General News
29 May, 2026
Tribute to honour late Dr Sharon Huebner
A special author tribute in Horsham this Saturday will celebrate the life and work of the late Wimmera author, Dr Sharon Huebner, and continue to share the powerful story of Minang woman Bessy Flowers.
Dr Huebner grew up on a farm between Horsham and Warracknabeal, and the 'No Longer A Wandering Spirit Author Tribute' will be held at Horsham Library on Saturday, May 30, from 11am to 1pm.
The event will honour Dr Huebner's collaborative work with Ezzard Flowers, a descendant of Bessy Flowers, in restoring a family history long held within colonial archives. Light catering will be provided.
Dr Huebner's sister and event organiser, Tanya Huebner, said the event was not a book launch, but a tribute to her sister's legacy.
"In 2023, her book was launched in Albany in Western Australia, and unfortunately, due to her ill health, she passed away in December 2023," Ms Huebner said.
"Therefore, this is not a book launch.
It is an author tribute to her, and a way to continue to share her story and her message."
The book "No Longer a Wandering Spirit," written by Sharon Huebner and Ezzard Flowers, tells the story of Bessy Flowers through archival letters, photographs, and family history.
The book traces Bessy's displacement from her Minang homeland in Western Australia in 1867, and the continuing efforts of descendants to reconnect family, kin and Country.
Ms Huebner said her sister spent many years gathering oral history, connecting families and documenting stories.
"She spent a decade recording a lot of oral history, connecting family, recording their stories and taking photos as part of her work as the author of the book," she said.
"It is evident in what she has written herself, and in the oral history recorded from other people's contributions."
Ms Huebner said the journey to publication was difficult because much of the family history had been fragmented by displacement and the impacts of colonisation.
"It was a difficult journey, because it was about finding out the history of a family that had been displaced from the country," she said.
"It is not something you can easily find, and that is the nature of trying to connect people from the stolen generations and people who have been displaced."
She said her sister first became aware of Bessy Flowers through archival material, including a striking photograph and letters Bessy herself wrote.
"Sharon came across a photo of Bessy Flowers dressed in colonial wear, and to see someone from the 1800s, a young Aboriginal girl in that kind of dress, would definitely catch your eye," she said.
"There were Aboriginal women who were educated at that time, and they were able to write letters.
"There is actual physical evidence of them telling their story through those letters."
The Horsham event will include speakers, a reading from the book, and a screening of a clip created by Dr Huebner in 2016, previously shown at the State Library Victoria.
"The highlight of the event is that there will be people speaking, there will be a reading from the book, and we will also show a clip my sister created in 2016 before the book was published," Ms Huebner said.
She said one speaker, who worked closely with Dr Huebner at the Koorie Heritage Trust, would share insight into the discovery of the photograph and letters.
"She was actually present at those times when they found the photo and the letters, and she is able to give an amazing insight into what those moments were like," she said.
Ms Huebner said the event was especially fitting during Reconciliation Week, as it encouraged people to listen to First Nations stories and understand that the work of reconnecting families is ongoing.
"Through story and oral history, there are still family members who do not even know about this book and do not know they are connected to family," she said.
"This is just one family of so many families who were displaced and who have been part of the stolen generations."
She encouraged people to attend and help honour both Dr Huebner's work and Bessy Flowers' story.
"It is a good way to acknowledge somebody from the Wimmera, and to pay tribute to her," Ms Huebner said.
"It is also a way to come along and help share a story."