Robyn performing at the Bushman's Heritage Festival 2007

Typical of many women with little time to spare in their earlier years, Robyn’s artistic bent kicked off quite late in life – in her 50’s in fact, and only then after being taken out of her comfortable home environment for months at a time to accompany husband Alan on his motorhoming aspirations around the country.  Robyn says, it must be a male menopausal thing, this packing up wife, cooking pots and bedroll and heading off on the Aussie version of The Great Trek.

After raising two sons, Robyn says she felt she had already had her share of the huntin’, fishin’ campin’ scene – but, in the way of most compliant wives, found herself accompanying said husband and, missing out on a number of christenings, weddings, birthdays, etc., turned to putting pen to paper to ensure something of them would be part of the celebration at home.

Being quite wordy from wayback (some have intimated that she’s a ‘talker’), she soon got into the swing of this and turned to rhyming on about their travels, particularly those events that caught her offbeat sense of humour – resulting in her early motorhoming/travel poems.  She soon realised this genre amused only a limited audience, so decided to generalise the subject matter – bringing her to such odd subjects as the many uses of a mother’s spit etc.  She was off and running . . . .

Since those early days of travel Alan and Robyn have become inveterate travellers.  There is nothing they enjoy more than taking their motorhome on lengthy trips across this vast continent, relaxing in the company of old friends they meet and new ones they encounter along the way.

Many bush poetry breakfasts and nights around the campfire have been enlivened by Robyn’s insightful and witty poetry – a small portion of which she serves in this, her first published collection of verse.  This book offers the reader a unique and humorous view of life – causing us to laugh at the mundane everyday things that we all experience.  When put into verse by Robyn it gives the impression she has been looking in your window and has written it just for you.

This book would make an ideal gift for that person who has ‘everything’ or that particularly difficult gift for someone overseas, giving them an insight into the Australian sense of humour for which we are renown.  Take a copy with you on your next tour or camping trip.  You never know, you might meet Robyn under a clear starry sky in the great Australian outback.