Australian writer's book on set to launch at exhibition celebrating global impact of areas near Loch Ness
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An Australian author whose latest book traces back her family's Highland roots will be one of the main guests at an exhibition in Drumnadrochit next week.
Interior designer and entrepreneur Gail Grant – who is based in Rockhampton, Queensland – started her research into Scottish genealogy and history after marrying her husband Hugh, whose ancestors hail from Glenurquhart and emigrated to Australia.
After decades of research into the ancestry and heritage of Hugh's family as well as her own, she is now set to launch her second book at a new exhibition starting in Drumnadrochit on the September 20th.
The book – which has been published and is on sale in Grantown Museum – is titled From Glen to Gold.
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Mrs Grant said she decided to write it to pass on the "mountain of information" she had worked so hard to find.
She said: "I first sourced free Scottish information in the Morman Library in Rockhampton and then I moved on from that to research in Inverness and Edinburgh about 1978. From the beginning, I read books and letters written at the time so I would have the characters with the right behaviour for the time in the way they greeted visitors, managed estates and people. It was devilish reading some documents from the 1700s!
"Hugh’s line of research brought up some really mouth-watering characters and I wanted to bring them to life. They were Scottish Highlanders and I discovered that Highlanders do have a very agreeable character according to books written throughout the centuries.
"All the facts are thoroughly researched and correct but I have given the characters emotions, thoughts and speech. I did this in the hope that a family history would make an interesting read — not just a list of facts.
Mrs Grant took about twelve years to write the book, finishing the first writing of the Scottish events in 2006.
"I then wrote and published my first book in 2008 about Isabel Grant (Hugh’s great-aunt) born in the Glen and her success as a world published author," she continued.
The author travelled to Scotland several times to gain access to local archive material.
She said: "We have been to the Inverness library and Archives eight times over the years. Their help has been tremendous."
The exhibition will be held at Glenurquhart Hall in Drumnadrochit from 12pm to 7pm on September 20.
It evolved as as well as Gail's work, another author – Chris Grant – is set to publish a book about the Grants of Glenurquhart, Glenmoriston and the Spey Valley, and Culloden and its aftermath.
On the day, other notable authors or their descendants s will also be attending.
One of the event organisers, Dot MacKenzie, said: "There are a number of common themes running through the work of all the writers who will attend, and it is interesting to see how this Highland area has both inspired them as people and informed their work, reflecting the concerns of their time, and also shaping their ideas for the future of this uncertain world. This display is about the power of the written word to inform, to illuminate and to delight.
"The main aims of the exhibition are to raise the profile of the Glen, to show people that the area has a very deep history and culture, to publicise the fact that people from such a tiny Glen have had a huge impact on the world, and that people come here from all over the UK and world because it is such an attractive area to live. We hope that you enjoy the exhibition as much as we did preparing for it. "
More information on the event can be found at www.facebook.com/Celebrating.the.Glen.
