Copyright (2013) Gaye Hegeman

Rene has a bubbly, happy, outgoing personality and often claims that she was born laughing. Blessed with a natural gift for story telling and sharp memory she needs little encouragement to launch into anecdotes about her early life. Cooking has featured a lot in her stories usually in association with her father, Theo, who had spent many years either working as a cook or cooking for the family.
Approximately thirty five years ago, Rene had a dream and in that dream she heard her father’s voice saying “Maudie…put the record on!” She mulled over the contents of the dream for a few weeks then began to write, and wrote and wrote continuing for the next few years, adding furthur information about that era gathered through research.
With the encouragement of her family her wish to have her book published has finally come to pass. These days there are fewer anecdotes and stories. There is less urgency in the telling. Her story has been told, written and published.
Rene is the only daughter of Theo G. Andronicos, born Potamos in 1881, who migrated to Sydney in 1897. He married Maude M. Whyte in Brisbane in 1914. Together they had four children, George, Emmanuel, Irene and James. Theo passed away in Brisbane in 1948.
contact details: gayehegeman@hotmail.com