20 Local Author Shares Her Story By Sophie McAuliffe
From her residence in Kyogle, local author Susan Jackson has spent the last 18 months collating her journals to publish a heartfelt, thought provoking memoir of her life so far and into her 40’s, the ‘Little Aussie Battler’.
Ja c a r a n d a J i l l ’s re s t o r a t i o n of Olympic proportions by Lesley Apps
Grafton was blessed with the last minute arrival of Jacaranda Jill for their famous floral festival last year, the 6x6m giant kewpie doll whose previous starring role was the closing ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Her illuminating presence at the city centre’s Market Square was an instant hit with spectators and the social media crowd but her chance to oversee the nine-day festival was, much like her beautiful tulle skirt, was cut short on her first night. In just minutes extensive damage was caused to the iconic doll and her garment after it was set on fire by arsonists. The damage done left her in a fragile state resulting in her early exit and she hasn’t been seen since. As the 2020 festival
approaches, the committee are pulling out all stops to ensure Jacaranda Jill is back to her sparkling best come October. Of course, this giant kewpie is not ordinary doll. She’s part of Australia’s cultural history and as such needs to be treated accordingly. While the actions of a few left her in a terrible state, she is slated for the type of repair befitting an objet d’art — one of her Olympic ‘sisters’ is now held in the collection house of the of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences after her gifting by the NSW Government. With that in mind manager of the Jacaranda Festival Mark Blackadder said the committee has been working with the doll’s Olympic design team to ensure she is back to her original best. “I’ve been communicating with her
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original owner Brian Thompson and his designer Justin Nardella, who is based in London. They have prepared details plans for the restoration of ‘Jacaranda Jill’ as well as a 3D digital miniature so we can see how the framework and skirt is to be constructed.” Mr Blackadder said he had a team of local creatives ready to get to work on the project but naturally these things take time and money. To help alleviate some of the financial cost of restoring Jill the Jacaranda Committee has started a crowdfunding page to help raise some coffers which is currently sitting at around $1200 in donations. “This is a massive task and the cost in producing a new frame and skirt will be a costly exercise but the support from locals has been extraordinary.” Mr Blackadder said Grafton creatives, Michelle Vidler and Judy
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Hackett were volunteering their time and heading up the team to make the new skirt while Brennan Elks and the team from Caringa Grafton (NDIS providers) were building the new framework and hooping for the skirt. “We are also planning to include a little extra purple to give her that signature Jacaranda look.” He said with the help of material donations from businesses like Spotlight and Glitter Girl (Gold Coast) she will also be repainted incorporating a new purple bodice and golden hair. If you would like to make a donation to help the committee complete the important restoration work visit Jacaranda Jill’s GoFundMe page.
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Susan Jackson is aged seventy and has always kept a diary. She is a mother to six, grandmother to eighteen, and greatgrandmother to seventeen. She has been married for thirty-two years and for the second time. She is a survivor against odds that seemed to want to destroy her. She made a lot of mistakes throughout her life and learned not to give herself over to another set of values or to another human being, to be someone who she could no longer live with. It has taken her a long time to find herself and to love the person she was meant to be. She still has so much to learn, even now, about love and how we are to address love in our lives. She lives these days in a small rural town in Northern New South Wales, Australia, hence the title of her book. She loves to read, write, garden, and do crafts. Her life is simple and quiet for the most part, yet still, with such a big family, dramas manage to find their way into hers. Her book has been a spiritual journey and a surprising self-healing experience for Susan. It is a book which will interest many people, in particular women with the hope it may even help
those who find themselves experiencing the same sorts of hardships. From immigrating as a fouryear-old and trying to fit into a different culture to turning away from God in her teens. From a violent marriage doomed to fail and the death of her son, with the repercussions that followed. And yet, also between the lines, there is the joy and reverence for life itself. Susan has had experience being a Lifeline telephone councillor, a pastoral care worker at the Nimbin Hospital as well as a scripture teacher which has also allowed her to have a deep empa-thy and understanding for others going through trauma or a particularly difficult time in life.
Susan still has thirty journals she hasn’t touched yet, another book she believes. The Little Aussie Battler, published by Austin Macauley, will be released on May 29th, 2020. Price: $15.95, ISBN: 9781643780627. It will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Dymocks and in other bookstores throughout the country. Advance review copies are available upon re-quest. For more information, please visit: www. austinmacauley.com/us.