Vale

SUSAN DUNCAN (1951 - 2024)

Susan Duncan, writer, journalist and resident of Lovett Bay, died last weekend, aged 73.

Susan will be best known to Pittwater’s offshore residents as author of Salvation Creek: an Unexpected Life. Published in 2006, the book describes how Susan, former editor of two of Australia’s best-selling women’s magazines, found sanctuary among our offshore community, and peace at her home on the western foreshore.  

Susan Duncan's bestselling memoir was published in 2006

During the past few days a number of obituaries and reminiscences pertaining to Susan have been published in the national and regional press. In a piece published in The Australian and headed ‘Writer Susan Duncan’s Brilliant Career Remembered’ (paywall applies), journalist and offshore resident Piers Akerman describes aspects of Susan’s career prior to her move to Pittwater. Defining Susan as ‘one of the most highly regarded journalists of her generation’, Piers writes:


In an article entitled ‘Community Loses Heart and Soul’, which appears in the current edition of The Weekend Australian, John Flower, another resident of the western foreshores, details Susan’s many contributions to offshore life. These included starting up the annual Lovett Bay fire shed dinner, for which Susan cooked ‘brilliantly and with gusto’.

Susan also helped establish Pittwater’s Carols Afloat, the yearly carol concert. Susan was herself a member of the choir and her home was often used for rehearsals, as well as many other fundraisers, parties and community events. According to John, Susan was ‘one of the most delightful, courageous, indefatigable members of the Pittwater community’.

Susan was well known to many others in the offshore community. Below, Elvina Bay resident Alan Yuille, a long-term friend, recounts how he and his partner met Susan in the late 1990s.  

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Susan Duncan at one of the many fire shed dinners she was instrumental in organising

Susan Duncan was an incredibly courageous, generous, caring, kind friend. We met Susan through her neighbours, Bob and Barbara Story. Bob and Barbara moved into Tarangaua just after the 1994 bushfires, both quickly becoming involved with the RFS.

Susan at Carol's Afloat, which she helped establish

Barbara was a keen gardener and became my student in bush regeneration at Ryde TAFE in 1996. A few years later, at a Woody Point Yacht Club AGM, Bob advised me that Barbara had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, had probably three months to live and was anxious to get in contact with TAFE friends to say good bye. I promised I would help.

This was about the time that Susan bought Gordon Andrews’ Tin Shed, which had also been built after the ‘94 bushfires had destroyed his old house. Then Susan was diagnosed with breast cancer.  So much of this is told in her book, Salvation Creek.

Susan and Barbara quickly became friends, supporting each other through the cancer journey. I would row around to Tarangaua to see Barbara and Bob, and they introduced me to Susan. Susan’s generous spirit made me a friend, partly as Esther, her mother, said ‘you were a friend of Barbara’s’.

Susan supported Barbara, Bob and his children through their sad journey with the disease and gave comfort to Bob in his recovery from Barbara’s death. I don’t think Susan had expected a new, long lasting, loving relationship to develop, but Barbara had told me that she had hoped that Susan would be looking after Bob.

Bob has been so lucky to have been married to two wonderful, generous women. Life with Susan would have been very exciting. Her books describe many of their trips, which include close encounters with crocodiles, and also some wild times sailing with the Woody Point Yacht Club.

Susan's body is carried aboard West Pittwater brigade's fire boat, passing Tarangaua, Susan and Bob's former home

We had a wonderful trip with Bob and Susan to Morocco in 2011. We were even more fond of Susan and Bob after that trip than before.

I think many of our community were alarmed when Susan and Bob decided to buy the farm at Wherrol Flat, near Wingham, hinterland of the Mid North Coast. ‘Flat’ does not describe this mountainous, beautiful landscape, but there they built a magnificent house that caught all the winter sun, unlike the north side of Lovett Bay.

The farm did not sever their connections with Pittwater and Lovett Bay. They built a new group of interesting friends around the farm, but kept the many old friends around Pittwater. Susan always managed to host a wonderful Christmas lunch at Tarangaua and lately at the Tin Shed.

Susan’s Tin Shed is incredibly beautiful. I think she really loved it, especially in warm summer months, and it held some wonderful Christmas lunches. We were very distressed to receive her text cancelling lunch this year.

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