FORMER Goroke resident and celebrated screenwriter Mira Robertson recently took a huge leap of faith when she released her debut novel, The Unexpected Education of Emily Dean.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The story follows 14-year-old Emily Dean who is dispatched from Melbourne to stay with her father’s relatives in the Wimmera during World War Two.
Mira will talk about her latest work at Redrock Books and Gallery, Horsham on Thursday afternoon.
She said she had fond memories of growing up in the Wimmera.
“I grew up on a farm just outside of Goroke and my brother still farms there,” she said.
“When I was growing up it was a big sheep property, but it’s changed a lot over time and has become more about cropping.
“It was a fantastic place to grow up; we had the freedom to wander around and do what we pleased.
“I’m planning to head to Goroke during this trip; I do visit, but not as often as I’d like to.”
She said her career as a screenwriter was filled with highlights.
“I always wanted to write; I’ve been a screenwriter for more than 20 years so it’s been a big journey to get here,” she said.
“Only the Brave was a huge highlight for me; it won best short film at the Melbourne International Film Festival and we were invited to the Venice Film Festival.
“Head On is a film that is continuing to be discussed about today, and (the film’s director and co-writer) Ana Kokkinos and I went to Cannes for that.”
The film was also nominated for a prestigious Australian Film Institute award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1998.
“After Head On I wrote a lot of other screenplays; some got made, but most didn’t,” she said.
“It’s so hard to finance films in Australia, so that prompted me to do something I’d always wanted to do – write a novel.
“A few years ago I decided to just go ahead and do it. The great thing about writing a novel is that you’re in the driver’s seat.
“I found a scrap of paper in my study about an idea I had years ago and had forgotten all about.”
The novel has been a personal journey for Mira, who was inspired to write about her family’s history in the region.
“It’s set in 1944 in a place not dissimilar to where I grew up,” she said.
“The story is fiction, but the inspiration for it did come from stories that my mum used to tell me.
“She would visit her grandparents in the Wimmera from Melbourne and that’s what sparked the story.”
She said feedback for the novel had so far been great.
“I’ve already started thinking about my next book,” she said.
“It will probably be set in the past as well.”
Mira Robertson will speak at Redrock Books and Gallery at 65 Firebrace Street, Horsham on Thursday, June 7, from 2.30pm.
