Graduating with a Master of Arts in history from the University of New England, June Whittaker spent several years teaching in Australia, England and Canada. Involved in the development of 'Old Sydney Town', she has been a history consultant on this project which seeks to 'recreate the spirit of the first twenty-two years of settlement in Australia'.

A descendant of the convict Henry Cabell (aka Henry Kable), Whittaker has published two novels, The Raking of the Embers (1981) and The Flame in the Morning (1983), which recount his story. Based on the author's original research, these two works combine the fictional form of a novel with historically accurate material. She has also co-written (with Paul Kable) the historical study, Damned Rascals?: A Chronicle of Henry and Susannah Kable, 1764-1846 (2007).

(Source: dustjacket and 'Acknowledgements', The Raking of the Embers, 1982 edition)