![]() Like Traver’s Great Aunt Ellie, the book version of Mary Poppins is “stern and tender, secret and proud, anonymous and loving.” She is a woman who brings whimsy, humour and much needed escape into the lives of the Banks children: Jane, Michael, and the twins, John and Barbara. TraversĪside from the trips to the park and the books abundant references to banks (the name of the family and the place Mr Banks spends all his time) there is Mary herself. “I think the idea of Mary Poppins has been blowing in and out of me, like a curtain at a window, all my life.” P.L. Although she did not discuss the family tragedy much as an adult (Travers disliked speaking about herself or her creative process) the connections between her early childhood experiences and the events and characters in Mary Poppins are undeniable. ![]() ![]() These events obviously had a profound influence on the author. ![]() With no money, ailing mental health and three girls to raise, Helen’s mother, Margaret, moved the family to Bowral, New South Wales and into the home of the “stern and tender” Great Aunt Ellie. At the age of 7 tragedy struck when Helen’s father, Travers Robert Goff, died of pneumonia leaving the family penniless. ![]()
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