Helen Brown

Born in Mount Isa, the eldest of five children of Salvation Army officers, Helen Brown lived an almost nomadic life until she was fifteen years of age. However, she discovered books as a preteen and read a lot well into the night and occasionally all night. Two stories that captured her imagination were “Anne of Green Gables” and “Little Women”. Just like the heroines in these stories, she wanted to write. A learning disability, which was not corrected until she was in her thirties, meant that schooling was a real struggle. It also meant that her dream seemed to be a distant mirage. The struggles of raising five children and being a wife to a shearer/farmer in a small town taught her a lot about life and the grace of God. During this time, she also completed her teaching degree and worked many casual jobs in order to ensure that the farm was viable. Today, she still lives on the farm in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales.