A year or two before Peter died, he asked me to write a book about his life: “You know Om, I was talking to my friend Martha and she suggested I get someone to write a book about my life. “Do something for yourself, Pete” she said. It does make sense, you know.”
I thought about it overnight and when I called Peter back the next day to say yes, he casually mentioned that he wanted the book to be not only be about himself, but about the life of his sister Anne and her husband Victor. In the first month after Peter asked me to write this book I couldn’t get much out of him about how he wanted the book written, or the content he wanted within. All he could really tell me was that he wanted me to write about the contributions the three of them made to society, and to showcase my grandparent’s photography.
My husband Stephen, knowing I was stumped as to where to begin, suggested I give myself three weeks in Alice Springs to interview Peter in person and gather the archival material I would need for the book. Much to my relief, Peter was much easier to interview in person, but Mum put this down to the blood transfusions Peter had recently begun receiving. “He’s like a new person! Getting that pneumonia was a gift in disguise.”
“Can I poke around in your storage shed, to find letters and diaries that might help me write your story?” I asked Peter. “Of course!” he agreed. I gathered what I needed from Peter’s shed and then began searching for photographs and documents about my grandparent’s life. The family photographs spanned five generations and stirred an avalanche of memories and stories from those who saw them. “Wait!” I would say, whenever I realized a new story was about to be told. “Can I record this one?”
As much as I enjoyed sorting through the slides and listening to family stories, the real treasures lay in the written files, rich with letters, diaries, certificates and other documents. Little did I know, I was about to fall in love with the lost art of letter-writing. Each letter was a window into another time, a cherished moment spent with a loved one passed, and hidden in these letters were tiny clues that told a bigger story. I felt like a detective solving a mystery and every new discovery raised as many questions as it answered. By the time I got home, my writer’s fingers were twitching with anticipation.
Peter passed away mid June, 2017, a few weeks after seeing the first draft of the biography. I travelled back to Alice to arrange the funeral, using the research I’d done so far to create an obituary and eulogy, and as is so often the way, many more stories about Peter’s life came to light. The draft that was already too big became bigger still.
Editing has progressed since then in spits and spurts; I love to immerse myself obsessively for months on end, and then come up for air to rest for long stretches, during which I continue ‘writing in my mind’. Attempting to write a single biography about three people who each lived fascinating lives is a wonderful challenge; how do I honour each life while keeping the page count to a reasonable size? While I know Peter would be quite happy for the stories to be written separately if need be, the shared biography is a symbol of sorts, a way to feel forever connected with the sister he adored and the brother-in-law whose photography he so admired; a way to honour two lives that were inextricably linked with his own.
As I happily wrestle with this dilemma and the juggling of work and writing, time keeps a-ticking. This site is my way to ensure Peter’s story is readily available now, for those who might want to learn more about this incredible man and the extraordinary life he lived, while I keep dancing a slow dance with the larger biography (or biographies).
I’ll be adding to this site gradually during the editing journey and I’ll set up a companion site for my grandparents with an emphasis on sharing their photography, as Peter wished. If you have anything you wish to contribute to Peter’s story, or Anne and Victor Urban’s stories please contact me.
Warm wishes
Omanisa Ross
(Peter’s great niece)
This photograph was taken at The Old Timers home in Alice Springs in 2016, Peter and I are looking at his sister Anne Urban’s wildflower book, Wildflowers and Plants of Inland Australia.
Peter Fannin 