GROWING up on a farm in Kalangadoo, Simon Bryant always had a fascination with the history of the South East.
His interest was piqued when he received a portion of the diary of Mary Emily Susannah “Minnie” Hunter, the daughter of Kalangadoo pastoral station’s original owner James Hunter.
Although Mr Bryant only had a snippet about the fascinating life of Minnie, he became hooked on her story and had to find out more.
Another Limestone Coast local, Lois Dean, had received part of Minnie’s diary and tracked down her living relatives hoping to gather the rest of her story.
Eventually Ms Dean published Minnie’s full diary in the work Minnie: Memoirs of a Squatter’s Daughter.
The release of the book spurred Mr Bryant on to creating his own work, which culminated in the creation and release of Boss – a fictional novel based on the diaries.
Boss chronicles the life and times of Minnie and her experiences on the frontiers of nineteenth century Australia.
Born into a family of famous horsemen and pioneers, Minnie inherited her family’s love of horses, as well as an affinity with the wild landscape at the edge of settled Australia.
In the book, she meets John Brewer, a self-made pastoralist and outstanding young horseman.
She quickly comes to idolise the man she calls “Boss” and the friendship she strikes up marks the beginning of a devotion that lasts her whole life.
The book also charts the terrible fate that befell the Boandik and Wiradjuri tribes, who Minnie lived with and befriended over her life.
Mr Bryant said he chose to write about Minnie as he believed she was a truly inspiring figure in Australia’s pioneering history.
“I see her as such a fiercely independent woman,” he said.
“To lead the life she did really got to me, especially as a woman during that period.
“She had such compassion for those around her, including the indigenous people, which again was fairly unheard of at the time.”
With a background in literacy after studying at Adelaide University, Mr Bryant always believed writing a novel was a natural progression for him.
“It is always something I have wanted to do,” he said.
“Now I have retired I have been able to follow my passion in literature.
“I think it was fitting I released my interpretation of Minnie’s story first as she is someone who has been in the back of my mind for many years.”
Now he has a taste for publishing, Mr Bryant has another two books already in the works.
“I am very keen on the history of our country, so I do find myself drawn back to the pioneering days,” he said.
“My next two books are again set in that time and are mostly complete fiction, with the addition of real historical characters.
“I thought this time around I would try my hand at a bit of a murder mystery so hopefully it will be as well received as Boss has been.”
Mr Bryant said he would like to continue writing about what he loves once he has finished his next two books.
“Being a self-published author, I have a lot of freedom to write about whatever I like,” he said.
“I encourage whoever has an idea they would like to get out there to try self-publishing – you never know who might share the same interests as you do.”
