Territory Sunrise
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Our property was part of the Northern Territory outback. Our family had developed this station in the late 1800's. I am part of the 4th generation of O'Donnell's. I am the third child of a family of four. My name is Michelle O'Donnell and my father is the 3rd generation and his name is Alfred Keith O'Donnell, my mother is Catherine Claire O'Donnell. My Great, Great Grandfather was a drover an buffalo hunter. He made his pounds by mustering wild buffalo for the Northern Territory government and seldom acted as a guide for the Lands Department. He knew the region extremely well and plotted to buy 40,000 acres where he had studied the waterholes and available vegetation for feed over the previous five years. He was able to purchase the land that best suited the best grazing country at the time. The life of the O'Donnell's are entwined with the Peterson family and the challenges and rewards they face living in outback Australia.
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About the Book
The diverse landscape and climate of the Australian outback is both challenging and rewarding. Families, neighbours and staff rely on each other due to the remoteness of each Northern Territory station. This book captures the story of two families that are faced with tragedy, romance,grief,crime and health issues. The beauty of the Northern Territory's sunrises,sunsets, birdlife and terrain are magnificent and must be appreciated. Therefore I hope my readers will join me in my description of the outback and what it means to be a third generation Territioran.
About the Author
I was born in 1953 in a small town in country NSW called Gilgandra. My family owned and sheep and wheat property west of Gilgandra. I was the sixth child of a family of seven. We moved off the family property when I was six years old. I went to school in Gilgandra until I was thirteen years old. My family moved to Sydney. I attended Asquith Girls High School. I left school at the end of Form Four. I meet my husband of fifty years when I was only sixteen. We went on to have four children and now eleven grandchildren. I completed my Enrolled Nurse Certificate in 1971 and then supported my husband through his commercial Pilots License. Once my husband had completed his studies, we moved several times over the years for him to gain experience on different aircraft and to increase his flying hours.. Over the years we have lived in NSW, Victoria, NT and finally settled in Queensland when my husband secured a position with a commercial airline. Whilst raising my family I attenden University and graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor of Nursing. I worked for many years as a Registered Nurse then in 2001 I completed my Diploma of Midwifery. In 1995 we restored our family home and built a large Bed & Breakfast, which was very successful and allowed us to buy extra real estate and improve our lifestyle. In 2005 we purchased a property as we both loved the idea of country life. We relocated and did many improvements to the property. However, my husband had a near fatal quad bike accident, and he had to retire from his flying career. He then worked our property full time and I worked as a midwife at the local hospital. We sold our property after fifteen years and returned to our former family home. I am semi-retired as I still work casually as a Registered Nurse/Midwife. I have always been an avid reader and felt I could become an author. It's now 2022 and I have finally decided bite the bullet and publish my first novel. I hope my readers enjoy my work and if they do I will continue to write.