Louise Deans: 2011

Louise Deans was one of four Christchurch writers offered a free week at the Michael King Writers' Centre as a respite from the Canterbury earthquakes. Louise stayed in September 2011. Born, bred and educated in Timaru, she has always been an avid reader and was even known to have a store of books in the chook house where it was relatively quiet. Canterbury University gave her an undistinguished degree in English and she went to Teachers' College, then to London University for a postgraduate degree in Library Studies, then to Bahrain in the Middle East for three and a half years. On return to New Zealand she lived the rural dream with 4 children. She was ordained as an unpaid priest in the Anglican Church and from her kitchen table acquired an LTh from St John's College in Auckland, a postgraduate BD from Knox College and an MTh from Otago University. She started a PhD but wrote a book instead and has been writing ever since, interspersed with running a tourist business from Homebush with a restaurant, a museum, a shop, a talk about the history of Canterbury and a walk round the 8 acre garden. The Homebush Homestead fell down in the earthquake of September 4 2010, dislocating them from their gentle, routine lives into unprecedented chaos. She wrote: "I am so grateful to the Trust which runs the Michael King Writer's Centre for offering a free week away from the daily grinding bumps. The Signalman's House is a treasure and put to wonderful use by providing a sanctuary of peace and quiet and beauty, a place to think, ruminate and meet amazing people. During my week, I felt as though I was a real writer — a gift conferred."