Black Saturday survivor, Melanie Harris-Brady’s story of her personal journey of recovery over the past 10 years is due to be released in her book ‘Ten Years On’.
Having lost her home and raising a young daughter alone, Melanie found that what came out of the garden - making jams and chutneys - became her therapy. Each year, around 7 February, her family and friends would gather to turn the kitchen into a food production effort. Her stalwart friend became her husband, a new house rose out of the ashes and a baby son is born.
A marketer and Western Herbalist, Melanie found peace and recovery gardening, meditating and cooking. “Trauma need not define you, and blessings come in the love and empathy of others”, she says. Melanie’s book will be released in time for the 10th anniversary.