It was 2004 when Cathy Martin knocked on a door in preparation to interview the elderly Mrs Ellen McCabe. A university student studying history, she was trying to learn all she could about the strike which took place in 1951 in the little mining village of Pukemiro and across New Zealand; a strike which lasted eighteen long weeks and almost brought the country to its knees.

Ellen had been married to Thomas McCabe for ten years and they had two boys, Neil and Davey whom they both doted on. Tom was the local union secretary and Ellen supported him wholeheartedly. She was from a mining family – her father Alf was greatly respected and although he’d since retired, he still had many friends among the miners.

When the strike began there were around one thousand members involved across the different mines. The government’s regulations were ridiculous and the miners weren’t having any of it. Ellen and Tom, and the rest of their friends were sure the strike would end amicably and achieve what the miners wanted. But gradually the families became impoverished and even with the emergency packages they all received, it wasn’t enough.

When a new face appeared among the men, Tom told Ellen he was from away and had moved to Pukemiro for a change. Jack Vaughan befriended Tom and the other men, and attended the meetings and dances along with them all. But Ellen saw something in Jack that she hadn’t seen in anyone before. And she didn’t know what to do about it…

Union Belle is another profound story from the pen of Aussie/New Zealand author Deborah Challinor. Historical fiction but not as far back as her usual tales, it’s an interesting and intriguing novel which incorporates fact and fiction throughout. Fraught with emotion - the heartache of families struggling to make ends meet; the humiliation of having to ask for credit just so they could feed the children; and the constant friction between the adults – all made Union Belle a wonderful read. Highly recommended.