Sara Powter

Sara now continues the retelling.

Weaving fact with fiction tells of the amazing and intrepid souls who worked together to make our wonderful country the fabulous place it is today; the convicts turned adversity to advantage! Stolen from their loved ones in England, they worked and were rewarded with ‘Tickets Of Leave’, each becoming some of Parramatta’s and Emu Plains’ leading citizens. Like many untold convict stories, there was often faith behind them. Their strong Christian Faith was taught to each generation.

She writes, “Over 200 years have passed since the first arrival of our family on this beautiful but rugged shore. Each day I come to love it more. Lee Kernaghan’s song “The Odyssey” sums it up! This country’s got a hold on me! I will never regret that they came as convicts! I’m proud of that!” They were ripped from their parents and children’s loving arms, never returning; most were sent for very petty crimes. It made them strong and resilient, and determined to do the best they could for their family!  

The retelling of Charles and Sal’s story mirrors John Ellison’s and Sarah Watkins story. They were my GG Grandparents, along with Joseph Huff and Amelia Harlow. They regularly attended St John’s church in Parramatta. Without their faith and example of Christian love, their children and grandchildren may have followed different paths.

Sara is married to Stephen Powter. They have two grown children. Stephen, an Anglican Minister, is recently retired. She loves to fish and he to surf, so you may well see them travelling up and down the Pacific Coast of the Eastern States of Australia in an old caravan with rods and Surfboards boards under their 50 year old tinny! They live on the Central Coast of NSW.

Charles Lockley quickly becomes a trusted member of the community. After helping quell a mutiny on the long journey from England, he is granted a Ticket of Leave and becomes the Government Stores Keeper in Parramatta whilst also running an Inn with his wife Sal.

As their families future, and their faith, is intertwined with their new homeland where the class system of old is almost non- existent, their second son Eddie, a hard working blacksmith and will become the unassuming hero.

William “Wills” Lockley, 18, has laid a solid foundation for a respectable career as a blacksmith, but the Lockley lust for adventure flows deeply within his veins. He dreads the monotony of work at the blacksmith’s forge and yearns for adventure in a new frontier.

Wills meets six Englishmen who have the means to make his dreams come true. What they discover change the Colony and their lives forever. Gold fever ensues.
Now on the road West, Wills has to deal with an uncertain romance.
Does she even want him?

How can Luke trust God has a plan for him if he can’t even work out how to get a job? He does the only thing he can… he prays.
Within a week, life has changed… oh how it has changed! The condition of his heart problems also takes a turn. Can he walk away?

The echoes from the past still haunt his oldest son, Charlie. London is calling the family, and they can’t put off the trip.
How does Jim, the Cobb and Co coach driver, fit in? And precisely what is the ‘Earl’s Shadow’ that he speaks about? Can handing everything to God be that simple?
What happens if the ‘Shadow’ is gone?

Rick knows little about Jack, the old swagman, who protected him during his years on the road. Rick understands Jack has secrets, but Rick trusts him. The old man comes to live with them. However, his story is revealed only on his death. Jack leaves Rick his precious Billy Can. Its contents finally reveal who Jack really is, but it contains more than that.

Stunned by the revelations contained in the Billy, Rick knows they must travel to England to finalise Jack’s wishes. He discovers love, betrayal and a tenuous link to his own family. Rick finds there is much more to learn about this enigmatic man.
How can Rick and his family do justice to Jack and the fabulous bequest?

Rick knows little about Jack, the old swagman, who protected him during his years on the road. Rick understands Jack has secrets, but Rick trusts him. The old man comes to live with them. However, his story is revealed only on his death. Jack leaves Rick his precious Billy Can. Its contents finally reveal who Jack really is, but it contains more than that.

Stunned by the revelations contained in the Billy, Rick knows they must travel to England to finalise Jack’s wishes. He discovers love, betrayal and a tenuous link to his own family. Rick finds there is much more to learn about this enigmatic man.
How can Rick and his family do justice to Jack and the fabulous bequest?

Sam has his own past laid bare, and he must adjust to the revelations. They both must face their accusers, and they find that the answers to their questions are not what they thought.

Their life experiences seem to cling tightly to them both, unable to shake it; finally, they end up back in England, facing their ghosts and discover they are not who they think they are.

How can they turn their anger and spite into love and forgiveness?

The Dance of Life goes on.

A glimmer of hope arises when she hears from her brother, Jim, who has enlisted a friend’s help to contact her. She writes to Jim, pouring out her heart and telling him of the horrors of her new life. He encourages her to stay firm in her faith. All she can do is pray.

When Ned, another of her brother’s friends, comes into her life, things begin to change, yet challenges remain. How can Amelia forge a new life for herself? What man could possibly want her with her background and a child at her side? Can Amelia ever find true love?