Gregory Hatcher's Photo

Commencing in Australia in 2016, with the family gathering to celebrate Leo's seventieth birthday, one controversial gift opens many doors to the past lives of Carol Ann Parkinson, the widow of Gregory Hatcher, and her two children Leonard and Maggie. Following Gregory Hatcher's mysterious but welcomed death, Carol reverts to her maiden name and brings her children to Australia eager for a new and better life for them all. Though they rarely speak of their life with Hatcher, his impact on each of them is evident. Keeping secrets carries its own burdens - it denies us the love and support of those who love us most, yet we believe we are protecting them. After the photo of Gregory Hatcher appears, the secrets are finally shared to the benefit of all the generations involved. As Leo says at his mother's funeral 'the miracle of her life was that the grief, loss and abuse had not locked her into its claws for ever. Time, her resolute human strength, her joyful spirit, her maternal love, and the devotion of her second husband Andrew Clarke, had colluded together to defeat the demons of her past'. This is a story of many stories of loss, love and resilience.