Rocky Road

"The answer to our success was family."

In 1935, the Australian family confectionery company, Darrell Lea, was a sensation. Delicious chocolates, marshmallows, nougat, and much more were displayed colorfully and plentifully in line with the family's motto, "Stack 'em high, watch 'em fly."

It was at this time that Montague Lea met the vivacious and confident Valerie Everitt. Although still a young woman, Valerie knew exactly what she wanted from life. Monty fell hard for her and, despite strong family opposition on both sides, they later married.

Valerie was keen to have a family and, despite difficult pregnancies, Val gave birth to four children. But these children seemed neither to satisfy her desire for a large family nor her notions of child rearing. In 1947 she adopted the first of three more children who were designated to be playmates for her own.

Rocky Road is the story of this chocaholic family and the woman who dominated. Behind the irresistible sweetness of Darrell Lea Chocolates lay a family who made bitter sacrifices to succeed at the candy business.

Robert Wainwright has been a journalist for 25 years, rising from the grassroots of country journalism in Western Australia to a senior writer with the the Sydney Morning Herald. His career has ranged from politics to crime, always focusing on the people behind the major news of the day. He is the author of Rose: The unauthorised biography of Rose Hancock Porteous, The Lost Boy, The Killing of Caroline Byrne, Sheila, Maverick Mountaineer, and Miss Muriel Matters.