BOOK LAUNCH

My book, Wildflowers, wilderness and wine has been selling Internationally since February. Now the first consignment of printed books is ready for an Australian book launch.  Wildflowers, wilderness and wine will be presented by our local member of State Parliament, Lawrence Springborg, at the Stanthorpe Art Gallery on Tuesday night 28th July. Eberhard and I are putting on a typical Granite Belt party. We have hired the art gallery as our venue, arranged for the serving of wines from Harrington Glen Wines and for Claudia from Thunderbolt Farm to provide her quality hor d’eouvres.

Front cover

What are my hopes, what are my dreams, what will this book do for my community?

Why did I write this book? I had a story to tell and by relating this story to a bigger audience than my breakfast table guests I believe I can bring fame and prosperity to this region in the same manner that Peter Mayles book, A Year in Provence, did for the south of France.

The author

Although this book is an entertaining story about a year in my life managing a busy Granite Belt B&B, the significant feature was my recognition that the Granite Belt possessed a Unique Selling Point which had never previously been understood by the local residents.

Of course they knew about the seven district names of Amiens, Messines, Bapaume, Passchendaele, Bullecourt, Pozieres and Fluerbaix. These Flanders battlefield names were given to former railway sidings of a soldier settlement established in 1920. What only a gardener could discover was that in the cool mountain climate of the Granite Belt the red Flanders poppies could be timed to germinate to enable them to bloom for 11th November, Remembrance Day.

The book tells the tale of how my first proposal of establishing a Remembrance Drive linking these village was vetoed by the Stanthorpe Shire Council when farmers feared the Flanders poppies could spread to become a weed nuisance. I took the heat out of the issue by planting a field of the poppies on our land in front of our house to prove that they posed no threat. The controversy led to publicity in newspapers, which in turn led to our garden and Remembrance Field being featured on TV programs like Burke’s Backyard and in magazines.

Magazine cover

With a few exceptions the Granite Belt district did not comprehend my vision.

Residents failed to realize or didn’t understand the potential of my vision that this was the only district in the Southern Hemisphere with a grouping of seven Flanders battlefield place names and a cool mountain climate that would enable the red Flanders poppies to bloom for 11th November. One exception was the Bungawarra Winery where Jeff Hardin planted the poppies under his grape vines.

Bungawarra vines

By opening my garden and the Remembrance Field to the public each year I was able to raise a considerable sum of money as a donation to Brisbane Legacy. In Australia Legacy groups support the widows and children of ex-servicemen. By 2005 the number of widows of the men who had served in the Second World War reached a peak, but now as terrorism causes conflicts around the world and our young men go off to attempt to bring peace to these regions we are once again losing soldiers. Only this week another Australian soldier died in Afghanistan. It is the families of such men and women, or the elderly widows now losing their husbands that Legacy supports. Two of my Aunts lost their first husbands in the Second World War and were supported by Legacy. Later they married my Uncles who had returned from fighting the Japanese in New Guinea, but when age wearied my Uncles and these Aunts were again widowed, Legacy stepped in to assist.

My Uncle Lach Mulcahy

Not only did I write my book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine to promote the Granite Belt region, but to continue to raise money to aid Legacy groups across Australia to assist dependents of former Australian service men and women.

I have invited Miles and Mavis Farmer, who appear as characters in my book due to the assistance that Miles, a retired Lieutenant Colonel who served in Vietnam gave me with the establishment of the Remembrance Field and subsequent events, to attend my book launch.

In addition Miles has provided me with a letter vouching my integrity as it is my intention to ask Legacy and RSL groups around Australia to advertise my book. For every person who then sends me the advertisement when purchasing a book and names the Legacy group who assist their region, I will donate $10.00 of the sale price to their group.

These are the words that Miles has written.

WILDFLOWERS, WILDERNESS AND WINE

I am writing to introduce Mrs. Fay Helwig and support her request for your assistance which will be to the benefit of Legacy.

Mrs. Helwig is well known to Brisbane Legacy through The Legacy Flanders Poppy Festival of Faith, which raised significant funds for legacy over several years. Fay and her husband, Eberhard, established a B&B at Glen Aplin, just south of Stanthorpe in the Granite belt of Queensland. In 1996 they a planted a Remembrance Field of Flanders poppies in front of their home in which they created a vista commonly seen throughout northern France.

Their inspiration came from the seven locations in the Stanthorpe district named after significant battles of WW1. These are Messines, Pozieres, Passchendaele, Fleurbaix, Amiens, Bapaume and Bullecort. 500 soldier settlement farms were established in this area in 1920. It was thought that the bracing climate of the Granite Belt would benefit those diggers who had been gassed during WW1.

Mrs. Helwig, a gardener of some note, realised that she could plant the poppies so that they would bloom around Remembrance Day and provide a basis for a fund raising event to benefit Legacy. The first event in 1996 was low key and organised with the assistance of Legatee John Digweed of Stanthorpe. It was officially launched the following year by Major General Peter Phillips AO MC, National President of the RSL, himself a Legatee, and who grew up as a ward of Legacy. The then Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, the Hon Bruce Scott MP also attended as did many other dignitaries.

The event was linked with the Australian Open Garden Scheme which drew many visitors to Stanthorpe. My own RSL (Sherwood Indooroopilly) was one of many groups that organised bus tours to the Festival. The field of poppies featured on TV Australia wide – Burke’s Backyard, Australian Garden and in many national magazines.

Brisbane Legacy became involved in the Festival, but after a number of years the Festival lapsed as RSL volunteer workers aged. Every year money is still generated for Legacy as visitors come from far away to see this unique attraction where the red Flanders poppies bloom for 11th November.

Mrs. Helwig has a written a book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine which tells this story and much more about the beautiful Granite Belt, including many of her experiences in a running a Guesthouse. She has been a creative spirit in Stanthorpe Tourism with all her endeavours benefiting the community. I am confident that members of the Legacy family will find her book enjoyable and worth reading. I urge your support.

Dedication stone

Das Helwig Haus B&B owned by Eberhard and Fay Helwig is situated at Glen Aplin, near Stanthorpe on the Granite Belt of southern Queensland, Australia.

This is a region noted for summer stone-fruit, autumn apples, winter  Christmas in July dinners and a spring Remembrance Field of red Flanders poppies.

Fay has published a book called Wildflowers, wilderness and wine.

It is available on the Amazon.com website.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ACXQ0M/sr=8-1/qid=1244294755/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1244294755&sr=8-1&seller=

http://stores.lulu.com/strictlyliterary

http://books.google.co.uk/

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