Jenny Kroonstuiver
Biography, Australian History, Women, Fiction
Born in the 1950s, Jenny Kroonstuiver spent her childhood living on pastoral stations firstly in western Queensland and then on the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia. It was during the time on the Nullarbor that she met Jean and Mark Zuvela, who became life-long adopted ‘Aunt and Uncle’. Jenny trained as a teacher and spent several years teaching in country areas of the Northern Territory and Queensland, before returning to Kalgoorlie in the 1980s.
After a short-lived marriage, she raised her four children alone, continuing to work in the broader education sector. From 2004, she took up a role managing the national training system for the Australian meat industry, a role she held until her retirement in 2020.
Books by Jenny Kroonstuiver
The Water Bag
Amazon Angus & Robertson Booktopia Dymocks
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Jenny Kroonstuiver has lived and worked across Australia, mainly in remote areas. She recalls stories from her unusual childhood and varied careers, taking the reader on an entertaining journey with a mixture of humour and compassion, describing the colourful characters and experiences of her life.
Nod to the Admiral
Amazon Angus & Robertson Booktopia
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For Bluey and Molly Turner, 1901 brings a baby and a hotel and a painting in the tiny mining town of Trafalgar. They are thrust into the turbulent lifestyle of a growing town of diverse personalities and politics.
The Memory Chest
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A forgotten memory chest and an exquisite china bell are found underneath the floorboards of a recently demolished house. The search for the owners leads Susan Robinson to Katja, a young Croatian woman from the early 1900s, and a story of the life and challenges of the early Western Australian goldfields.
As I remember it: The Lina Graebner Diaries
Amazon Angus & Robertson Dymocks
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This inspiring story follows four women who endured starvation and loss as they ran from Russian Communism in WW II. Lina tells of narrow escapes as they fled each country, and the brave people who helped. After 5 years in Austrian refugee camps the family was accepted by Australia in 1950 and so began a new life of freedom.
Before the West
Amazon Angus & Robertson Booktopia Dymocks
Eric Swann was a talented pastoralist in outback Australia. In Before the West he describes his childhood in western NSW. The story then moves to western Queensland where he spent his youth working on pastoral properties, along with the colourful characters who contributed to the development of his unique bush skills.
They came to Glengallan
Amazon Angus & Robertson Booktopia Dymocks
‘Glengallan’ follows eight families who arrived from Britain in the mid 19C and were involved in the pastoral industry and early politics of Queensland. Generations later mothercraft nurse Ruth Lee commenced work at Yaraka. Ruth tells how she met Eric Swann, and their life together is that of a new generation of pioneers.
Winton: The Swann Family Story
Amazon Angus & Robertson Booktopia Dymocks
Bill and Beat Swann married in Hillston in 1926. Battling farmers during the twentieth century, their story is one of true resilience. They were descended from pioneers who established Australia's farming areas. 'Winton' tells the Swann Australian story and then steps back in time to explore the lives of many of their ancestors.
Glimpses of Jean
Amazon Angus & Robertson Booktopia Dymocks
Australian-born to Yugoslav parents, Jean Zuvela was among the pioneers who established a Lime Kiln community east of Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia, in the 1920s. Her remarkable story, told in her own words, traces the many challenges she faced as a young woman in an isolated community.
