IN PICTURES: No Longer a Wandering Spirit book launch celebrates legacy of 1800s Menang woman Bessy Flowers

A book which charts the story of Menang woman Bessy Flowers, told with the help of her descendants, was launched at the Albany Entertainment Centre last week. No Longer a Wandering Spirit, published by UWA Publishing and written by Ezzard Flowers and Dr Sharon Huebner, is about the life of Bessy Flowers, who lived in Albany in the mid-1800s and was later sent to a mission in Victoria, while also telling the story of how research into her life brought together her living descendants from across Australia. The event started with a welcome to country by Glenda Williams before the crowd heard from Dr Huebner who spoke about her journey of researching Indigenous history and how she came to focus on Bessy’s story. Mr Flowers told the crowd about the significance Bessy and her story had come to have in his life from the first time he saw her archival photos in 1995, to making contact with Ms Huebner in 2010 and then meeting his extended Victorian family as they researched the book. This was followed by a talk from Yokai founder Jim Morrison who spoke about the wider importance of the book, followed by a screening of a poignant documentary, produced by Mr Flowers and Dr Huebner, which covers Bessy Flowers’ story and Mr Flowers’ family connections.