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How the Skylab crash inspired this BigLaw principal to write a novella
McCabes principal Peter Hunt has always enjoyed writing in his spare time, but upon learning of an instance of “true blue Aussie humour” in the wake of the 1979 Skylab space station crash, he felt compelled to pen his own story.
Jerome Doraisamy
For Peter Hunt, fiction writing is an “invigorating” pursuit.
It’s an opportunity, he told Lawyers Weekly, to “give the analytical, business-focused, overly serious left side of the brain a bit of a rest and allow the youthful, fun-loving and creative right hemisphere some time to sparkle”.
“At the end of a creative writing session, I find that both sides of my brain are refreshed, which is good for all aspects of my life,” he said.
In recent years, Hunt made (or found) time to pen a novella – Sidebottom’s Reach – which he was inspired to write after reading a news article about the infamous Skylab space station crash of 1979, near the West Australian town of Esperance.
One paragraph in the article, he recounted, mentioned that the people of Esperance had sent NASA a fine for littering.
“That was the spark! What a brilliant example of true blue, Aussie humour,” he said.
“But I deliberately avoided reading any further into Skylab and Esperance because I wanted to write a fictional story, not a documentary about Skylab and Esperance.”
From here, Hunt explained, he had an idea to write a story narrated, in the first person, by five to 10 principal characters, each with their own distinctive voice and each telling their part of the story from their perspective.
“I liked the challenge of that idea. So, combining the two thoughts, I resolved to write a story about a small country town – with small country town shenanigans – caught up in a world event,” he said.
Sidebottom’s Reach, Hunt outlined, sees a satellite fall from earth orbit and split apart, with one chunk landing in a bus zone outside the Sidebottom Arms Hotel. “The mayor of Sidebottom’s Reach sends NASA a fine for parking [its] satellite in a bus zone. But the Americans don’t get the joke and take the fine (far too) seriously,” he said.
His novella, Hunt noted, is a “feel-good story”.
“Good guys win. Bad guys lose. I could pretend that the story explores the differing attitudes to humour held by Australians and Americans or that it takes a deep dive into community relations in small town Australia during the mid-1980s. But, at the end of the day, my novella is just a fun read with, I hope, a satisfying ending,” he said.
When asked how he managed his practice as a principal at one of the nation’s biggest law firms while writing a novella, he said: “I typically find it challenging to arrange my life to find regular time to write. The bulk of Sidebottom’s Reach was written during the breaks I took over the last three Christmas holidays, although I did find some additional time on the occasional Thursday night or on a lazy Sunday afternoon.”
“If I had a lesson about life balance, it would be to carve out some time in the week – every week – to devote to writing. But, if I’m being honest, I’ve found it hard to commit to that kind of regime because when I turn on a laptop, it’s usually to go the extra mile for the firm’s clients.”
To other lawyers who want to write fiction, Hunt suggested simply taking that step.
“If you have an itch to write, to be a storyteller, then do it,” he said.
He also offered some technical and practical advice for lawyers-cum-writers: “To create drama, start every ‘scene’ by asking yourself: what does each character in the scene want and what is standing in their way? The way the characters react to the obstacle reveals their character. And that’s the story.”
And, he said, “remain disciplined”.
“Even if you can’t find regular time to write, keep your eyes on the horizon and keep writing until your first draft is completed. That’s when the rewrite starts. The fun part!” Hunt said.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. In June 2024, he also assumed the editorship of HR Leader. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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