History

In the late 1950's, Gordon Everard Browne, a Maths and science teacher at Perth Modern School in Western Australia, began writing and publishing educational texts. His wife, Kathleen, and daughter, Jennifer (Jenny), assisted him.

Jenny, then a Physical Education teacher at Collie, and later Tuart Hill High Schools, went on to write and publish numerous books and educational texts, both in her own right, and in partnership with friends and colleagues.

In the 1960's, Jenny co-authored books on Softball with her friend, Judy Jones (nee Townsend). Then, in the early 1970's, Jenny individually authored a book on Tee Ball. By that time, Jenny was a Lecturer at the WA College of Advanced Education and the University of Western Australia.

In the 1980's, it was with the publishing assistance of her friend, Kaye Terry, that Jenny authored A Handbook for Librarians. It sold as far as Moscow and London.

In the early 1990's, and while Head of Arts and Humanities at Edith Cowan University, Jenny co-wrote Physical Educational Studies textbooks for upper high school students. Initially compiled in collaboration with her Master's student, Regina Bloot, these textbooks became the precursor to a successful educational publishing enterprise.

In the mid 1990's, Jenny took early retirement from her academic position in order to concentrate on writing and publishing educational texts.

In partnership with another colleague, Julie Ann Harper, an additional publishing business, specialising in Small Business Management, was added to her portfolio and dozens more publications ensued.

By that stage Jenny was also trading on the stock exchange and, having her own self-managed superannuation fund, she then compiled A Handbook for Investors.

In the late 1990's, and past 'retirement age' Jenny turned her attention to fulfilling her dream of writing an Historical Novel, Sarjan, which had its origins in the district of her beloved holiday home at Mandurah. Sarjan was first published in 2002, and quickly rose to the top of the distributor's bestseller list. It is regularly described as 'unputdownable' and even, 'better than Thorn Birds'.

Shortly after its release, Jenny's fortunes and health took a turn for the worse, and we nearly lost her, but (like a phoenix rising from the ashes) Jenny is improving, and returning to what she loves doing best - writing, and publishing, books 'on a topic where there needs one, but isn't one'.

Jenny's recent life experiences also led her to stumble on a cohort of the population whose stories have been silenced by ill-conceived legislation (and law enforcers with an unhealthy dose of disinterest).

With Jenny in the role of author, consultant and mentor, her partner, Angela Smith (another Curtin University graduate, and ECU academic of the early 1990's), is developing a specialist publishing business, Sarjan's Legacy.

The first in a series Doctoring Dying: The Capacity Assessment Process in Western Australia (A survival guide for anyone with assets, and a family that wants to get your assets before you're dead), is currently available. Work is also under way on Make-Believe-Marriages: How a squatter can fleece you (or a boarder can bankrupt you) in the Family Court of Western Australia.

When word got around that Jenny was 'not dead yet', requests came from far afield, for assistance to write personal stories, and particularly memoirs of our incredible ageing population.

A sequel to Sarjan is also in the pipeline.