Jill’s musical talents took her to Germany where she sang in an opera company for several years. Whilst in Europe she became aware of the plight of the Russian Jews who were held captive under the communist regime and the prophecies relating to their coming return from the land of the north to their ancient homeland. When the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, she knew this was a very significant event.
Drawn by the current outworking of words spoken thousands of years ago by the Hebrew prophets, Jill lived in Israel from 1997-2001 involved in teaching, research and writing. She toured the country many times and absorbed the geography, history and culture of this fascinating and varied small land. During this time, she gained knowledge of the more-recent ANZAC connections to the regions of Egypt, Palestine and Syria and visited Beersheba and many other places the ANZACs fought. Upon returning to Australia, Jill organised and led tours to Turkey, Israel, Jordan and Syria along the ANZAC route to share this experience with others. The research she has done and “boots on the ground experiences” have stirred her to write “Victory! – Beersheba 100th Anniversary” to share the ANZAC history in the Middle East, inspire others to commemorate the centenary of these events, revive the ANZAC values and honour those who fought so gallantly and achieved so much.
Her interest in the history is grounded in a deep sense of the significance of what the ANZACs achieved in the Middle Eastern campaign in World War 1 and the relationships that were established with the ANZAC countries as the new nation of Israel emerged. In contrast to the violence and ongoing conflict in the region today, she believes there is a good plan and a peaceful future for the Middle East that is yet to be unveiled.