In the weeks leading up to Christmas 1981, persuading Joseph to consider building a house in Elizabeth Park, or locating another public-speaking group, were far from Anna"s thoughts, the headlines in the Courier-Mail and the sombre news items on local radio and television being her primary focus.
The first she knew of what became almost the only neighbourhood talking point for months, was a telephone call at work from Adam"s teacher, asking her to collect him from the staffroom, as Mrs White had been unavoidably detained. Narelle White had given birth to her seventh child six months before, so Anna assumed baby Claire was sick, or there was a problem with one of the other children. As she drove away from work, she hoped this didn"t mean a new after-school carer would have to be found. Ada
