One could say I was destined for a life on the road. I was born in Mt Isa but my early years were spent in an old F100 and a tiny busted up caravan lovingly nicknamed “Dolly”. My Mum and Dad were both country music fans and Dolly Parton was up there with the greats. Still is.
I believe those early years shaped my entire being and gave me a lust and desire for continual travel. My parents gifted me Wanderlust. So thanks Mum and Dad for packing up your comfortable life in the Isa and hitting the long dusty roads with 2 kids under 3 for a two and a half year adventure around Oz. You legends!!!
My first ever memory is of an open field in South Australia, the year was 1977 and bunnies were in plague proportions, Myxomatosis had obviously not reached there yet. As we screeched to a halt, dust swirling around us, it was as if the ground was moving, a symphony of bunnies all dancing to a chaotic tune only they could hear. My eyes were as wide as saucers, I was completely mesmerized by this display. Mum helped me out of the old Ford but by the time my little feet hit the hot ground it was eerily still once more, except for our cattle dog Jackson who had flown out the back before we had even stopped and was half way down the field bouncing like Tigger on acid after those little cotton tails before disappearing himself, head first down a bunny hole.
As far as first memories go, it was a truly crazy and magical one.
My parents blessed upon me a wonderful, transient start to life and I wish to do the same for my free spirited son Madigan. I want his first memories to be that of an endless road, endless possibilities and wide open dreams. I want him to understand change and embrace it. To be excited in saying hello and happy in waving goodbye. I want him to understand it’s not what you have but what you do in this world that counts. I want him to know that no dream is ever too big, no matter how small you may be. I want him to wander and be happy about wandering freely, never feeling lost…..just like me.
So with my Land Rover Defender as our trusty steed and a small caravan to home our weary heads, it’s time to embark on the bucket list dream I’ve had since my high school years and travel this vast country of ours, just as my parents did with me over forty years ago.
So without further ado I say goodbye to the comforts and certainty of everyday living and open my heart to the wind, letting her whisper her guidance, arousing my unsettled soul. With only the open road dictating our next destination I unleash the gypsy within to live out my life’s motto, because…
………“Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost”
“Even as a little girl I always new I wanted to be a mum.Id daydream about it often.What would I be blessed with first, a boy or a girl, how many would I have, would I be good at it, would I be strict like my parents or more laid back like me?Would they love to dance and ride horses or maybe they would be a great singer or top of their class in maths.The daydreams were lang and filled with all sorts of scenarios….but never once did I envision I would be a single Mum.
But life has a way of throwing us curveballs….and I have to say falling pregnant with my son was the greatest, most wonderful curveball I could have asked for.
It didn’t matter to me ,not even for a second ,that I wasn’t in a committed relationship when I found out I was pregnant.I just knew with every fibre in my body that I was going ahead with it and I couldn’t have been happier.
Madigan was born on my 37th birthday, the greatest gift of all time.He is my wingman and we are the strongest of teams., a formidable force to be reckoned with in any situation we find ourselves in.My life may not have turned out exactly as I dreamed all those years ago….it turned out better.
I have been very fortunate with my single motherhood journey, Madigan and I have never gone without.We have never had to worry where our next meal will come from, or if we will have a roof over our head or will we stay warm in winter.I have never had to make a difficult decision like,do I fill up the car this week,get my medication or buy some fresh fruit?I have never had to deal with any kind of domestic violence but many do face one or all of these hardships on a day to day basis.
I am one of the lucky ones.
My choice to partner up with the National Council of Single Mothers and their Children was a no brainer really.I mean ,what better charity for me to align with?
So Madigan and I would like to thank you to all of you who are purchasing from my “Wandering Ozzie Essentials” line because with every single purchase made ,you too ,are helping an Australian single mother in need…..and I gotta tell you, it feels so good.”
