Dancing to her Own Tune

Sheila Hunter and Sara Powter were a passionate mother and daughter team of amateur genealogy. While working together on their family tree, Sheila and Sara made a captivating discovery: four convicts, with four very different perspectives, sent to Australia during Convict times. Before her passing in 2002, Sheila adapted some of these histories into enchanting stories, the Australian Colonial Trilogy. She also left a half-finished fourth story which is now completed by Sara. ‘Dancing to her own tune’ now too has a sequel, ‘Amelia’s Tears’.

Sara later had the trilogy published. And the two new ones should be in print by 2022. It inspired her to write more. The Lockley’s of Parramatta were created. Vividly living through the Colonial Era, this series delves further into the theme of overcoming adversity in Colonial Parramatta and how it developed, the demise of the Convict system, and discovery of various gems and minerals. Sara intricately weaves real archival data and a charming narrative to create a series of tales of faith, love, loss, and redemption.

Sara has now completed Sheila Hunter’s last unfinished manuscript. Watch for ‘Dancing to her own tune’ and its companion story ‘Amelia’s Tears’. It’s a prequel for all of their Colonial novels. Travelling the East coast of Australia in their retirement, Sara and her husband Stephen enjoyed the deep sense of belonging gained by uncovering a familial connection to a new area.

And so, over two hundred years after her family’s arrival in Australia as convicts, Sara continues the Australian Colonial stories with these delightful and insightful stories.