Outskirts Press, INC.

The search for love is the greatest quest of all.

Mark Schubert was raised on a farm in a religious family emanating back to Old Lutherans who settled Hahndorf in 1839 in the new British colony of South Australia. Music and education were important for this fledgling German community, and when Mark had an epiphany that he should excel as a band boy, he did—but not without struggles and disappointments.

After deciding to leave the safety of his family and Hahndorf, Mark entered the real world as a professional musician. An ill-conceived marriage almost doomed his dreams, so he changed course and joined the Royal Australian Navy as a musician. A rich and rewarding sojourn with the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and a PhD from Johns Hopkins University fulfilled his professional dreams, yet Mark still felt empty inside—and a cancer diagnosis at 41 and the radical surgery that followed only emphasized his loneliness. Back in Australia, he became the chief innovator for a new direction in military music within the Australian Defence Force, which brought satisfaction and recognition, but the aloneness persisted. It would take a revelation of God’s plans for Mark to come full circle, to find all he ever wanted in life.

“While this book has music and farm-life as its two dominant themes, the author successfully blends in the human quest for love and transcendence. Many professional musicians can identify with the journey Mark undertakes; including its highs and lows. As a fellow Australian living in the U.S. (and Canada) for 50 years, the career path resonates with authenticity. This is a must-read story.”
—James T. Bingham PhD, former chair of Music at Washington Adventist University

“As a descendent of the original German families who settled in Hahndorf, I have enjoyed Lyn Bartlett’s novel with Hahndorf as its background. Lyn and I attended primary school together and my grandfather, Bill Molen, owned the 1926 Chevy mentioned in Chapter Two. The story accurately describes the Hahndorf of our childhood.”
—Rex E. Kuchel, childhood friend and descendent of the original Kuchel family settling in Hahndorf in 1839

“The story of Mark Schubert is a tale of dreams meeting reality. It is the life journey of a country boy from Hahndorf, with a passion for music and a Christian faith, who rises to acclaim in the banding world. As a music educator, Mark’s quest in providing musical opportunities for young people in local communities is very much needed today.”
—Barry Walmsley, Director of Music, The King’s School, Sydney