History to Her Story

Nicole Kelly, is a writer, teacher, wife and mother who loves her life in rural Victoria. Her debut novel, Lament, in which she re-imagines the life of Ned Kelly, was released in December 2020, and has garnered much praise!

In June 1880, the reign of the Kelly Gang ended – guns blazing – in a fiery siege at the Glenrowan Inn. Ned Kelly survived, only to be hanged four months later. In this re-imagining of Australia’s most notorious bushranger, Ned is given the chance to keep his band of brothers together and build a better life. What unfolds is the human side of four outlaws who are remembered as much for their anarchy and rebellion as their crimes. Ned Kelly. The life that might have been. A historical tale of Australia’s most notorious outlaws with a slight twist. Nicole Kelly breathes life back into Ned Kelly and expertly explores the hopes and ideals of a young man on the wrong side of the law, and the life he might have lived if he had escaped his past.

Michelle Scott Tucker is a freelance writer and consultant, having had a successful career in government, business and the arts – including a stint as Executive Director of the Stella Prize, Australia’s pre-eminent literary prize for women writers. She has served as Vice Chair of the Writers Victoria board and currently serves on the board of the Macedon Ranges Literary Association.

Elizabeth Macarthur: A Life at the Edge of the World is a fascinating biography of the woman who established the Australian wool industry (although her husband received all the credit).  It was shortlisted for the 2019 NSW State Library Ashurst Business Literature Prize and the 2019 CHASS Australia Book Prize. You can find a bit more about Michelle's impetus for writing this book here.

This event is part of the Port Fairy Winter Weekends program.