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Our Surry Hills Our Home
My name is George Cassar Author of OUR SURRY HILLS OUR HOME. I’m pleased to say that after five years in the making, I believe that you will find this book to be most interesting and insightful.OUR SURRY HILLS OUR HOME takes you back to a time when everything was once in black and white. Cities are like dreams where images and sentiment occur in our minds while we sleep, but living in Surry Hills and Sydney certainly came as no dream to me as it created all that a magical dream contains.Many great cities of the world have their own stories to tell, but I have always believed that Sydney stands tall above them all. Sydney, and for that matter Surry Hills, has many unbelievable stories to tell, some of which I mention in this book. You will read of true stories of the people, places and the difficult times during the years of the late 50s, the swinging 60s, the fast pace of the 70s and the changing times of the 80s. There are paragraphs in this book that mention famous and well known names, some of which I personally met. This book is not a biography on my life or my family’s, but a look at what life was really like back in those days, told through my eyes. You will enter through a gateway of opened doors of families not dissimilar to mine and travel through a time barrier of decades never to be forgotten.I believe that OUR SURRY HILLS OUR HOME will leave an uplifting effect not only to the people that lived through the early decades mentioned in this book, but also to the younger generation of today.
£8.99 -
Running Wild
I have yet to decipher what the word ‘brave’ truly describes, but one thing is evident to me, judging by the number of things that do scare me, I am no braver than the next person.From his early days at Hartbeespoort Snake and Animal Park, to his military conscription during the late ’70s and up to his internationally renowned TV shows on Animal Planet, herpetologist and wildlife photographer Austin Stevens takes us through his extraordinary encounters with some of the world’s most dangerous creatures.Be it staring down a black mamba or trying to retrieve an escaped chimpanzee, these accounts are often exciting and hilarious in equal measure as Stevens dispels the myths surrounding these widely-feared creatures.Running Wild, Stevens’s fourth book, is reflective and personal. He touches on his relationship with his wife Amy, and describes dealing with depression after suffering a string of terrible misfortunes including a horrific car crash, a vicious knife attack and his struggle to rebuild a shattered life.Running Wild is the captivating story of a restless adventurer as he evolves from curator of reptiles, to wildlife photographer, author and film maker. Having faced adversity and mortality more than once, Austin shares with us his reminiscences of past experiences. With never a dull moment, Running Wild will render the reader both fearful and elated.
£9.99 -
Tasman Echo Alpha
Tasman Echo Alpha is the embellished experience of former air New Zealand pilot Guy Clapshaw at a time when airline flight brought magic and romance to lives.Characters include Richard Whacker, the aircrew scheduler who managed to get all the aircraft overseas and their crews back in New Zealand, the operations manager who only hired people with bird names, and aircrew who performed extraordinarily well in emergency situations.
£16.99 -
The Green Badge of Knowledge
An Oxton cockney and proud of it, Tony Davidson speaks in East End vernacular, giving the lowdown on a childhood of tough love among London's street allegiances and hard ethics. Be prepared for boxing showdowns, adventures on 'bird'-pulling holidays and Friday-night pub confrontations with the 'Oxton Mob'.Nearly barbecued while working 'on the gas', Davidson decides to strive for the 'real deal': to become a London black cab driver. He shares the pain and comradeship of that elite group working together for The Knowledge. Cabbie life depends on a network of tough mates protecting each other's backs against some dodgy characters.Hilarious and tender stories teem from the driver-passenger relationship, and between driving the frail, funny and famous, he tells of struggles with alcohol, the taxman, family life and the courts of so-called justice. Davidson's humour floods the book, and despite sobering obstacles, his strength and loyalties shine through.
£6.99 -
East to West across Russia: The Long Journey Home
Embark on a captivating journey across the vast Russian steppe aboard the iconic Trans-Siberian Railway in this modern tale of self-discovery and introspection. The narrator, known only as D, begins his westward voyage in Vladivostok, traversing the ever-changing landscapes that unfold before him. As time moves inexorably onward, the everyday lives of the passengers intertwine with the rhythmic churning of the train’s propellers, contrasting sharply with the raw silence of the natural world beyond the windows.
As the journey progresses, D’s physical expedition takes an unexpected turn, delving into the depths of his own psyche. A haunting presence, N, permeates the narrative, her essence imbued in the natural world, particularly at the breathtaking Lake Baikal in Siberia. N represents the one who got away, leaving a void and a profound fragility within D’s soul, scattering her ghostly influence across the many places his footsteps tread.
Immersed in the tranquil vistas of the external world, D finds himself enamoured by the everyday characters he encounters along the way. As he navigates the complexities of his inner turmoil and the beauty of his surroundings, the narrator embarks on a transformative odyssey. The D who began his journey in Vladivostok will inevitably be different from the one who arrives in Moscow at journey’s end, but what will this transformation entail? Join D on this introspective voyage as he unravels the mysteries of his past, present, and future on the Trans-Siberian Railway.
£9.99 -
Elephants in My Salad
Have you ever wanted to get away from it all and escape to the wilds of Africa?
Well, this writer did!
At the age of 48, she sold her successful South African company to self-build a house on a 4,500-hectare private game reserve in Botswana. Just four hours of electricity a day, no phone, no gun, no fences to keep predators or elephants at bay, and no vet, doctor, dentist, or supermarket within 120 miles!
Told with humour (and a taste of just how life-threatening the bush can be,) this collection of personal experiences gives you a real taste of belonging as an integral part of wild Africa.
Be immersed in tales of:
- Wildfires, droughts, and being marooned by rain-swollen rivers!
- Being charged by angry elephants and being caught between herds of elephants while on foot!
- Being adopted by a one-tonne land antelope and a two-week old baby elephant!
- …and how often Caesar saved the day!
£13.99 -
The Emigrant Who Became a Town Mayor
A long and hard road to acceptance for a child who wasn’t supposed to be born. Against all odds, he fought just to survive, yearning for love and acceptance.
Throughout his life, he has been protected by a Higher Order, guided by faith through trials from Communist oppression to freedom, and into unexpected success.
Through hard work and dedication to his community, he rises to become their Mayor, a testament to his resilience and the unwavering support of his Protector.
£8.99 -
Living the Dream!
This is the story of my life, from childhood struggles with polio to leaving home at seventeen for an apprenticeship with British Aircraft Corporation, working on the iconic Concorde. My career path took me through Westland Helicopters and British Rail, before a 22-year career at British Airways in London, where I became a Senior Airline Engineer, licensed to maintain a fleet of company aircraft.
After that, I turned to flying for pleasure and eventually became a Chief Flying Instructor, starting my own flying school. Over 36 years of training pilots, I experienced fourteen engine failures, three near misses, and two bird strikes—the most dramatic being a fight with a buzzard that smashed through the windscreen, hitting my student in the face, leaving him with a black eye and a split lip, and ending up draped around his neck like a scarf. I also survived a cockpit fire shortly after takeoff that burned my left leg.
Then there’s the story of a mild-mannered, religious pilot who became a good friend. He once told me about the day his ejection seat failed during a jet spin-out, sending him plummeting toward the ground. Resigned to death, he was saved by a voice in his head that he believed was God, offering the solution just in time.
£9.99 -
Paul’s Story: A Son’s Struggle with Adoption, Schizophrenia and the Mental Health System
“Mental illness? Who wants to read about that?” Despite one in four people experiencing mental ill health in their lifetime, it is not a popular topic for conversation. Perhaps this book will change that!
Combining amusing anecdotes, insights from research and heart-rending personal reflections, this book recounts the triumphs, traumas, and tragedies of the life of Paul – adopted child, loved son and brother, schizophrenia sufferer – and of his family. Excerpts from Paul’s own journals and reflections from his family, highlight the ups and downs of Paul’s life. These include his struggle with having been relinquished for adoption, his difficulty accepting the diagnosis of schizophrenia, and the inconsistent and patchwork approach to support for people with mental ill health and underline the tragic waste of human possibility resulting from inadequate mental health care.
An absorbing, poignant and powerful read, this chronicling of Paul’s life and experiences and its impact on his family is incredibly emotive, tackling some difficult subjects with honesty, compassion, and humour. The personable writing style makes this work accessible to a wide audience and the sustained analysis and discussion relating to the need for a higher standard of care and improvements in the mental health system makes the work compelling. Ultimately, it is a heartfelt piece that raises important suggestions for society today.
£15.99 -
Reflections of My Life
Living in a quiet corner of rural Northern Ireland in the 50s and 60s, children had an idyllic freedom to explore plus a healthy respect for hard work and community spirit. Moving from this, to the bustle and confusion of London, enjoying a short spell living in historic Bath to then living in the Far East, was in itself a lifetime experience.
But follow this on with a broken marriage, a protracted divorce and the harsh realities of living with the ‘troubles’ in Northern Ireland, was a route not experienced by everyone.
Starting again, in the hitherto unknown world of a ‘word smith’ in Public Relations, which included working across the UK, Europe, Bosnia (during and post-conflict) and in Kosovo (post-conflict), was a new route. This process was an accidental rather than a deliberate choice. It flowed out of necessity, drawn by instinctive reaction to circumstances rather than by design.
These experiences form the basis of this narrative.
£9.99 -
Rising from the Rubbles - Memoir of Resilience and Hope
Meet Funmi Noah: resilient and full of hope, with the unflinching determination to survive in the face of setbacks. This is an engaging memoir that encourages the reader to re-think giving up when life becomes overwhelming. It’s full of everyday references and familiar situations that make the book an easy read from start to finish.
£6.99 -
Strength to be Myself
Born into harshness and born into suffering, a warrior’s soul struggles to keep true to himself. A soul born into modern times, trying to hold tightly onto that which is him, that which is beyond his pain, to see the real him. This is the story about a person who through the most difficult of environments finds the strength to stay true to himself, to stay true to the very essence of his soul. The years of life from birth to late teens are when the environment plays a major role in a person’s development, a soul’s growth. In this first book of an emotionally turbulent series, those first years of my life are expressed here. This book tells some of the story from my early years. It’s not the pain I want to show, but rather how I found the strength to go beyond that pain to embrace all that is good and loving about me. A person must be able to keep a clear focus on his/her actions, his/her abilities and, most importantly, on his/her true self throughout the most testing of times. This is my story; this is my testimony; this is how I found the strength to be myself.
£7.99