Terina Campbell of Latham  |  100x70cm Giclée Fine Photographic Print by Martine Perret (2022)

"My journey was pretty amazing to start with because being the eighth child, Mum certainly knew when I was 'ready'. They were on the way to Three Springs hospital. She said: Bill! Stop the car - I'm having this baby. My sister Gaye caught me. I was born in this world in a bit of a hurry. And I think that sort of sums me up.

My parents were living in Latham in a house across from the house I live in now. They're not with us anymore. We said goodbye to them a few years ago. That's what started my park. When my Dad passed, I planted three gum trees. That's when my dream began, in 2011. 

I met Steve and I made him wait. He's been an absolute legend and a beautiful guide and mentor to my children. He’s taught the kids that it's okay for a man to be in the kitchen, to wash and clean. 

My passion is for the flowers and the wildflowers. All the flora and fauna - I just love it all. I want to preserve it as much as I can. My dream was to grow these flowers, propagating them and growing trees as well. You must grow trees to get more oxygen in the air. That’s why I created this park - to grow these plants in a safe place. I even added an orchid trail. 

Over the years I've watched the numbers of tourists visiting our town and park increase. About 300 passed through this year. And that's just the ones that signed our guest book. That's saying something.

Tropical Cyclone Seroja came in 2021. It belted us around and totally floored us. It went through fast and the build-up lasted hours. It was very frightening to look out the window and see the trees swaying.

Latham is very tiny. Blink, you will miss it. But what is here is priceless: people. It's the essence. It's the freedom you have. It's the air when you wake up in the morning. You hear the birds, and you don't have the rat race around you with the traffic and sirens. It's the tranquillity. Isolation can really get you down if you don't keep a purpose. And you need to be busy. You can spiral down with your isolation. You don't have those distractions at your fingertips that you do everywhere else. 

I came home after living in Perth for 15 years for a reason. And that's to plant trees and keep my dad's spirit alive because he was a tree planter in Latham. I just want to keep the legend happening. While I'm here, I'll plant a tree 

And if you want your history alive, you got to keep it alive. Because once it's gone, it's gone forever."