Christine Leonard
writing life stories and social history
“I finished the Wall book in one gulp…. I loved it and as a reader of history, I was engrossed in the details of your connections with the bush.” J. Bent
“In the early hours of this morning I finished Fr Miltrup’s memoir, wonderful book … I found it hard to put down and read it in a few days.” M. Tisch
Events and News
Zoom talk on The Wall family: weaving the threads of memories
22 February 2025 @ 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM AEST
The writing process for my family history book
Book through the Genealogical Society of Queensland Inc.
Library talks in Brisbane:
The journey to publishing my family history book
Saturday 17 May 2025
11am - 12 noon.
Ashgrove Library Ph: 07 3407 1940
Saturday 29 May 2025
10am - 11am.
Wynnum Library Ph: 07 3403 2199
Video presentations
Library talk in Hobart 2024:
chatting about the Wall family
Book launch 2023 of
When the Garamuts Beat, a memoir by Franz Miltrup SM about his years in Bougainville
Welcome
I acknowledge the Quandamooka People, Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and seas, where I live today.
Thank you for visiting the Leonard Stories website.
This website supports the memoirs and other non-fiction stories I write about family, and social history, set in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Photographs (many kindly shared by others) offering supplementary insights to the books are included along with short stories and blogs.
Chris Leonard (my husband), has also contributed some short stories and articles under the title ‘Saltwater Tales’. He dived on a lot of shipwrecks in the waters around Bougainville and in Rabaul Harbour, all of which make for fascinating reading.
Leonard Stories is a window into our writing projects, through books, short stories, and photo galleries.
— Christine Leonard
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About the author
Christine Leonard is an Australian who grew up on Bougainville. As a writer passionate about social history, and as a descendant of convicts transported to Van Diemen’s Land between 1825 and 1835, Christine’s work weaves together her research and stories told by generations of family.
Christine’s second published book is a memoir ‘When The Garamuts Beat.’
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The Walls
This Australian story follows a young man transported in 1835 to Van Diemen’s Land, who went on to play his part as an early pioneer of Central Victoria and Warrnambool. The Currency refers to his children, and their descendants span a further 117 years.
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The Hallams of the Whitsundays
Pioneers in Whitsunday’s tourist industry my grandparents Bob and Millie Hallam, with Bob’s brother Bert Hallam, leased Hayman Island in the early 1930s to run a tourist resort.
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Chris Leonard
The author’s partner Chris Leonard shares his short stories on wreck diving, WWII relics that rest in the jungles of PNG and more.
A convict heritage
William Wall was transported to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) in 1835. He served seven years as a convict assigned to three masters or employers.
The Wall Family — E-book
The Wall Family weaves threads of memories with researched facts and family stories. The book tells a story of adversity and hope, or adventure and achievement.
Written as a thumping good read, The Wall Family will be of interest to family members, and anyone interested in Australian colonial history.
E-book: A$7.99 available at https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/the-wall-family-weaving-the-threads-of-memories
The e-book is also available through Booktopia, Angus & Robertson, FNAC in France.
