South West Queensland
Charleville
The real story behind a day of fencing down in the gully
Encouraging others to do something they are passionate about, Pam believes grief brings it to the surface. It then becomes quiet important to you, because you just have to keep taking little steps and you will get there,” she said.
A very basic story line about a family of five whom live on a farm, two of the children go with their father and grandfather to fix fences in Bubble Gum Gully, Pam’s story also includes little life hacks throughout. “I also include things like when you are finished with your little camp fire, make sure you pour water on it, because sand isn’t a good idea.”
Having grown up in Charleville and surrounding areas herself, Pam wanted to make sure her story stayed along the rural setting. “I am very proud of my heritage and I am very grounded with the Western area.”
Fencing day at Bubble Gum Gully is slowly making its way around South West Queensland and Pam hopes that since her partnership with the Drought Angels, more people will become aware of the children’s book.
“Now with the Drought Angels, it might push it a bit further. So every book sold, I give $2 back to them and they promote my book.”
Pam says she will be making the next book more fun and wants to try and expand her book selling to Brisbane.
"Warrego Watchman" April 2017
PAM LEWIS turned to writing and self-publishing a children’s book to help her cope with the death of her son. The idea came to her after waking up one morning and she tossed around various possibilities of what she would write about.
“I originally thought I would write a book on grief and then I was like no, everyone writes books about grief.” So deciding to do it her own way, Pam channelled her pain and emotion into a children’s book, better known as, Fencing Day at Bubble Gum Gully.
“It all really started about four years ago when our son was killed down south of Mitchell in a car accident. So I was trying to come to grips with what it was all about and I just had all this bent up emotion.”
“I decided to write about my own little grandkids out where I live and it would be mainly farm stories.”
After finishing the book, Pam wanted to give people a bit of hope after losing a child, encouraging them to keep going. “I did this mostly for myself, but I wanted to show people you will get a handle on losing a child, even through all the horror,” she said. “But I wanted to put as much of my grief in a book, without making it too heavy for the kids.”
By adding her own personal references throughout the book, such as naming one of the paddocks Black Dog. “That’s my little bit of how grief effects me. It’s the kind of depression that is the happy go lucky kind.”
Another touch of Pam in the book is a picture of a seatbelt, reminding kids to buckle up. “My son wasn’t wearing a seatbelt at the time of his accident, so I’ve just put a picture of a seatbelt in there and I say every now and then in the book to buckle up. So that’s just another little bit of myself, which the kids wouldn’t know that.”
Understanding that times are tough, Pam insists she lives by this rule each day. “I get up every morning and look for all the positive things in the day and if I haven’t found them by the night time, that’s fine, I always have tomorrow.”
Price: $15.00
including postage
