Kimberley Sun

by Di Morrissey

  Di

  I was lucky in that I knew even from when I was a little girl what my passion was and what I wanted to do – writing. Making it a reality was, of course, much harder. But I’d seen my mother forced by circumstances (being widowed) to make a living for us to survive. How she flourished against great odds in a man’s world and in a new realm (television) was inspiring. I didn’t see it like that as a child, I was proud of her, she was very attractive and she worked in the extraordinary, mad and magical world of film. Later I saw the hardships she faced of working long hours, often under extreme conditions, penalised (through less pay) for being a woman and still running a home and making sure I’d cleaned my school shoes and done my homework. University wasn’t an option as it was too expensive in those days, but Uncle Jim stepped in and introduced me to journalism and I was away.

  How hard was it to make the initial break from your own mothers?

  Gabrielle

  I grew up travelling, so there was no particular ‘moving out from home day’. My whole life has been to-ing and fro-ing from one family member to another. Each and every trip to the airport has been hard and exciting, both a going away and a going toward at the same time.

  Di

  It wasn’t so traumatic for me as I was setting out on the big overseas adventure with Mum’s blessing, but I’m sure it was awful for her.

  Kay

  Very hard . . . in fact with great fear and trepidation. But the need to go forward was with my mother’s encouragement and the assurance that we could come back any time, under any circumstances.

  Can you see yourself turning into your mother?

  Gabrielle

  Ah, yes, yes, yes! I used to think we were so different from each other, but nowadays, I see similarities every time I turn around! Both my mother and I write books. And we have similar tendencies to not say ‘no’, so we are always juggling too many projects at the same time and constantly on the go! I never thought I’d be like that because I could see how exhausting it was, but here I am, just the same! My mother is a more ‘silver-lining optimist’ than I am, but we both have a social butterfly nature. I can see how my mother and her mother are alike too. My mother and both my grandmothers are smart, incisive, social, love to laugh. I hope I continue to become like them in those ways.

  Di

  At times, yes! Mum and I have always looked alike – we were taken for sisters when I was growing up. I thought our mannerisms, gestures and expressions were because of proximity, but my first cousin Julie in the US is just like me in many ways and yet we grew up apart. Gabrielle, Mum and I have different opinions and likes on all manner of things, and while our approach might be different we share similarities in so many ways. Gabrielle never liked my clothes or my taste in jewellery, but now she borrows them all the time. Essentially it is our strength, tenacity, thoroughness – and tidiness – that is the same.

  Kay

  Yes. In many ways. I try to hold on to her memory more than anything else, and remember how hard she tried for all of us, especially her two girls. I do little things her way without even thinking and remember good manners and don’t spill the salt or walk under ladders . . .

  Gabrielle and Di, are there times when it feels as if the roles are reversed? When the daughter takes on the care of her mother – even if only for a short time?

  Gabrielle

  All relationships are two-way streets. In specific circumstances, a mother needs a daughter’s support and approval. Yes, there have been times when I’ve supported my mother. There have been times in my mother’s life that have been hard, and my demonstration and communication of my unconditional love and support for her have helped her immensely. Everyone has times when they need to know their loved ones are in their corner, and for my mother and my grandmother, as with the rest of my family, I’m there in a heartbeat.

  Di

  I’ve never felt that because Mum is so very independent, too much so sometimes. But it comes from always having to look after herself. Now when Gabrielle and I want to take care of her, she is adamant she can manage just fine – and she does. She has never wanted us to feel she might be a burden, and while we’d love to ‘take care of her’ and try in every way we can to help out I still think of my mother as the strong one – and I’m scared of getting into trouble if I do the wrong thing!

  Was there a time when you thought your daughter was making the wrong move or the wrong decision?

  Di

  I got nervous during the ups and downs and pressure and frustrations that came with Gabrielle working on her PhD. She nearly gave up at one point and, like her father, I encouraged her to stay with it. I can only gently suggest and offer my opinion, and hopefully point out both sides of the argument. Gabrielle makes up her own mind!

  Kay

  No, because with little communication from a distance I learned of a decision Di made that I may not have agreed privately but I had faith that she would stand by her decision at that time or until she changed her mind herself. And in her own way I knew she would find her own path. My dealing with this relies on Di’s intelligence and strong character and knowing she would talk it through when she needs to.

  What are the most important things a mother can do for her daughter? And a daughter do for her mother?

  Gabrielle

  Give unconditional love – and verbal and nonverbal expression of that. Friendship. Lessons, listening, advice, support.

  Di

  Love her without reserve. Accept her as she is. Try to set a good example. We want to see our daughters go one better, be happy, and have a daughter themselves to know how wonderful it is.

  Kay

  That she knows my unconditional love and that I am always there for her.

  How do men fit into your lives?

  Gabrielle

  As much as I value my grandmothers and mother, so too do I value my father, brother, grandfather, uncles, cousins, male friends, lovers. There are special bonds between mothers and daughters, grandmothers and grand-daughters, but as much as I am pro-female familial bonds, so too am I pro-male familial bonds. And in terms of relationships, I come from a line of women on both sides of my family who have had more than one marriage – back to both sets of grandparents. I appreciate that relationships take work. It’s important to value each relationship for what it teaches you and gives you, and allows you to give another person.

  Di

  My grandfather, Uncle Jim and Uncle Ron have been my most important male role models. But along the way there were men I met or worked with who enriched me and helped me see a male point of view. I struggled in my early dating as I hadn’t had a lot of male association – what to talk about, how to dance, any awareness of sports. I suppose I was looking for a father figure in my life and Peter was that – although he was also handsome and charming and intelligent. He looked after me and I felt protected and loved. But sadly it seems our expectations were different and we grew in different directions. The best part of our lives is that we share Gabrielle and Nick.

  Kay

  As the elder woman of the family men fit into my life through my grandson Nick, my brothers, Jim and Ron, my nephews, David and Damien, John Luke and his new family, and friends. I learn a lot from the wonderful ‘out there’ activities of my young relatives. They share their lives and thoughts with me when we get together. I am so proud of them all.

  Has your relationship with your mother or daughter changed over the years?

  Gabrielle

  It will never change at its basic and primal level. In the love, the ‘being there’ for one another, the talking, giving and taking, and support. I trust completely that my mother will always be there for me whenever and however I need her and also, of course, me for her. I anticipate that once I become a mother, my questions to her and my needs will change: from being self-focused to having more of an emphasis on mothering advice. But I will never stop being that daughter who asks questions of, and advice from, her mother.

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nbsp; Di

  For me it doesn’t change much. I love my mother and I still think of her as someone who can do anything. She taught me to be independent and make up my own mind. Nonetheless, she likes to be party to the process!

  Kay

  I believe that as we grow older my relationship with Di grows stronger. I know we can always be there for each other with no conditions and no need for explanations because our understanding of each other continues to grow over the years. And now because we live within driving distance of each other our ‘hugs and kisses times’ are much more frequent, and love is on our side.

  Is there something you would like to say to your mother, or daughter, that you have never said before?

  Gabrielle

  On my twenty-first birthday, my family gave me many gifts, after all, it was a celebration of my ‘official maturation into adulthood’. My grandmother gave me a framed cross-stitch she made herself with a picture and words of wisdom about travelling through life, which I keep in my office and look at every day. One of the things my mother gave me, which I cherish so much that I always keep it in my bedside table drawer, was a small book by Elizabeth Knapp called Did I Tell You? And every word is meaningful to me, and us, as mother and daughter. It reads in part:

  Now that you are almost grown, I look back and ask myself, did I tell you?

  Did I tell you all that I meant to tell you? All that I felt was important? Did I tell you or was it lost in the shuffle of our everyday lives.

  Did I tell you to love. Not with a fair-weather love, but with a love that accepts and cherishes unconditionally. Love not with a quick and passing love, but with a love that is a quiet peace within your heart.

  Did I tell you to be creative. To explore the seed within you. Find your creative spirit and let it grow.

  And did I tell you the joy and challenge of being a woman. The joy of having a child . . . knowing and sharing a new life. The joy of making a home . . . the center but not the limit for the lives of those you love.

  And did I tell you . . . I hope it will be a good life.

  On the last page of this small, wise and treasured book, my beautiful mother added her own handwritten words to me:

  And did I tell you often enough how much I love you, how proud of you I am, how I cherish you – the greatest gift of all – and that I think you are the most special woman I know? If not, then I say it once more as you become your own person. Because, my darling Gabrielle, it is now your time – be happy always.

  Mom xx

  September 7, 1992

  Lake Tahoe

  So, to my mother, Di, who has written so many books, and is adored and appreciated by so many, but none – no one – so much as me, I want to say:

  You did tell me.

  I heard you.

  I learn from you.

  And most of all, I love you.

  Di

  I can’t write – I’m crying. I love Gabrielle with all my heart. What can I say. I’ve tried my best to be a good daughter and a good mother. And when I look at my children I feel so proud and hope they will really understand what it means one day to love your child as much as I love them.

  I’ve always loved and been proud of you, Mum. I know it hasn’t always been easy and you hid so much pain and put on a brave face to protect me. I hope you know how much you mean to me and that in some way I’ve measured up to the dreams you held and fought for me.

  Kay

  I have no answer to this one. My heart is full.

  ALSO BY DI MORRISSEY AND AVAILABLE FROM PAN MACMILLAN

  Tears of the Moon

  Broome, Australia 1893

  In the wild passionate heyday of the pearling industry, and when young English bride Olivia Hennessy meets the dashing pearling master, Captain Tyndall, their lives are destined to be linked by the mysterious power of the pearl.

  Sydney 1995

  Lily Barton embarks on a search for her family roots which leads her to Broome. But her quest for identity reveals more than she could have ever imagined . . .

  TEARS OF THE MOON is the spellbinding bestseller from Australia’s most popular female novelist.

  ‘Morrissey’s research into the pearl industry and the history of Broome is formidable . . . she tells a good story’

  SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

  The Bay

  The Bay is a beautiful and peaceful town on the Australian east coast; a melting pot of city escapees, alternative lifestylers, feral dropouts, lost souls, backpackers, and men and women in search of love and a new sense of identity.

  When Sydney corporate wife Holly Jamieson turns forty-five she shocks her husband by buying an old house in The Bay with plans to transform it into a charming B & B. What began as a gesture of independence changes her life. Holly soon discovers that beneath its tranquil surface, The Bay is a whirlpool of passions and conflict. It was once a whaling town, then a sleepy resort that became trendy, and now developers are moving in for the kill. Holly, her family, and an unusual band of new friends are in the battle lines – and not always on the same side.

  Blaze

  BLAZE exposes the new order of women and power in the cut-throut arena of up-market magazines. The idealistic baby boomers have been pushed aside and it’s every woman for herself.

  ALI GRUBER, 28, is slick, smart, ambitious. She is determined to be editor of the New York edition of Blaze, the world’s most popular magazine. But fate intervenes, taking Ali back to the closely guarded secret of her Australian childhood.

  NINA JANSOUS, 60, is the founder of Blaze. Croatian-born and Australian-raised, the elegant Nina is haunted by memories of the past.

  LARISSA KELLY, 35, has everything – a prestigious publishing career and a loving man. But can the relationship survive when he’s a stockbroker in New York and she’s been posted to Blaze’s new magazine in Sydney?

  MICHE BANNISTER, 22, wants to be a journalist and follow in her late mother’s footsteps. In Paris, Miche infiltrates the life of supermodel Sally Shaw and finds a murky world of designer drugs and sexual abuse. Should she reveal what she uncovers when faced with her mother’s nemesis?

  BLAZE is an intimate look at four women coping with their private and public lives in the world of magazines.

  Absorbing. Biting. Funny. Real. BLAZE doesn’t pull punches.

  Scatter the Stars

  Larrikin Australian actor Randy Storm had it all. Swept up by Hollywood after starring in a film set in Papua New Guinea, he had the looks, charm and talent – as well as the love of an exotic woman – to take on the world.

  But that was the 1950s. In the 90s he’s forgotten, burned out after a life of movie star excess and wild living.

  When TV producer Michael Matthews bumps into the once great Randy Storm, he is surprised to find a man who is at peace with himself and his world. Both he and researcher Janie Callendar set out to discover the source of this inner peace. One person not surprised by Randy’s contentment is the woman who has stuck by him through the highs and the lows: his agent, Ariel Margoles. Ariel has never given up the dream of Randy making a comeback, so when she is called by Australia’s world acclaimed film director Patricia Jordan who is making the hottest Hollywood film of the year – Ariel sees the chance for Randy to be a star once more.

  But just as he is about to reach his pinnacle, a secret from his past threatens to bring down his greatest triumph . . .

  SCATTER THE STARS is a story of glamour, greed, loss and one man’s life that charts the path of all of us.

  The Songmaster

  A timely and profound novel that entrances and entertains.

  In Melbourne, a baby girl is found abandoned in the Victorian Art Gallery. She is wrapped in a shawl decorated with a motif that links her to ancient rock paintings in the Kimberley . . .

  In Los Angeles, a movie producer’s dying daughter is haunted by nightmares after visiting the Kimberley . . .

  And it is to the Kimberley that ex-nun Beth Van Horton brings a disparate group of trave
llers whose lives will be changed forever.

  The Kimberley – a land that cradles Australia’s ancient treasures – is also home to a people whose powerful secrets could unlock the future for modern mankind.

  ‘It’s daring, it’s controversial, it’s a great story and it’s unputdownable . . . what more can I say about THE SONGMASTER other than I wish I’d written it.’

  BRYCE COURTENAY

  Author

  ‘A rollicking yarn about aboriginal reconciliation? I’d like to read that! Well, here it is. A racy read, no pun intended. If you’ve been trying to fathom all those headlines about native title and blackfellas’ tears, do yourself a favour. Enjoy.’

  RAY MARTIN

  TV presenter

  When the Singing Stops

  The journey that changes her life . . .

  A young Australian woman leaves Sydney for a new world . . . Guyana, South America.

  Captivated by Guyana’s wild, unspoilt beauty, Madison Wright joins the native Amerindians struggling to preserve their culture against corporate exploitation. But her new-found commitment soon plunges Madison into a mire of murder, drug smuggling and political corruption. And finally, an unexpected love that pits her heart against her beliefs.