Synopsis
In 1942 Peggy Ashburn meets an American soldier, 1st Lt Tom Lockwood,
who is based at the Shoal Bay Country Club. Their romance
develops quickly. In 1972 Peggy arrives back home from the US for
the funeral of her estranged mother only to discover a secret cache
of letters.
Set in 1942 and 1972 Tomaree explores the life of a GI
War Bride and the impact of World War II on a small fishing town.
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Location
Port Stephens is one of my favourite places in the world. With its endless blue water and spectacular headlands, it must have seemed an incredible place to the 20,000 GIs of the 32nd Division who trained there in 1943. Most came from Wisconsin and Michigan and had never seen the sea. The division by the war's end had logged a total of 654 combat days, more than any other US army division.
Nelson Bay is now unrecognizable as the small fishing town that my character Peggy grew up in but time has been kinder to Shoal Bay. During 1942 and 1943 a small contingent of American serviceman were based at the Shoal Bay Country Club and from there, liaising with Williamtown Air Base, HMAS Assault Base and the Gan Gan Army Camp, the Joint Overseas Operational Training School was run. Shoal Bay Resort and Spa has now replaced the Country Club and you will find a link to the resort on my links page.