In her life to-date farmer, historian and author Maggie MacKellar has navigated some of the most horrendously unexpected undertows of life. But now, in her home with her partner, in a tiny town on the east coast of Tasmania, it's their Life on the Land that’s brought her to calmer waters again.

Some of you may already know Maggie’s story, she’s been on ABC TV’s Australian Story twice. The first was the story of her husband, Mike who became acutely unwell with a mental health illness, which quickly took hold of his once healthy mind and escalated to a situation where he took his own life. Maggie was 6 months pregnant with their second child at the time. Then, soon after, Maggie’s rock, the person who gave her breath - her mother - was taken when an acute cancer took her life leaving Maggie reeling again …..

When we asked Maggie if she’d like to be interviewed she was needed to think. Because stepping back in time is not something she, or her children do often …… and when she looks back now, she admits, things are no less hard or harrowing, but they do look a bit different.....

Thankyou to our series sponsor Blundstone.

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Thanks for listening, we’ll be back next week with another story of Life on the Land.