YOUNG residents were treated to a rare event on Thursday morning at the Southern Cross Cinema when author Di Moore came to town to promote her new book Out of the Mists - about the hidden history of her grandmother, Australia’s last lady bushranger Elizabeth Jessie Hickman.
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In front of an intimate crowd of book lovers and history buffs, Mrs Moore captivated the audience with the story of how she came to find out about her biological grandmother.
“It was Boxing Day 2002 when my long-lost cousin tracked me down and told me that my real grandmother was Elizabeth Jessie Hickman,” said Di.
“Originally I thought he was pulling my leg but then he produced a book about it and that set the wheels in motion.
“I was 67 years old then and some eleven-and-a-half years later I have now completed the book Out of the Mists,” said Di.
Given away as an eight-year-old to the circus, Elizabeth Jessie Hickman lived a colourful life as a circus performer and bushranger.
Jessie, as she was affectionately known, rode the valleys of the Wollemi and lived in a world of buckjumping, carnivals, cattle-duffing, arrests and escapes.
Di had lived for 50 years since the passing of the woman she thought was her grandmother ‘Kitty’, when in fact Jessie was her biological grandparent.
“It was a life-changing revelation and I had no idea what I might uncover.
“They say the truth is stranger than fiction and I have a new appreciation for that aphorism,” said Di.
Out of the Mists - The Hidden History of Elizabeth Jessie Hickman is available on Amazon or via Balboa Publishing. RRP $25 excluding postage.
Check your local bookstore or with Southern Cross Cinema on 6382 1000 for more information.
