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Tim Easton
Tim Easton was born in Stanthorpe, south-east Queensland on the 9 October 1961 to British migrants, John and Diana Easton. I had two older sisters, Helen Coromel and Heather Jan Ea...ver maisTim Easton was born in Stanthorpe, south-east Queensland on the 9 October 1961 to British migrants, John and Diana Easton. I had two older sisters, Helen Coromel and Heather Jan Easton. For those of you who know Stanthorpe it is very beautiful country rich in vineyards, orchards, a natural stone granite landscape and many cultural events such as musical concerts and the bi-annual Apple and Grape Harvest festival.
For my mother, an English woman arriving there in 1960 after ten years in Auckland, New Zealand, Stanthorpe was hot and dry - an unforgiving place to live. What's more my father had a very 'fruitful' job with Caltex selling oil and fuel to the prosperous farming community however he was away most of the week.
My father used to spend two hours every weekend cleaning the company car because there was no air-conditioning in those days and the roads were hot. dry and dusty - their was a need for the car window to be down and my father drove hundreds of miles in a white shirt, tie and long pants - standard dress for those days.
At the tender age of thirteen a grave tragedy struck our family when I witnessed my sister Heather fall to her death from "Lost World" on Lamington National Parks western plateau. It is aptly called "Lost World" because fifty metre cliffs surround this small land mass with two very narrow razorbacks being the only access - one to the east and the other to the west.
There is quite easily another 20,000 words on this tragedy, the effects on my parents, my sister Helen and of course myself. My father spent many weekends up on this plateau in this very beautiful and wild part of the world, often on his own but also with me. He installed a brass plague that is still there to this day, it reads:
ON THE 10 DECEMBER 1974
HEATHER JAN EASTON AGED 19 FELL TO HER DEATH FROM THIS CLIFF WHILE ON A FOUR DAY TREK WITH HER BROTHER TIM, KARL STAISCH AND FOUR FRIENDS WHO ALL SHARED HER LOVE OF THE GREAT OUTDOORS.
May her spirit watch over the bushwalkers who pass this way.
With the difficulty of understanding such a family tragedy I have searched deeply for answers. In my late thirties I sought professional help to understand the depth of my depression - and of course it was no surprise it was directly related to the loss of Heather but also the witnessing of the deep grief both my parents suffered for the better part of twenty years.
My writing started at around age 17, in 2000 I graduated with a Communication Degree from Griffith University, Queensland. I hope to continue to combine both these passions for many years to come.ver menos