Judy resides at Etheldred House Care Home in Histon, Cambridgeshire. She is a friendly face around the home who always has a story to tell!
When recently having her nails painted, a team member saw a book with her name on it in her room and asked what it was about. Little did she know that behind this book was an exciting story of Judy’s adventurous life!
Judy then proceeded to tell the team about her interesting life and what her book was all about.
Judy ventured to Australia when she was young to a place called Kakadu. This special place has a rich history and awe-inspiring natural scenes which include lush rainforests and rock art galleries up to 20,000 years old.
When Judy first arrived there weren’t half as many visiting tourists as there are today, but the urge to be close to nature drew her to Kakadu. Whilst residing there, Judy met the man she would marry who was known locally as ‘The Crocodile Hunter’. This was no mere nickname as he really did wrestle with Caman on a daily basis.
The pair connected very quickly and with their romance blossoming, Judy decided to stay in the outback. Little did she know this decision would lead her to spend the next 40 years in Kakadu. During this time, she lived the life of a crocodile hunter’s wife, exploring the outback, helping him catch crocs, and going on Australian adventures.
With many wild stories to tell, Judy wrote an autobiography called ‘An English Rose in Kakadu’ which details her life in Australia and the work she and her husband did to help attract tourists to Kakadu. Their legacy still lives on in the region today, with the shop they created and called ‘Cooinda’, is now the official name for the area!
After moving back to the UK, Judy didn’t live a quiet life, as at the age of 70 she decided to write her autobiography all whilst studying for a PHD course! She documented her days in her diary so others could read about her life and get a taste of the adventures she had embarked on.
To find out more about Judy’s interesting life, purchase a copy of her book ‘An English Rose in Kakadu’ by clicking here.