Judith C Deane-Freeman

I live and work in rural South Australia where I was born and raised. After completing an arts degree at uni and while contemplating career options, true love intervened. Four children and fifteen years passed and I once again considered my career options. This time I had added qualifications, which determined my decision. Now I could multi-task, undertake complex problem solving, function on little sleep and wipe up assorted bodily fluids without flinching. Nursing seemed the perfect choice! I have subsequently found it to be a satisfying career, affording me the privilege of sharing in the lives of a variety of people when at their most vulnerable.

My husband and I live in a straw bale house we built ourselves on our rural property where we grow our own organic fruit and vegetables. We both enjoy camping and exploring Australia by four-wheel-drive, where my more timid nature is constantly challenged by his more adventurous spirit.

Although I have always lived in the country and grew up in some remote areas, I have also worked in a busy metro hospital in Adelaide in a wide range of areas including oncology, trauma, surgical, emergency, Aboriginal health and renal dialysis. Having four grown-up children, I have survived the many challenges of raising a creative bunch of individuals. Over the years I have read avidly and scribbled intermittently, but it is only since the family have left home that I have finally taken the time to write seriously. My nursing career has fed my curiosity about people, the complexity of their lives and the secrets hidden within so many families. It is their stories that inspire me to write.