Alma Stevenson, Queenstown Author
Alma Stevenson's Biography
My name is Alma Stevenson and I am an Author based in the Wakatipu area, in Arrowtown near Queenstown in the South Island of New Zealand.
The Children’s books I have written are as follows; Old Red, Old Blue, and Old Yellow, for children aged five to eight.
Waggoner Jack, my most recent publication, is a historical story of my late husband’s father combined with our family life at the farm at Mokotua in Southland.
It is the story of developing a rough swampy block of 800 acres into a productive dairy unit. My husbands ill health forced early retirement, we had always wanted to come home to Arrowtown; the area where we had grown up.
As retirement didn’t come easy, we renovated my families old Walnut Cottage at Lake Hayes into a café and a gift shop.
My husband Noel was always very attached to old vehicles, and when we shifted from the farm a lot of old junk vehicles came with us. Sadly Noel develop cancer and passed away in 1999. Old Red, the Austin Truck, was the first of the vehicles to be given away. The Miners Band needed a truck to perform on sp we gave them Old Red. A member of the band asked me to write a little of Old Red’s history for the festivals 20th Anniversary, so I wrote the Old Red’s history which turned out to be a sentimental journey or me. My writing career was launched from there.
I have now leased my café business and live in Arrowtown. My interests include writing, art classes, gardening and spending time with my grandchildren.
The Children’s books I have written are as follows; Old Red, Old Blue, and Old Yellow, for children aged five to eight.
Waggoner Jack, my most recent publication, is a historical story of my late husband’s father combined with our family life at the farm at Mokotua in Southland.
It is the story of developing a rough swampy block of 800 acres into a productive dairy unit. My husbands ill health forced early retirement, we had always wanted to come home to Arrowtown; the area where we had grown up.
As retirement didn’t come easy, we renovated my families old Walnut Cottage at Lake Hayes into a café and a gift shop.
My husband Noel was always very attached to old vehicles, and when we shifted from the farm a lot of old junk vehicles came with us. Sadly Noel develop cancer and passed away in 1999. Old Red, the Austin Truck, was the first of the vehicles to be given away. The Miners Band needed a truck to perform on sp we gave them Old Red. A member of the band asked me to write a little of Old Red’s history for the festivals 20th Anniversary, so I wrote the Old Red’s history which turned out to be a sentimental journey or me. My writing career was launched from there.
I have now leased my café business and live in Arrowtown. My interests include writing, art classes, gardening and spending time with my grandchildren.
Old Red, written by Alma Stevenson
