by Anthea Matley
Planting Memories follows the life of Culver Matley who left his drought-ravaged prairie home in Punnichy, Canada, in 1935, and sailed to an unknown life on the island of Samarai and then to the Sogeri Plateau of Papua New Guinea.
Culver lived and worked on rubber plantations in Papua for 33 years. During WW2, he served as a driver mechanic with the 68 Light Aid Detachment in the Middle East. He met his wife, Margaret, an Australian Air Force nurse in PNG and together they built a home and raised a family of five children on the Mororo and Eilogo plantations.
Based on family letters, photographs, and memories, Planting Memories recounts many incidents that made up daily life in the PNG mountains. But as their adopted country faced the political and economic challenges of the 1960s, Culver and Margaret reluctantly decided to leave their home and move to Australia.
‘Planting Memories is a pleasure to read. Anthea’s writing is a matchless evocation. The stories are told beautifully in the voices of her family members. I commend this book to anyone who enjoys intimate biographies and creative non-fiction, and those interested in the history of Papua.’ – Peter Wiseman
Author
Anthea Matley was born in Moresby and grew up on a rubber plantation on the Sogeri Plateau, Papua New Guinea, immigrating to Australia in 1968. She has a Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing and has assisted in producing and publishing Kidnapped by Time, a history of the Faraday area. Anthea has written short stories and poetry and Planting Memories is her first creative non-fiction book.
To Purchase
Planting Memories by Anthea Matley
Published by Sevenpens (2024)
- To purchase, please click on the link below. Price $30 plus $15 P&H
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Anthea Matley 