Reflections in a Stagnant Pool is not only a deeply ruminative and philosophical examination as well as often humorous Aussie yarn on Queensland’s colourful history, but it is also a poignant and moving personal portrayal of rediscovery, closure, human connection, and enlightenment. Based on the unfinished memoirs of Edward A M Mortensen the story centres on Thursday Island, spanning from his heritage in the early pioneering days of the Torres Strait to his boyhood experiences in WWII and ultimately acceptance as a Cadet Midshipman into the Flinders Naval College in 1948. After his sudden and unexpected death in 1983, his manuscript becomes lost, until it is unearthed by his daughter over 30 years later. He was 47 and she was 47 when it was rediscovered in 2016, the first of many bizarre coincidences she was destined to encounter along the way in a Queensland myth-busting odyssey that would take her from Sydney to the farthest northern reaches of tropical Queensland. This enduring auto-biographical story is like a lapping wave, fluctuating back and forth on a tropical tide of reflections, all converging at its suspenseful conclusion into one human picture that relates to everything and everyone.