Jen - A Memoir

A memoir of life in rural Australia, post Second World War.

Jennette’s life began at the end of the Great Depression, and spanned into the digital age. And she was determined to write it all down.

Jen is a memoir filled with wit and humour, recounting decades change. When her father returned from war unsettled, he moved the family right across South Australia, taking on station jobs from the outback to the Fleurieu peninsula. Jennette tells stories of a girlhood on horseback with rifle in hand, her gradual introduction to town life and the trials of being a teenager, and her hilarious adventures as a nurse in the 1950s, when doctors were gods and nurses their minions.

But marrying a farmer and moving to the country town of Melrose didn’t mean Jen was ’settling down’. The adventures continued, with town activities to run, committees to join, natural disasters to respond to - and the pain of grief and loss, at a time when these things remained unspoken.

Filled with laughter and moments of deep reflection, Jen is a journey through time, from the innocence of her childhood to the wisdom of her final days. Completed just months before her passing, Jennette entrusted her story to her daughter and granddaughter, leaving behind a legacy of love, resilience, and connections to eras past.