From Whence They Came

Project Brief

Joan wanted the main threads and loose ends of her family’s not too distant past to be brought together so her family could know about ‘our people’. Joan was keen for me to go back to those key family figures from both parent’s sides who left Ireland and England and then to tell the story of how life progressed for them in rural Victoria until Joan and her sister, Patricia, came into the world. She also wanted to document her father’s life up until and beyond the tragedy, with its consequences reverberating through the generations. Joan then told the story of her life. She thought it important for her family to know that “I have struggled over the years and have had an up and down life. Nothing to whine about. It was all an experience and part of living. To lose so many people in my lifetime – from being a sickly little asthmatic child to the last one standing has just amazed me.” That time period, over eighty years and with so much that happened, was my brief to tell. This was done through some research and interviews with Joan and family members with experiences and insights into, and behind, many a family story.

From the Client

Joan Cameron

“I am happy with the whole thing – just fabulous. What Simon has done for me is like a miracle – being able to give my children and grandchildren and some cousins a copy of the book. I have left them all something to think about. No-one had done it in our family and families should do it for those who are coming next. My family are thrilled with it. It will go on for generations and generations. It was beautifully done.”