Paula Heelan - Outback Governesses

Grateful thanks to the teachers, governesses and home tutors in this book for their generous time, patience and sharing of stories. Thanks also to my cherished network of rural and remote friends and contacts for leading me to these exceptional people.

Big thanks to associate publisher Jo Mackay. This book is number three in twelve months. Only Jo could foresee this actually happening and thanks to her encouragement and guidance, it did.

I thank the Harlequin team for its constant support in the multi-layered process of crafting a book. To editors Alex Craig and Annabel Blay for their expert advice and guidance. And to my family, particularly Peter and Ali, for tolerating my absences and allowing me the freedom to write.

Also by Paula Heelan

Australian Midwives

An Outback Life

1. Samantha Cobb, Mellaluka Station, Clermont, Central Queensland

One of four sisters, Sam grew up on a cattle property near Clermont in Central Queensland. Without a nearby school, the sisters were home tutored by their very capable mother and qualified teacher, Raye OSullivan. A competent stockwoman, Sams childhood is filled with memories of life and work on the station. Sam now lives on a cattle property north of Clermont with her husband Bruce, and their two children, Tom and Josie. The children are now at boarding school. When they were learning through Distance Education, Sam usually taught them for the first school term of each year, so she could knowledgeably pass on the reins to a governess. Expressive, funny and dedicated to her life on the land, Sam has an abundance of hilarious, jaw-dropping stories with many involving the employment of governesses.

2. Frances Frahn, Holowiliena Station, Flinders Ranges, South Australia

Frances Frahn grew up on a Merino sheep station on the eastern edge of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia where a governess taught her and her two sisters. On completing secondary school, Frances began work as a governess. Her first job was at a station near Ivanhoe in New South Wales. The family hadnt had a governess before and it was a learning curve for everyone. Feeling quite isolated, Frances worked hard, in and out of the schoolroom. She later moved to another station where she was not just a worker, but part of a family she felt more at home with. After that, she accepted a position as an au pair in Germany and later, in Belgium. Frances spent two eye-opening years working overseas for two wealthy families before returning to Australia. Realising she had a flair for languages, Frances planned to visit home, earn some money and return to a German university to study. However, talked into working a short stint as a governess back in South Australia with a wonderful family on a sheep station, she met her future husband and contract shearer, Luke Frahn, and her life took a new direction. The two travelled abroad together with Frances going along as a roustabout while Luke sheared. On their return and after some time working on a station, they returned to Francess family property to work for her father. Luke and Frances now run Holowiliena Station, have two children and employ a governess.

3. Brett and Ceridwen Cameron, Kimberley Region, Western Australia

Looking for an adventure, teachers Brett and Ceridwen Cameron left the small town of Harvey in Western Australia and flew into Kalumburu, a remote Indigenous community in the states northernmost settlement in the Kimberley wilderness. Aware the posting wouldnt be easy due to a high level of dysfunction in the community, the two embraced the challenges. When Brett walked into the classroom on his first day a sea of young faces looked at him blankly. He could feel the massive cultural divide and wondered how he would make a connection with his students. It took a while for them to get to know and trust Brett and for him to get to know them. Bretts job was essentially to teach the children Standard Australian English, while not diminishing the importance of the traditional language. Brett grappled with that philosophy of Im a white, middle-class man in someone elses territory and in another culture, telling them how to speak correctly. But it was about trying to give the kids enough numeracy and literacy to get by beyond school. One year later, Brett and Ceridwen moved to the more settled Indigenous community, Bidyadanga, south of Broome, and loving it from day one, stayed for seven years.

4. Kate McMaster, Gemtree, Plenty Highway, Northern Territory

Kate McMaster, mother to three boys, was born to teach. Raised on a remote Northern Territory cattle station and a fourth generation Centralian, Kate was spellbound by her own mothers home tutoring skills and remembers how her heart thumped with excitement when, like Mary Poppins, her School of the Air teacher flew in to her station for a home visit. Following high school Kate took a gap year to work as a governess and following university took her first teaching position in a remote community. Kates astonishing teaching career and life has seen her work in many small schools in rural and remote areas. In New Zealand Kate met and married Aaron and later the two returned to manage her parents tourist park along the Plenty Highway, north-east of Alice Springs. With a severely disabled son, Will, Kate has faced some difficult times. In spite of many obstacles, over the years she has held principal jobs, specialist-teaching positions, created and managed effective training programs for Indigenous students, home tutored her boys and now Kate teaches at a small school in Alice Springs. Her devotion to her family and her work as she determinedly juggles commuting, caring, teaching and helping Aaron run the tourist park is extraordinary.

5. Ainsley McArthur, Mystery Park, St Lawrence, Central Queensland

Ainsley McArthur grew up on a large cattle station in North Queensland with three siblings and was home tutored by her mother. When Ainsley was in her early twenties, and with a small baby in tow, she took the reins from her grandfather to manage and expand her familys beef feedlot. A high achiever and hard worker, Ainsley turned the business around. When she met her husband, Rob, she moved to his family property in Central Queensland and they had five children. Now an experienced home tutor with four children still in the classroom, Ainsley is passionate about life on the land and educating her children. At times the McArthurs family life appears a little like a military operation but with cattle, horses, pigs, chickens, dogs, a serious vegetable garden and home-schooling to attend to, being well organised is essential. All this is combined with embracing lifes simple pleasures and a great deal of joy, laughter and happiness.

6. Annie McArthur, Roma, Central West Queensland

Annie McArthur has taught in some of Australias most remote places. With her first teaching post in Cairns, she later moved to Cloncurry in North West Queensland to teach. Here she met and married station manager Jim Titmarsh. Jim and Annie have lived on several vast cattle stations with Annie finding work as a teacher in nearby communities as well as helping out on stations. Annie has taught in small schools in Dajarra, Rockhampton Downs, Newcastle Waters, Epenarra, Borroloola and the Lake Nash community, Alpurrurulam. She now teaches music at two small schools at Mitchell and Wallumbilla in Central Queensland.

7. Ellie Morton, Yathonga Station, Louth, Western New South Wales

When Ellie Morton accepted a position as governess to three young boys on a 100,000-acre sheep and cattle property west of Bourke in New South Wales, her two brothers followed her up on the seven-hour drive in their ute. The boys had strict instructions from their mother, to bring Ellie straight back home if the family wasnt nice. But Ellie warmed to the family instantly and, three years on, remains as governess. Three weeks in to her new job, the mother of Ellies students was diagnosed with breast cancer. Ellie stepped up to help the family cope through an extremely difficult and emotional time. Inevitably, she quickly developed a very close bond with a family she adores.