Fans turn out to meet author

A crowd of 85 fans converged on the City of Bunbury Library on Tuesday night for their chance to meet and greet Australian actress and author Judy Nunn as she tours her new novel Sanctuary.

The title is Nunn’s 14th novel, which saw her draw inspiration from an overnight stay on the Abrolhos Islands.

“My husband and I got to spend a night on the Abrolhos and I found it so vivid in its starkness,” she said.

“The idea for setting a book there came from the actual physical effect it had on me – it’s so remote, it could be the end of the world.”

Nunn said the story followed nine shipwreck survivors who are close to death when they discover an island sanctuary.

“It’s quite controversial in the way that you do have refugees having arrived by boat and living on Australian soil,” she said.

“I say it is possibly the best love story I have ever written because it is about love and trust and the human spirit – not only the spirit to survive, but the spirit of those who help others in need.”

Nunn said she was happy to be back in Bunbury to meet fans and remembered travelling to Bunbury for Telehelp in the 1970s.

“We used to come over from Sydney when I was doing a show called The Box and we would be flown all around the South West – it was a very exciting time,” she said.