Surrey Hills Historical Society Collection
Book, The secret love letters: a family history, 2014
... (ms) fay johnston... miguel (ms) fay johnston courtship families immigrants social ...
The author delves into the history of her Spanish ancestors, the San Miguels, and uncovers the forbidden love affair that tore the family apart. Fay Johnston told her daughter of a collection of letters she had kept hidden away for over 60 years, promising to show them to her when the time was right. It was only after her mother died that Dolores found the letters, concealed beneath a large piece of wood deep within a storage cupboard. Through endless research and close analysis, Dolores pieced together nearly a hundred letters, newspaper ads, doctors' notes, and postcards to unravel the story of her parents' romance. Dolores San Miguel is also the author of The Ballroom: The Melbourne Punk and Post-punk Scene. Her family history is placed in the wider context of early European immigration to Australia, as well as offering a fascinating glimpse into Melbourne life in the lead-up to World War 2.278p; Fay Johnston told her daughter (Dolores San Miguel) of a collection of letters she had kept hidden away for over sixty years, promising to show her but it was only after she died that the letters were found along with postcards, and doctors' notes. They revealed the story of her parents romance, kept secret for over two decades.(ms) dolores san miguel, (ms) fay johnston, courtship, families, immigrants, social life and customs, (mr) antonio san miguel