ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Who is Carmel Rowley?

I was born in Melbourne, quite a long time ago. I have loved reading all my life. Never more than when I was eight years old and spent ten months in hospital with a serious illness. At the time, reading was a life line and vital to my well-being. My dream was to own a horse like the children in the stories. It took until I was thirteen, before my parents gave in to my constant pleading and purchased my first horse. I married my dearly loved husband Don in 1972. The following year the desire to breed horses became a reality. Together we have owned and bred purebred Arabians for over thirty years. In 1988, the stud made the big move from Don’s family farm in Gippsland, Victoria to the outskirts of Toowoomba in Queensland.

From the beginning we made the decision to keep our stud small and breed to an ideal.  Both Don and I have always had off farm jobs.  I was a dental assistant for over twenty-five years and for the last ten I have been telling customers about the specials and bargains over the public address system at a department store in Toowoomba. The years of breeding combined shared triumphs and sorrows, lasting friendships were made—many from around the world. With Don, I travelled around Australia on a working holiday in the late seventies and later I had the pleasure of visiting friends in the USA and Germany.

Other than reading and horses some of the activities I enjoy are photography and fashion, especially vintage fashion. Art deco statues are a favourite. I was introduced to ceramics by Don’s father and paint Arabian horses on ceramic plates. These days, I have plates in the USA, Germany, Israel and all around Australia. From ancient legends to the complicated emotions of those who own them, the Arabian horse has offered excitement, humour, pathos, and magic in its very existence.

Today the breeding program is gradually scaling down, but every day as the stables are cleaned, and the horses put into their paddocks, inspiration remains all around.  - Carmel