This is a story 8 years in the making since my Dad passed away in 2012. Truth be told, it’s actually 36 years that it has been percolating as my Dad was my hero and died at the young age of 59 after struggling with ill health for 5 years. His story is one of courage and bravery and resilience.

My Dad immigrated to Australia in his early teens and joined the Royal Australian Navy at the age of 17yrs, with the bulk of his career served on submarines. My book is about what Dad has taught me in my life, starting with his difficult death at home and then moves through the different traits that he has taught me – reflecting on stories from his life before me – including his service as a submariner, and our experiences together. The last chapter is his funeral and my goodbye.

My Dad was larger than life, no doubt about it, but it is the story that is so much bigger than both my father and me; this is a story about caring, about a life hard lived but well lived, about strength and about forgiveness. It’s humanity in all its beauty and its horrors.

 

Genre Biography