...At that moment his eyes, were turned up to heaven. He continued to breathe gently, for some time, and at length, it ceased, without a groan, or struggle of any kind. I was on my knees, beside him, and had hold of his shoulder. Every one was perfectly tranquil. He was certainly undisturbed, at the last... The moment of his departure was to me the most sublime of my Life. I felt as though my soul was ascending with his to heaven... – Elizabeth Macquarie, on the death of Lachlan Macquarie.
Elizabeth Henrietta Macquarie (nee Campbell of Airds) (1778-1835) was the second wife of Governor Lachlan Macquarie, who served the colony of New South Wales between 1810 and 1821. Their indomitable partnership survived personal loss and public scrutiny to shape the face of Australia.
Elizabeth embraced her life in this strange and largely unexplored country. She left a special imprint on the people and places of New South Wales through her advocacy of the arts, architecture, gardening and education. However, it was her family life that would consume much of her energies: her roles as wife, mother, nurturer and widow deeply influenced her outlook and inspired her wider social initiatives.
In Her Own Words explores how this remarkable woman forged a life that spanned the globe and transformed a colony.
