Sidharta Books & Print

Ann Massey was born in England but moved to Perth as a teenager, where she had a varied career working in education, newspapers and hospitality. Working first as marketing manager of Community Newspapers and then for the Daily News were dream jobs for Ann, who delighted in creating and implementing innovative reader promotions and advertising campaigns.
Following the closure of Perth’s afternoon newspaper, Ann, a school teacher, had a short stint as a governess on a sheep and cattle station at Minilya before spending five years in Miri, on the island of Borneo, where she worked as a sub-editor on the Borneo Post. ‘I’ve never been what you’d call a tree hugger,’ Ann says. But after seeing first hand the social and environmental damage caused by massive logging and its impact on the Dayaks, the indigenous people of Borneo, she was convinced that something needed to be done. Her first novel, The White Amah is set in the threatened primeval forests of Borneo.
When Ann returned to Australia she bought a country hotel in Trayning with her partner Cole. She was soon totally immersed in country life, and despite the demands of running a busy hotel still found time to play netball for the local team. After four enjoyable and incredibly busy years, the couple moved back to Perth. They now live in a cottage near the sea at Quinns Rocks, north of the city, with their active Jack Russell, Sam. Ann teaches English at Ocean Reef Senior High School and writes in her spare time.
Waste of Space, Ann’s second novel, will draw on her adventures working as a governess in the Australian outback.
Part proceeds of The White Amah will be donated to the Borneo Tropical Rainforest Foundation.