Audrey Van Hattem grew up in Perth, married a Dutch naval officer and lived in Holland for six years. She was the recipient of a Literature Board grant in 1982. She also wrote three family histories : Unborn Tomorrows : Margaret van Hattem 16.10.48-28.6.89 Jennifer Stales (nee van Hattem) 24.5.46-28.9.88 (1993); Time Was (1998), and The Moving Hand of Time (2001), all of which have an autobiographical element. Another work Sonnets, Sex and Sundries [Perth] : n.d. was held at the State Library of Western Australia but was missing in 2008.