Maureen Larter was born in England in the late 1940’s and came over to Australia when still a toddler. She is a teacher of piano and violin, and lives on the lower North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. She lives on a smallholding of 12 acres, and does her best to live self-sufficiently, while taking care of the soil and the environment. Almost all the pictures in the booklet were taken on her land. In her spare time (!) she is learning to spin and weave. She has been the President of the Manning Organic Gardeners Group for 5 years. She has completed the course and received her certificate in ‘Sustainable Agriculture’. In the past, she has taught English, Social Studies, Music and Mathematics in High Schools within Australia, as well as living in China for a short time, teaching English.

On wet days, when she can’t be out in her garden, and there are no students commandeering her time, she loves to sit and write. She writes children’s stories and short stories, as well as occasional articles for magazines.