Janet Millett lived in York for only five years, but her time in the town during the 1860s was dutifully recorded and reflected upon in a best selling book, An Australian Parsonage.
Now, her life, thoughts and legacy will be shown on stage, as a part of the York Festival celebrations from this Friday, April 12 to Sunday, April 14.
Written and performed by English-born Western Australian actor, Sarah McNeill, and accompanied by WA cellist Anna Sarcich, Ms Millett's spirit will come to life at the altar of York's Holy Trinity Church, where she took on the role of a Vicar's wife.
"It's a remarkable thing to do, it's not very often that you get to be in the place of and embrace the spirit of these two people who were such an intrinsic part of the community," Ms McNeill said.
Ms Millett and her husband, town vicar Edward Millett, were advocates for the local Aboriginal people, setting up education opportunities and promoting better practices for the treatment of Aboriginal prisoners.
She never had children of her own, however during her time in York, she fostered a young Aboriginal girl.
An Australian Parsonage references a dying Aboriginal woman she found by the Avon River, who asked Janet to take care of her child.
"And she did, without question," Ms McNeill said.
Ms McNeill is the founder of Lit Live, a performing arts company which combines literature and storytelling with performers.
Her one woman show, 'A Life In Balladong', is written in collaboration with York writer and historian, Rob Garton-Smith.
Those who are interested in reading An Australian Parsonage will have a hard time accessing the book.
"That's why this piece is so valuable, it's hard to find the book," Ms McNeill said.
Mr Garton-Smith and Ms McNeil walked through the town, and gave her insight into local history, which informed her writing.
Ms McNeill said she was "in awe" of Janet, who was forced to uproot to York from England, ordered by her husband's doctor to seek a warmer climate for him to live in, in the hope it would improve his health.
"I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for an English woman to come to the other side of the world, to a brand new colony and not be frightened by it," Ms McNeill said.
From the day she set foot in the town in 1863, Janet called York by its traditional Aboriginal name, Balladong.
Ms McNeill said many settlers at the time were trying to build Australian colonies into a replica of England, but Ms Millett embraced the town as it was.
"She loved the flora and fauna, really she loved everything about it and I think she would have stayed had her husband's health not failed and they needed to go back," Ms McNeill said.
"I really admired her, she's was a fierce woman too."
An Australian Parsonage, now 172 years old, was written back in England, and is formatted as both a memoir and a reflection of life in York.
"There are a lot of entries which are clearly written in the moment, and a lot that were written after the event, and a reflection about what she loved about her time in York," Ms McNeill said.
Many chapters in the book deal with modern problems, price gouging at the supermarkets.
"Settlers were being ripped off, price wise, and she was very angry about that," Ms McNeill said.
"She fought hard for the settlers to get a fair deal, and for pricing to be right."
Ms Millett wrote a lot about an Aboriginal elder, Khourabene, who was a dear friend.
"She writes with such warmth and humour about this man, he dressed extravagantly for parties, and he always visited at Christmas because if there was one thing he loved more than anything else, it was Christmas pudding," Ms McNeill said.
She chose a cellist to soundtrack the performance because it reflected the era.
"I love the sound of a cello, it's beautifully mellow and very evocative," Ms McNeill said.
"Anna is a great exponent of that era of music, she knew what music was around at the time and she did a lot of research into what kind of Indigenous music was being played at the time."
Ms Sarcich improvises her performance, making each night a unique experience.
Ms McNeill said An Australian Parsonage was rich with history, and condensing it down into a one hour show took some serious editing.
"It was her relationship with Khourabene, and with the indigenous people, she loved riding around the countryside, she talked a lot about the landscape and her love of wildflowers, she always took the children up to the top of Mount Observation lookout at springtime for picnics," Ms McNeill said.
"All of those things are really what I feel reflect life in York in the 1860s," she said.
Ms McNeill said storytelling was an important part of bush culture, and hoped that visitors will enjoy sharing the connection between themselves and Ms Millett.
A Life in Balladong will be performed at Holy Trinity Church this Saturday, April 13 at 2pm and 6pm and this Sunday, April 14 at 2pm and 5pm.
For more information, tickets and York Festival's full program, go to yorkfestival.com.au
