Dianne Wolfer is the award-winning author of 26 books, including the acclaimed ‘Light’ series, adapted for stage, street theatre, and choirs! She lives on the southwest coast with her husband, Pete, and dog, Harry. Today we’re thrilled to be talking to Dianne about her latest book, a biography of Robin Miller, Soaring with the Sugarbird Lady.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of Soaring with the Sugarbird Lady.
From the publisher:
Imagine flying solo, crisscrossing the north-west of Australia in your own plane, and single-handedly delivering life-saving vaccines to remote communities. Robin Miller did this, and at a time when most people didn’t think women should be pilots at all. Her arrival seemed like magic to the outback children who received her polio vaccine on sugar cubes. Before long, she became known as the Sugarbird Lady. And this was just the start of Robin’s extraordinary real-life adventures!
You’ve included quotes from Robin’s own diary at the start of each chapter. When you need to conduct research about someone from history like Robin Miller, how difficult/easy is it to find the information you need?
Researching someone as respected and loved as Robin Miller was challenging and an honour. To begin with I reread Flying Nurse, written by Robin and published in 1971, as well as The Sugarbird Lady, published after Robin’s death, and based on her diaries. I watched online presentations, including talks by Patsy Millett, Robin’s sister, and read books written by family members (Patsy, her father Horrie Miller, and mother Mary Durack). Both the State Library of Western Australia and the National Library in Canberra hold boxes of Robin’s papers and memorabilia. Sifting through items that Robin treasured helped give me a stronger sense of who Robin was, and how best I could write her story. I loved holding things like the brooch from her air race across the United States! After researching widely, I came back to Robin’s books. That’s where I heard her voice. Quotes from Robin’s books and diaries became the bedrock of my early drafts. Over many story drafts and edits, the quotes were pared back until just a few remain.
Other than diaries, how do you know when the information you find in your research is reliable?
It’s important to cross-reference and check all information. History is recorded by humans who can easily make mistakes and who write from their own perspective. I often asked myself, is this a trustworthy source?
Robin Miller packed in so much during her life and a book is a certain length – how do you decide what to leave out of the book?
Deciding what to leave out was the hardest part! My process is to overwrite then try to edit bravely, cutting out words and unnecessary scenes. So many amazing flights and adventures were left out while shaping the book, to keep the pace moving along. I hope readers will be inspired by Robin’s courage and determination, and that Soaring with the Sugarbird Lady will provide a taster to find out more about this amazing aviator.
When she was a young woman, society (and even family members) tried to put limits on what Robin could do in life and she persisted anyway. In your own life, have you ever faced limitations on what you wanted to do?
Readers might find it hard to believe that until the late 1960s, women who worked in the Australian public service had to give up their job when they married. My mother was one of them. Once the law changed, when I was seven, Mum returned to work. When I finished high school, four years after Robin’s death, it was still unusual for women to venture beyond teaching, nursing or office work. I was lucky that Mum encouraged my sister and I to embrace our adventurous spirits. She hid her worries when I travelled across south-east Asia alone and worked in a remote village in the Himalayas for a year. Over the years there have been improvements, but many industries are still challenging workplaces for women …
What’s next for you?
The start of 2025 has been busy, and wonderful. Three books are coming out with three different publishers: Soaring with the Sugarbird Lady (Fremantle Press), The Colt from Old Regret, illustrated by Erica Wagner (NLA Publishing), and Cattle Muster, illustrated by Frané Lessac (Walker Books). I’ve been working on each book for years and suddenly they’re all here!
I’m also excited to have just launched a newsletter. There’s a link to subscribe on my website. Two other exciting things that are happening: the regional tour of Theatre 180’s The Lighthouse Girl Saga, as well as the Chauvel Light Horse ride, where riders travel 750 km across regional Victoria/NSW to honour Sir Harry Chauvel. They’re presenting schools along the way with copies of The Last Light Horse, my book about the only horse to return from WWI.
Soaring with the Sugarbird Lady is out now! Look for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS
Read sample pages from the book!
Download a crossword activity inspired by the book
Visit Dianne Wolfer’s website to find out more about her and her books
alphabetsoup.net.au 