Noelene Allen was born in Sydney and moved to Tamworth in northern New South Wales, following her marriage to Eric where their four children enjoyed growing up on the family’s lucerne farm. Following a successful career in retail management and teaching at TAFE, a move to Beechworth in north east Victoria in 1999 saw Noelene become involved with the Beechworth Historic Courthouse. She coordinated the Beechworth Ned Kelly Weekend for a number of years, and was appointed to the position of Coordinator of the Historic Precinct. Conducting tours focusing on Ellen Kelly and the women of the Kelly family in the Precinct and for national TV travel shows saw Noelene receive many invitations to speak to groups throughout Victoria. This is her first book and the many people who have enjoyed her talks and tours will no doubt be eager to discover in print her intimate knowledge of Ellen’s previously untold story.
'Ellen: a woman of spirit' by Noelene Allen is the extraordinary true story of a woman whose life journey is told with sympathy, compassion and above all honesty. The strength of the women of the Kelly family becomes clear as the reader shares many previously untold anecdotes of the life of the mother of Australia’s most famous bushranger, Ned Kelly.