Book Tells a Childhood Story When There Was 'No Time for Toys'

The scrapbook of Gail Annette Tregear’s grandmother fascinated her not only because of her grandmother’s story, but also because of the story of her great-great-grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth Thatcher Smith Harren. This fascination led Tregear to write “No Time for Toys” (published by Xlibris AU) and share the story of the life of her great-great-grandmother. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.amazon.com/Time-Toys-Gail-Annette-Tregear/dp/198450018X.

In 1818, a 4-year-old girl arrived in Sydney alone with her little brothers as their mother had died on the voyage and their convict father could not look after them. This journey took her through the early days of Australia from the Female Orphan School to marriage at age 14, widowhood at age 24 and a second marriage that saw her travel through the Monaro and Snowy Mountains to Melbourne and eventually the Ballarat Gold Fields. On her death in 1903, she was Australia's oldest colonist.

“My challenge was to start this book on Australia Day 2017 and finish it on Australia Day 2018. By that year, it will have been 200 years since my great-great-grandmother arrived in Australia at age 4,” Tregear says. “The life of my great-great-grandmother Sarah Elizabeth Thatcher-Smith-Harren was inspirational and I hope I have done justice to it with this book.”

“No Time for Toys” tells the true story of a strong woman during the early days of Australia. It shows how she faced and overcame life’s challenges as well as a very hard childhood in which there was “no time for toys.”

“No Time for Toys”
By Gail Annette Tregear
Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 108 pages | ISBN 9781984500199
Softcover | 6 x 9in | 108 pages | ISBN 9781984500182
E-Book | 108 pages | ISBN 9781984500175
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Gail Annette Tregear is a journalist specializing in international horseracing, traveling the world to cover major horse racing events. She ran a sweep on the English Derby in Mongolia on one occasion. Despite living in and visiting many exotic places, she still calls Canberra home. Tregear grew up in Canberra where her father was a parliamentary officer and her mother a champion golfer.

Xlibris Publishing Australia, an Author Solutions, LLC imprint, is a self-publishing services provider dedicated to serving Australian authors. By focusing on the needs of creative writers and artists and adopting the latest print-on-demand publishing technology and strategies, we provide expert publishing services with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound and full-color formats. To date, Xlibris has helped to publish more than 60,000 titles.For more information, visit xlibrispublishing.com.au or call 1800 455 039 to receive a free publishing guide. Follow us @XlibrisAus on Twitter for the latest news.

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