Molly Schmidt is a writer and journalist from the Great Southern region of WA. Her debut novel, Salt River Road was the winner of the 2022 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award. The novel is a coming-of-age story set in Schmidt’s hometown in the late 1970s. Schmidt first “met” teenage protagonists Rose and Frank Tetley when she was a teenager herself, exploring writing as a way to process the loss of her father to cancer. Returning to these characters as an adult after beginning her career as a journalist, Schmidt had no idea of the journey the troublesome and loveable Tetleys would end up taking her on. While writing Salt River Road, Schmidt collaborated with Noongar Elders from the Great Southern, with the goal of producing a book that actively pursues reconciliation between non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal people. In a testament to the relationships built during the writing of Salt River Road, Schmidt has been asked by two of the Elders to assist them with the writing of their own life stories. She has taken on this honour through a PhD project at Curtin University and with the support of the Forrest Research Foundation.
