‘Puffin’ Along With Betty: Going Solo From Afghanistan to Venice

Betty Stroud loves to travel. From short hops over the ditch to New Zealand to trekking overland from Kathmandu to London, the former music shop owner and retired Uniting Church minister is not afraid of adventure and, mostly, travels alone.

Now Betty has compiled a small selection of her travel tales into a new book, Puffin’ Along With Betty: Going Solo From Afghanistan to Venice, which she hopes might spark a little wanderlust in others.

Born and raised in Dubbo, Betty was initially a piano teacher, who saw the need for a local music shop and opened her own, ‘Betty’s Music’, in what is now The Grapevine Cafe.

But in 1995, she says a change of life beckoned, and Betty became a Uniting Church Minister, going on to serve in Cowra, Singleton, Parkes and Forbes, before retiring to Orange in 2010.

It was as a child, Betty says, that her imagination was stirred by books containing pictures and stories of far-flung places. And then sister’s tales of exploits overseas only further ignited her desire to travel.

“I was always determined that before I went overseas, I was going to see a bit of Australia which I did,” says Betty

“Then I went from Kathmandu to London in 1976 — alone – which took me through places such as India, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. That took three months and I was away for ten months in all.”

And Betty has continued to travel ever since, usually alone, at any chance she can get.

“I find travelling solo to be a great way to travel,” she says. “I meet lots more people, am able to go where I want and do what I want, and it forces me to rely on my ingenuity and imagination.

“Some people ask, why bother travelling to those places? And for me, it broadens your mind, gives you a different perspective on life.” 

Writing a few tales for her family and friends, Betty said they encouraged her to keep going and the end result has been this book: a collection of stories detailing such experiences as her time in the Galapagos Islands, a one-day trek to Machu Picchu, leaving her passport behind in Afghanistan, spending two hours with a puffin colony on Fair Isle in Scotland and walking the last 115 kilometres of The Camino in Spain.

The book also includes illustrations by another retired Uniting Church minister and good friend of Betty, Alan Robinson, who is the author and illustrator of a number of children’s books.

“My hope is that people will both enjoy the book and be inspired to travel - either in reality or vicariously,” says Betty.

On Saturday, May 27, Betty Stroud will be reading excerpts from her book  Puffin’ Along With Betty: Going Solo From Afghanistan to Venice at the Orange Uniting Church, 217 Anson Street from 2–3pm.

There will be tea, coffee and refreshments and Betty will have copies of her book available for sale.