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Local Author Shares Anorexia Story

When Melinda Hutchings survived anorexia in her teenage years, she knew there would come a day when she would be able to share her story and help others through their own journeys. It took her a decade to reach a place where she felt ready, but once she arrived at that moment, she was able to write her first novel in just six months and describes it as a complete outpouring of her heart and a “cathartic” experience. “Anorexia is an insidious disorder and once it takes hold it’s very difficult to understand, and even more difficult to recover from. It is also hard for the people around you. It can be very difficult for loved ones to understand what I was going through,” said Melinda. “Creating my first book was a very emotional experience and I would feel all those emotions again when I was writing it, so it was very hard. But then writing was another sense of letting go.” Her novel Fighting for Life: Anorexia The Road to Recovery which came out in 2000, is a fictional story that details Melinda’s journey but is written in the third person so that it is more relatable.

“I had a desire to change my negative experience into something positive and write my story as a work of fiction so that other people can read it and something in the journey of the main character may speak to them,” Melinda explains. “I thought it would have more power and help more people if it was written that way.” The book details the full journey of how the eating disorder took hold, the depths of the pain and then gives tools and advice for recovery and finding a way out. Since its release, the book has inspired thousands of people and helped countless families understand what their loved ones are going through. For Melinda, that is the most important part, and she recounts with tears in her eyes how she received one email that said: “I am well on the way to recovery and one of the reasons is you”. After the success of her first book, Melinda released her second which was a compilation of stories from people who had lived through eating disorders. Shortly afterwards, Melinda joined the authors circuit and spoke to large audiences, helping people understand more about the disease.

During this time, she made media appearances and became an inspiration to many. In 2009 Melinda published Why I Can’t Look The Way I Want through Allen & Unwin which further cemented her career as a successful author. Taking a break from the spotlight, she has focused on other projects for some time and recently moved from Sydney to the Whitsundays with her partner. Melinda is now working on her next non-fiction book which is an inspirational story to help people embrace change and overcome adversity. She is also ghost writing and editing a non-fiction book that has the potential to become an international best seller. “For the person that is suffering right now, it is really important that they feel supported and loved and especially heard,” said Melinda.

“It can be very challenging for the people around you, but it is important that they just keep being supportive because that person needs you so much – it’s a difficult journey to understand and everyone’s journey is different - as hard as it is, just keep being there.”

Despite its geographical proximity to Bowen and Mackay in today’s travelling time, Proserpine was still a remote town at the turn of the 20th century with no railway connections and very rough roads. There was no resident doctor and no pharmacy. For most ailments, people relied on traditional remedies such as castor oil and senna pods. Messrs Gus Waite and Jim Webb, both with rudimentary medical training, gave relief to people suffering from toothache and may have rendered first aid in accidents. Childbirth was in the hands of midwives, mostly untrained but well experienced. Dr Traill, from Bowen, occasionally braved the road to provide a minimal service.

Enter Dr Anderson.

Although it is uncertain as to exactly when Dr Anderson came to Proserpine, there are references to his presence in this district in the “Port Denison Times” in the 1903/04 era. Henry Anderson was an undergraduate at the Royal University of Ireland and graduated as Bachelor and subsequently Master of Arts. He turned his attention to medicine and in 1884 obtained the Degree of Doctor of Medicine, taking up practice in Manchester, England. He came to Queensland in 1899 and began to practice in Thargomindah. Country life always appealed to him, and he practiced in turn in Springsure, Proserpine, Harrisville, St. George and Maleny. By 1910, Dr Anderson was firmly established in Proserpine. He bought two acres of land in what is now Faust Street where the water tower stands today. There he built “Parkfields”, a beautiful home which included a surgery and private hospital and “The Grange”, next door, for his widowed father. This home was bought by the Faust family in 1915. Dr Anderson played an active role in the rapidly developing town. He supported the establishment of an Ambulance Brigade, offering to give a course on first aid, and later served on the committee.

Early editions of the “Proserpine Guardian” attest to an amazing variety of medical and surgical emergencies, epidemics and accidents with which Dr Anderson had to cope – with rudimentary equipment and only very basic drugs and with little help from outside sources. There were no pathology services, X-rays or antibiotics and he even had to dispense his own drugs. There was little chance of consultations with other doctors and, until the hospital opened, few trained nurses. Yet he provided a general medical coverage of the entire town and shire and obtained remarkable cures, gaining the respect of most of the community. In 1911, when a public hospital was built after much community pressure, Dr Anderson was appointed Medical Officer and empowered to purchase the necessary instruments and drugs. Over the years, he served the hospital in many ways - as administrator, surgeon, physician, obstetrician, psychiatrist - and came up against many problems. He was constantly recommending measures that would improve the efficiency of the hospital. Despite being a respected doctor, he never seemed to have a comfortable relationship with the Management Committee. He felt that they were all business men who did not appreciate the right and responsibility of the Medical Superintendent to make all decisions concerning the care and treatment of patients. This conflict came to a head on numerous occasions.

Dr Anderson continued as doctor in charge and in private practice until he resigned in 1918. This was deeply regretted by many and affirmed by the large farewell given by the local community. He continued to practice in various small towns in Queensland until he retired to Sydney in 1921 and died there in 1924.

Author Melinda Hutchings shares her story of surviving anorexia

Dr and Mrs Anderson with their son, later Dr Hugh Anderson

Story courtesy Proserpine Historical Museum; photo source from Mrs Zena Price