I've often been asked why I use the word Lowanna for my yarn. For one thing, it is my middle name but I am proud of the story behind it.
Neither of my parents were Australian. My dad was a Glaswegian, coming to Australia as a £10 Pom, as they were called back then, while my mum was Canadian with Polish/Ukrainian heritage. My dad was working for a time in Canada where he met my mum and swept her off her feet. Mum moved back to Australia with my dad and her son, getting married in Hawaii on the way. They both felt like life in Australia was a new start. As I was their first child born in Australia, my Dad in particular wanted to give me a name that acknowledged the First Australians. They decided on Lowanna as it has a number of meanings in different dialects, from 'beautiful girl', 'girl' and 'woman'.
While I wasn't thrilled with having such an unusual name when I was a kid, I learned to understand the significance of my name and now I wear it with pride. Not just as a connection to this beautiful land and her people, but also as a connection to my parents who left so much behind to forge a new beginning for their children.
The beautiful Southeast Coast of lutruwita/Tasmania, looking across the Channel to Bruny Island.