FIRST PERSON

ALISON ALEXANDER AUTHOR AND HISTORIAN

I was happiest when … actually I’m pretty happy now, living in beautiful Tasmania with friends I’ve known since childhood – and new ones, too.

You wouldn’t know it but … I love surfing – only on a boogie board, but that’s enough for me.

My most embarrassing moment was … having to do a bible reading in front of the whole school in 1966 that contained the deeply embarrassing word “bosom”. The last time I cried was … when my first grandchild was born this year, our dear little Joe. The last book I read was … Quentin Beresford’s The Rise and Fall of Gunns Ltd. It was a real page-turner – absolutely engrossing, though also horrifying. My favourite film is … it goes back a long way but The Tale of Ruby Rose. I love that wonderful Tasmanian scenery. I really want to … find people who think they live in utopia in Tasmania, for my next book. Please contact me if you do. My guilty pleasure is … eating chocolate. Alter Eco’s Dark Salted Brown Butter is my favourite. Life has taught me … to wait and have a think before I react to anything. So boring but pays dividends. I’m about to … go to Jackeys Marsh to find out about alternative lifestyles there – and whether it’s utopia.

Join Alison Alexander on a roadtrip to Connorville Estate, near Cressy, tomorrow to celebrate the launch of her latest book The O’Connors of Connorville. This is a rare opportunity to explore the grounds and gardens of this 19th- century farm village. Fullers Bookshop is hosting the event and is running a bus to Connorville on the day. The bus departs Cornelian Bay at 10am, arriving at 2pm. The cost is $70 a person, which includes the bus fare and a $20 donation to the Clifford Craig Medical Research Foundation. To book, visit fullersbookshop.com.au