Bayside author Gary Seeary’s new book, Horty Brown & Co, is set in 1900s Melbourne, where the well-to-do strolled down fashionable Collins Street enjoying the opulence of the ‘Belle Epoque’, the beautiful era, while streets away the hardships of life went on.
Through the eyes of 13-year-old Alistair Lundy, the story focuses on his friendship with neighbour Hortense Brown, both growing up on market gardens outside the once-touted bayside resort of Mentone, their playground a paradise of she-oak, tea-tree, and eucalypt on the slopes above the ancient cliffs and sandy beach of Beaumaris Bay.
But their innocence cannot last, and adolescence will not wait. By January 1905, their families’ fortunes have taken a dramatic turn and despite Hortense and Alistair’s friendship, pressure grows on them to move in different circles.
In a world of great social and scientific change, Horty and Loon, and their friends Sniffle and Perce, embark on adventures throughout the natural beauty, small farmlets, and stately homes of Mentone, Beaumaris, and Cheltenham, while on the way encountering fascinating characters including one of the great personalities of the early 20th century: Annette Kellerman.
Author Gary Seeary was born in Stawell, and currently lives in the Bayside area of Melbourne.
Horty Brown & Co. and other books by Gary Seeary can be purchased through the website: seearygj.wixsite.com/garyseeary for $20 (free delivery Aust.) Also available on-line and from bookstores.

• Cheryl Threadgold