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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Hazel Hawke is one of our most loved and respected Australians. As the wife of a prime minister she brought a down-to-earth warmth to Canberra that influenced everyone she came into contact with. Whether it was working to improve life for the disadvantaged, supporting the arts community or passionately advocating her belief in equality and social inclusion, we all felt her energy, her practicality and her immense capacity for humour and enjoyment.
'From the age of eighteen Bob Hawke was the love of her life, yet their journey from youthful idealism to the political realities of Canberra was at times far from easy. The very strengths that made Hawke one of Australia's longest-serving and most successful leaders - his passion and commitment, his gregariousness and his drive - created their own tensions and issues within the family. After leaving the Lodge, their marriage famously fell apart.
'But Hazel's life was undiminished, as she continued to build her role as an advocate for tolerance and fairness in the broader community and as a mother and a grandmother within her own family. Public love and support for Hazel reached a new peak eight years ago when she publicly announced she'd been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
'This intimate, beautiful biography of an extraordinary woman is written by Hazel's eldest daughter, Sue Pieters-Hawke. Candid, revealing and fascinating it explores Hazel's life as she navigated personal challenges and profound social changes, and celebrates her value as a mother, wife, role model and tireless worker for the rights and welfare of others.' (From the publisher's website.)
Notes
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Book launched in Sydney at the S. H. Ervin Gallery, Observatory Hill on 24 October 2011.
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Dedication:
For Hazel's most treasured legacy, her grandchildren:
Sophie and Ben, Kel and Sam, David and Paul.
May her memory always comfort and inspire you.
Affiliation Notes
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Writing Disability in Australia
Type of disability Alzheimer's disease. Type of character Primary (biographical). Point of view First person (not the person with Alzheimer's).
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Don't Mention the B-Word
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 7-8 January 2012; (p. 36)
— Review of Hazel : My Mother's Story 2011 single work biography -
Story of Love and Devotion
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 3 December 2011; (p. 28-29)
— Review of Hazel : My Mother's Story 2011 single work biography -
Daughter's Loving Portrait of a Woman of Substance
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 3 -4 December 2011; (p. 32)
— Review of Hazel : My Mother's Story 2011 single work biography -
Off the Shelf : Biography
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 26 November 2011; (p. 30)
— Review of Hazel : My Mother's Story 2011 single work biography -
Hazel's Portrayal Still a Sore Point
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sunday Mail , 30 October 2011; (p. 39)
-
Off the Shelf : Biography
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 26 November 2011; (p. 30)
— Review of Hazel : My Mother's Story 2011 single work biography -
Daughter's Loving Portrait of a Woman of Substance
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 3 -4 December 2011; (p. 32)
— Review of Hazel : My Mother's Story 2011 single work biography -
Story of Love and Devotion
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 3 December 2011; (p. 28-29)
— Review of Hazel : My Mother's Story 2011 single work biography -
Don't Mention the B-Word
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 7-8 January 2012; (p. 36)
— Review of Hazel : My Mother's Story 2011 single work biography -
New Hawke Tale Set to Bite Back
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 15-16 October 2011; (p. 30) -
Hazel Blindsided by Blanche Relationship, Daughter Says
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 25 October 2011; (p. 4) -
Hawke's Daughter Tells More
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 23 October 2011; (p. 5) Rachel Browne reports on the conflict between Sue Pieters-Hawke, daughter of Bob and Hazel Hawke, and Blanche d'Alpuget, Bob Hawke's second wife. Pieters-Hawke 'took umbrage at Mrs Hawke's portrayal in Ms d'Alpuget's revised biography, Hawke: The Prime Minister'. Pieters-Hawke presents her account of her mother in Hazel: My Mother's Story. -
Honouring Hazel
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 25 October 2011; (p. 3) -
Behind Hazel's Eyes Is a Tale of a Fortunate Life
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 29 October 2011; (p. 11)