One life: my mother's story

Nance Russell would have liked to have been a writer but apart from one letter published in the Sydney Morning Herald this aspect of her life did not eventuate. After her mother's death, Australian author, Kate Grenville, discovered a number of notebooks and papers on which Nance had made notes about her early life. These form the basis of her mother's story.

After leaving school Nance became an apprentice pharmacist and eventually a pharmacist, on two occasions managing her own pharmacy. Much of the book involves the challenges of a young mother attempting to work when she has a young family to care for. Nance had married Kenneth Gee but although he appreciated the extra income brought into the family by his wife, which allowed him to go off on a tangent and follow his own pursuits, he was oblivious to the additional strain placed on his wife. 

Once again this is a biography demonstrating the challenges faced by women in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s when attempting to lead rewarding professional lives. Many years later Nance was able to follow some of her dreams including completing an Arts Degree and becoming a teacher. She was also able to travel overseas on several occasions. She must have been a strong and independent woman.