Thirty-six readers gathered at The Book Orchard in Bairnsdale last Friday evening to hear author Maura Luxford share the remarkable stories behind her two memoirs, with her latest release, One White Post at a Time, taking centre stage.
The evening was a homecoming of sorts for Maura, whose family has deep roots in East Gippsland. The Luxfords settled in Bairnsdale in the late 1960s, where her eight siblings attended local schools. Her mother, Marie Luxford, was a much-loved nurse at Bairnsdale Hospital, while her father, Kevin, was a well-known drover and contract stockman across the district. Today, the family’s connection continues, with Maura’s daughter, Esther, farming near Briagolong.
Maura Luxford’s latest memoir, One White Post at a Time, takes readers on three extraordinary long-distance treks across state borders in Australia. Each trek was inspired by love, loss and an unwavering determination to make a difference and not let grief have the final word. Following the death of her eldest daughter, Hannah, from melanoma at just 20 years of age. Maura founded the social enterprise ride4acure to raise funds and awareness for melanoma research in collaboration with Peter Mac Cancer Centre in Melbourne.
Her ride4acure adventures included three long-distance treks. Each trek included visiting over 50 schools and numerous community and fundraising events. Maura cycled more than 1500 kilometres from Kempsey, NSW, to Melbourne, followed four months later by completing a solo 1680-kilometre packhorse trek with three horses from Willawarrin, NSW, to Melbourne. Nine months later, with her daughter Esther in the saddle, she undertook the epic 4600-kilometre Coast2Coast Horse Trek from Crescent Head, NSW. East to west, from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to Cottesloe Beach in Perth, WA, to the Indian Ocean.
“Esther rode three horses on rotation for 97 days. Maura’s son Joe was an integral part of the ride4acure team, managing camp setup, yard building, and a host of other tasks. Grant McArthur OA, from Peter Mac Cancer Centre, was in Perth on the final day to congratulate Esther, Joe, and me on such a massive achievement,” Maura said.
“Our goal from the beginning with ride4acure was to put melanoma on the map as Australia’s most prevalent cancer and to get it on the radar for young people to get to know the skin they’re in and understand the simple science behind cell damage and prevention. Professor Grant McArthur OA wrote the foreword for Maura’s latest book, One White Post at a Time.”
Maura visited more than 150 schools, presenting her popular multimedia presentation ‘Mela-What?’ to more than 25, 000 young people across the country. The three treks raised $150,000 for melanoma research to fulfil two of Hannah’s hopes: to ‘tell all her friends to look after their skin’ and to ‘raise money to help find a cure.’
The evening also celebrated Maura’s first memoir, ride4acure: Origin Story (2024), which brings Hannah’s story and the inspiration behind ride4acure to life. Audience members were captivated by stories of courage, humour, hardship and the generosity of strangers, before staying to chat with the author and have books signed.
Maura Luxford, returning to Bairnsdale to share these stories, was a heartfelt reminder that, while life’s journeys may take us far from home, some places never leave us.
To learn more about Maura’s writing and purchase books, visit her website.
