Wild storyteller Karen Wyld

Above: Karen Wyld.

Magical storyteller

Story by Stephanie Johnston. Photograph by Dominic Guerrera. Adelaide Writers’ Week has always been a wonderful way to discover new writers from across the world, and 2021 was no exception. However for me, this year’s find came from somewhere much closer to home.

Author Karen Wyld grew up in an old farmhouse on one hundred acres at O’Halloran Hill. The house and farm are long gone, but Karen has continued to live in the south for most of her life, making the Willunga Basin her home for over thirty years.

A diasporic Aboriginal woman of Martu descent, Karen’s Grandmother’s Country is in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Accordingly, her storytelling traverses the vast continent of Australia, spanning generations, straddling Aboriginal and European cultures, and criss-crossing a rich range of landscapes and subject matter. I first meet Karen at the book tent at Writers’ Week, where she is signing copies of her epic second novel Where the Fruit Falls, an award-winning family saga of how the impacts of colonialism and racism echo down the generations.

In typical Adelaide fashion, we quickly discover how our paths have already crossed: she owned a bookshop in Port Noarlunga when I was a book publisher, and while I was making representations to the City of Onkaparinga on behalf of community groups, she worked in community development there.

When we meet for coffee in Aldinga, it turns out Karen has also undertaken her fair share of community advocacy. As a sole parent she worked with other like-minded locals to establish a housing co-op in the Willunga Basin. The Hills, Vales and Coast co-operative went on to build twenty-four houses during her time there, and this volunteer work led to government support for postgraduate study, and an early career in social housing.

Her local advocacy however continued: ‘I saw around me that people really needed services. There were no shops … we needed youth support and access to other services.’ She laughs that this might have been in conflict with what my group was lobbying for, but we agree that what was needed was a balance between protection of our region’s rural character, and support for those who live here: ‘I think that at the moment we have got the balance right,’ she says, ‘but that could easily tip.’

Other initiatives included a food co-op for those on low incomes, two community gardens and a youth centre at the Aldinga District Centre, retro surf movie and music events at the Aldinga Bay Surf Life Saving Club, and establishment of the Southern Elders Weaving Group, a social enterprise whose work continues to this day.

Despite wanting to be a writer from an early age, and some dabbling in the zine culture of the 1980s and 90s, it was not until later in life that Karen finally found the time to start writing seriously. ‘Do we ever have time to write though?’ she asks facetiously.

Self-taught and challenged by dyslexia, her prose naturally evolved from technical report writing, to freelance opinion pieces, to narrative nonfiction and imaginative story-telling. IndigenousX, SBS and Meanjin were among the well-respected outlets who got behind her work, which eventually led to awards and publication of her short stories and novels.

As Karen enjoys the success of Where the Fruit Falls, she is not resting on her laurels. She’s currently working on a master’s dissertation exploring whether the term ‘magic realism’ should be applied to First Nations literature, and specifically the work of Australian writers Alexis Wright and Kim Scott.

Karen deftly fuses naturalism and realism with the mythical and the magical into her own narratives. Where the Fruit Falls intersperses dream-like passages and recurring symbolic emblems with reallife events, historical references and recognisable locations and landscapes. The result is a more intense reading experience, offering a deeper, and more nuanced understanding of the colonisation experience from a First Nations perspective.

‘It’s like the author being a magician,’ explains Karen. ‘We will use certain imagery, a sleight of hand, to direct the reader’s attention somewhere, but we won’t explain what that is. It’s up to the reader to work that out for themselves.’

Celebrating

of homes through the decades

Boathaven

Second Valley

Story by Petra de Mooy. Photography by Jason Porter. Styling by Liza Reynolds.

Above: The home has been designed with a guest wing and faces north for a passive solar solution. The garden incorporates hardy, drought tolerant plants with a grass area for David and Nadeen’s dog.

When Nadeen and David were looking for a block on which to build their new holiday house, they weren’t expecting to end up in Second Valley.

The couple had previously owned a holiday home at Port Elliot, but life took them in a different direction and they sold up, eventually seeking quieter surrounds. ‘We were just looking for a spot on this side of the Peninsula,’ says Nadeen. ‘We looked at a block higher up on the hill but it was too exposed so we drove around a bit and saw this place,’ adds David. Sheltered, private and with a good aspect, the Second Valley block offered exactly what they were looking for. ‘David has surfed this coast his whole life. We’re not city people, we prefer the country and we wanted to be close to the ocean, so this is the best of both worlds,’ says Nadeen.

When it came to design, the brief was ‘shack looking’ to pay homage to some of the original weekenders still dotted around the area. ‘We wanted a modern take on that style,’ says Nadeen. They approached Mountford Williamson Architects, after admiring a few of their other designs, to assist in translating this laid-back aesthetic into a sensitive, modern build. ‘Their graduate student Rose played a big part in the design,’ says Nadeen. ‘We wanted to keep it small and to downsize, as for the most part it will be just the two of us. They [the architects] came up with this design more or less straightaway and not much changed in the process.’ The timber battens featured on the interior and exterior of the house are taken from the shack vernacular of the nearby township. Originally, these somewhat crude structures constructed from cement sheeting interspersed with wooden battens were roofed with corrugated iron and painted in pale yellow, blue or green. They’re humble structures that form a part of the nostalgia and charm of the place. The unobtrusive scale of David and Nadeen’s house adopts the spirit of the shack, while thoroughly renovating the concept for today’s way of living. >

Top: The open plan living area has a stripped back palette of greys, warm timber and white punctuated by one of David’s paintings. Bottom: The outdoor seating area is a great place to while away an afternoon while listening to the birds and the ocean in the distance. Pony & Co cushions courtesy of and available at Valley of Yore. Next page: The timber batten detailing from the exterior is carried through into the bathroom. The warm wood, grey and white palette is carried throughout.

The couple engaged Matt Cates and the team from 4Life Constructions for the build. Having worked with Mountford Williamson before, Matt was excited to win the contract. ‘Mountford Williamson’s design style and material selection aligns perfectly with our construction style and expertise,’ says Matt. ‘It’s not the biggest property we’ve built, but it doesn’t have to be. This design was about spending quality time away from the Monday to Friday hustle and bustle.’ There is certainly no hustle or bustle to be seen within the home’s setting amid the sheltering arms of nearby trees, nor on the short walk to the beach. It feels like a true retreat.

The L-shaped design features two wings, offering a flexible floor plan that functions as well for two people as it does for a larger group. The main wing has a spacious open-plan living area with large, northeastfacing windows adjoined by a long corridor going to a bedroom, laundry and bathroom. A metal pendant light over the large solid wood table is a standout fixture. ‘I loved that right from the beginning, that was one of my first choices. I knew that’s what we wanted and we worked around that,’ says Nadeen. A generously proportioned modular couch in the living area is nestled next to a compact freestanding fireplace in the corner. The burnished concrete floor is flawlessly carried throughout.

A large outdoor shower area offers a shared space that marries the main wing into the second wing, which is designed for guest use. ‘In the shower area we’ve opted for semi-arid plants for a Palm Springs feel and plan to add more soon for privacy,’ says Nadeen. The rawfinish brass tapware with exposed pipes have a lovely aged patina. A covered breezeway links the two wings internally, while outside decking wraps around both entrances to unify the two spaces. The guest accommodation is an all-in-one living and sleeping room with a beautifully appointed bathroom, all duplicating the finishes in the main part of the house. Everything is modern, comfortable and light. Nadeen’s eye for understated design detail and colour is complemented by David’s colourful paintings. >

Above left: The generously proportioned outdoor shower area features raw-finish brass tapware with exposed pipes. Top and bottom right: The bedrooms are understated with natural linen look bedding, wood, and a modern luxe feel. Above: The bedrooms are understated with natural linen look bedding, wood, and a modern luxe feel.

The garden is an extension of the interior styling’s light and breezy feel. To minimise water use, Nadeen has carefully selected plants: ‘It was crucial we design a hardy, drought-tolerant, low-maintenance garden but we needed a grass area for our dog. I wanted it to have a native beachy feel but with a little Palm Springs thrown in. Hopefully in time we will achieve this. It’s a mixture of native plants and trees with a few exotics as well.’

The home also boasts strong green credentials. It manages heating and cooling via a passive solar design, augmented by the orientation of the house, good cross ventilation, bulk insulation and double glazed windows throughout. Large rainwater tanks and solar hot water were also incorporated to minimise impact.

The relaxed but refined feel of the finished product is a fitting reflection on the building process. ‘As soon as you arrive at the property you feel a sense of calmness. The simple forms and balance of materials just work and everywhere you look you can see the smaller details that have gone in, such as the hardwood timber battens and decking, the burnished concrete floors, the stone benchtops and splashback, the internal feature walls and fixtures,’ says Matt. ‘Both the architects and builders were wonderful to work with, we had great communication. We found the whole process really easy actually,’ says Nadeen. ‘The carpentry is unbelievable,’ she adds, ‘they’ve done such a great job. Apparently that timber work outside was really challenging so we really appreciate their work.’

The timber battens and expansive wooden decking form a beautiful detail on the exterior. Two seating areas facing north take full advantage of the view over a soaring hill that drops away into the cliffs of Second Valley. ‘When you get a good sunset in the summer, the hills just glow a beautiful golden light,’ says David. ‘We really love the community here and the tranquility and the beach. Actually, we love all of it to tell you the truth.’

Exhibition ‘Expressive Depth of Field’ by John Lacey June 12 - July 2021

Above: Hindmarsh River Expression, 101 x 152cm. John Lacey is one South Australia’s most collectable artists. Many of his paintings are acquired by people who have already purchased one or more of his earlier works and his work is held in collections in prestige settings in homes and offices across Australia.

John’s style has evolved over recent years with the brush and the knife, expressing and interpreting the Australian landscape. Collectors favour the grand scale and constrained palette that works so well in contemporary interior design. John’s new showing ‘Expressive Depth of Field’ captures land and seascape interpretations in oil from the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island. They are painted with passion and feeling one only acquires from living in this wonderful environment.

41 The Strand Port Elliot · Weekends 10.00 until 4.00 · www.strandgallery.com.au · Phone 0419 501 648

South Seas Books

is an independent bookshop on the Fleurieu’s south coast. South Seas will ignite your imagination. 53 North Terrace, Port Elliot P: 8554 2301 www.southseasbooks.com.au South Seas Trading

offers a selection of vintage art and design pieces · clothing · jewellery · giftware and books in an evolving Arcadian haven. 56 North Terrace, Port Elliot P: 8554 3540