Introduction:
I am sharing excerpts from the book The Wilted Rose and songs reminiscent of the experiences and events shared in the storyline, which was written by Kate Kelsen, a young Australian author. This novel tells the true story of my mother, Sarah, born in 1934, in Queensland Australia.
Come ride with me on the roller-coaster ride, the ups and downs, the good times and the shocking traumas, of this young adult, a wife, mother and career woman. Beverley Joy.
The setting:
The story begins back in the post-war year 1946. Sarah is a young teenager. She lived with her three younger sisters, her older brother and her parents in an old large Queenslander-style farmhouse. It was nestled in the hinterland on a sprawling dairy farm, which her father managed, situated a few kilometres outside a small country township. During the week, Sarah, her older brother and her three younger sisters attended primary school in the township, while their mother stayed at home tending to the household chores, cooking for the family and the vegetable garden.
Excerpt from The Wilted Rose Part 1 – The Rose Bud:
Maleny, Queensland, Australia
1946
Sitting on the ledge by her bedroom window, Sarah looked out over the landscape that surrounded her home. The earth was dulled by the shadows of the lingering night, and the colour of sunrise burst through over the mountains into the misty grey.
A barbed-wire fence divided her family’s property from the dairy farm next door, which her father Phillip managed for the owner. Just beyond the prickly fence stood the milking shed, a sturdy timber building that had withstood the harsh Australian sun and many wild summer thunderstorms over the years.
Behind the house and farm, the land fell away into a valley, and Sarah smiled as she watched four dairy cows plod their way up the path, heading for the milking shed. Charlie the cattle dog nipped at their ankles, barking and darting this way and that.
Not far behind was Sarah’s father, wrapped in a weathered trench coat and gumboots, using a crooked stick to pull himself up the hill. Each morning Sarah’s brother Ron helped him round up the cows for milking. When Ron left his father, he brought the first bucket of milk up to the house for breakfast. Just thinking about it, Sarah could taste the delicious porridge with fresh cream and milk straight from the cow.
Life on the land was sweltering hot in summer and freezing cold in winter. A flower garden provided a colourful and fragrant oasis close to the house. Amongst the other plants, trees and bushes, a rose bush was situated beneath Sarah’s bedroom window, and she could see a fresh bud still hidden amongst the leaves. She could hardly wait to see it in full bloom.
To be continued…
Kate Kelsen Author © All Rights Reserved
Photo by E𝒎𝒂 P𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒚 from Pexels
Simply Story Poetry 
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