is a historical fiction based on the life of my great-grandaunt Alice Reeves, born in Tarraville, South Gippsland in 1857. Alice was the third of eleven children, daughter of ex-convict Thomas Reeves from Wiltshire, England and Orkney Island immigrant Annie Stevenson. Like all women of her era, Alice faced the privations and obstacles of life in colonial Australia. After her marriage, she lived in northern Tasmania, in fledgling communities that arose in the wake of new mineral discoveries, places predominantly populated by men. This was not an easy life by any means, but Alice never lost her desire to help those in need, and she became known as a compassionate, caring woman.
Published in 2017. 186 pages including 66 pages of references and appendices
This is a non-fiction story about my 3 x great-grandfather. Robert was born in Rochdale, Lancashire in 1815 and was working in the cotton mills at 9 years of age. In 1840, Robert migrated to Australia with his new wife Mary and 9 month old baby Jemima, where they began their new life in Melbourne in 1841 before moving out to the River Plenty. From small beginnings, Robert developed a successful career as a horticulturalist. The story traces the growth of the horticultural industry in Victoria, and its contribution to the Victorian and international exhibitions of the mid to late 1800s. The story details other historical events, such as Chartism, riots, bushrangers, the Black Thursday bushfires, the Victorian gold rush, fraud and a life-changing murder.
Robert Whatmough Pioneering Victorian Horticulturist
Joseph Rycroft (1819 - 1907)
Short work written in 2015. 58 pages including 19 pages of references and appendices.
Ring binding, clear cover
This is a non-fiction story about my 2 x great-grandfather. Born in Liverpool, England, in 1819, Joseph spent the first half of his life flouting the law, leading to his transportation for 7 years to Australia, where his misdemeanours continued unabated. Finally, aged 40, Joseph met the love of his life, Annie, aged 16, and set about turning his life around.
Short work written in 2015. 49 pages including 24 pages of references and appendices
Ring binding, clear cover
Richard Vippond (1804 - 1866)
This is a non-fiction story about my 4 x great-grandfather. Richard lived in three countries in his lifetime: Cork, Ireland where he was born; Cape Town, South Africa where he married and had his children; and Melbourne, Australia where he continued his trade as a jeweller. The Vippond story is one of both tragedy and resilience in the face of significant life challenges.
The Five Wives and Many Lives of George Lake Austin
Essay written in 2026, 15 pages
Stapled pagesÂ
This is a non-fiction story about the husband of my 2 x great-grandaunt, Jane Thompson. His claim to fame was bigamy, fraud and exceptional musical talent. Born in Devon, England, George migrated to Australia, and orchestrated a litany of offences, whilst marrying five times, moving constantly through the states of Victoria and New South Wales, and finishing his days in New Zealand. It was only through a gathering of news articles that this extraordinary story came to light.
Essay written in 2021. 21 pages
Stapled pagesÂ
Edward Thomas (1793 - 1855)
This is a non-fiction story about my 5 x great-grandfather. Edward was born about 1793 in Blackford, Somerset, England. Here he married and had 6 children, however his regular convictions of theft led to transportation for life to Australia. He was assigned to the Hunter’s River and Paterson regions in New South Wales but continued to have trouble with the law.