My name is Leanne and although I now live in London, I grew up in the Australian state of Victoria, in a small town just outside Melbourne.
In the summer of 1983, when I was 12, my parents were suddenly called over to the UK. A favourite aunt of my dad’s had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and only had a few months to live, and he wanted to say goodbye. This was in the middle of the school term, and especially as I had never met the relative in question, it was decided it would be better for me to stay in Australia.