Human Library

Leaving Ecuador and arriving in Sydney in the early 1970s with no job, no plans, little English and no idea was ‘fate’ for this book. Adopting a childhood philosophy of ‘don’t do bad deeds to others because you don’t want bad deeds to happen to you’, this book faced all manner of circumstances to succeed in a system that was completely foreign. With a pregnant wife back in Ecuador, his priority was to work hard to build a new life for his family. Despite cultural and communication challenges, hard work and a positive attitude saw opportunities arise. But with these opportunities came difficulties newcomers to Australia can face, which are still relevant today.

Born in Scotland in 1943, to an Australian Air Force father and Scottish volunteer nurse mother, I came to Australia on a ‘bride ship’ transporting servicemen’s wives and children.

As a new schoolchild in the Sutherland Shire I contracted Scarlet Fever and was hospitalised and separated from my parents during treatment. It was this experience that eventually led me to a career in nursing.

In 1960 I started my live-in nursing training at the newly opened Sutherland hospital under a tough ex-WWII Lieutenant Colonel Matron. Lifelong friendships were formed during my training and the 50 years as a nurse that followed.

Moving to Bathurst in 2007 and gearing up to enjoy retirement, an unexpected injury changed everything. I contracted cellulitis in my leg due to contamination from potting mix and ended up in a battle for life in the ICU. I became wheelchair bound, living in an aged care nursing facility from age 68. I had to sell my new home, miss out on planned retirement, and instead learn to live with a disability and the fact that I had become the patient who required nursing.

I now spend my days involved in community organisations and groups, such as Eisteddfod, Disability Access Group, U3A as well as partaking in many recreational activities, like attending Archery Club.

Born deaf in the 1950s this book felt the stigma of being different from an early age. With a mother who was adamant she would fit into the hearing community; this book has lived most of her life in two different worlds: with a sense of not belonging or feeling comfortable in either community.

The sense of not belonging has been difficult, and the search for her full identity is ongoing. On top of this, along came Covid, and the treatment this book experienced in the face of her deafness proved to be another test.

No stranger to endurance, this book decided to learn the language of Auslan in her 70’s, which of course is a challenge within itself.

With a naturally wicked sense of humour, this proud woman is looking forward to sharing her story, breaking down some barriers about people in the deaf community and would love to teach you a few Auslan language signs.

If life is a game and it is set to ‘easy’, why am I finding it so hard to play? This analogy was my life growing up; it wasn’t easy, and I was different from the others. Living as a neurodiverse kid with ADHD, Autism and Tourette Syndrome had certainly been hard -to put it lightly! I was often told that I was lazy, not applying myself or not living up to my potential.

It wasn’t until my early adult years, as a student of Psychology at university, that I gained a better understanding that my life, or my ‘game’, had been set to ‘hard’, not ‘easy’. After more research into neurodiversity, I can now play the game of life much easier. Like a diagnosis for some, my research has given me understanding, tools and strategies to be in the game with everyone else.

Now, I am studying to be a clinical psychologist myself so I can use my lived experience and my studies to help other people who are neurodiverse; to start breaking down the barriers that society has built up around neurodiversity

Born and raised in Bathurst to parents of English and Italian heritage, I had the privilege of living an Australian country lifestyle with some exposure to multiculturalism mixed in. I have a colonial past and interesting connections to Bathurst’s heritage, but my path in life has led me to become a naturalist with an interest in Indigenous ways of living.

From wanting to be a Jillaroo when I grew up, to moving to Sydney to pursue a career in visual arts and textiles, to becoming a mum of triplets and training as a parenting advisor, my life has a lot of varied stories. I often feel that people underestimate me at first meeting, and I have always been told to go and get a real job.

Since living back in Bathurst I have raised my children into adulthood, all now embarking on extraordinary careers, in Environmental Law, the Australian Navy and Music & Sound Engineering. I now combine my arts and group facilitation skills teaching arts and crafts to preschoolers right through to adults in Bathurst and surrounding areas. I aim to work, travel, and support my children through their various endeavours; I guess you could say that life’s never over!

I have endured various forms of trauma throughout my life, where I have had to adapt, retrain, and refocus to push through. Suffering with PTSD and anxiety, no stranger to caring for people with a disability, including family members and then two of my three children; I acquired a spinal cord injury myself 7yrs ago and have been reinventing my life ever since.

Having found therapy in baking after my injury, I now run my own cookie business and use this alongside my social media as platforms to raise much needed awareness for mental health issues and to show the ability in disability. Drawing on my own history with mental health, I offer 24hr support and guidance to veterans, as this is a cause close to my heart with one of my children having joined the Australian Defence Force. Alongside this, and my cookie business, I also work with businesses to guide them in ways they can be more inclusive for people with disabilities and mental health conditions. 

A fascination with motorbikes and a naturally rebellious spirit from an early age led this book to a life in a bikie club; hanging out with Sydney bikies in the 80s, meeting rockstars and One Percenters. But what happens when an unexpected accident changes your life? From bikie to disability advocate, this book has never let anything get in the way of living life ... even their tattoos have stories!

Growing up in the Anglican faith in a small country town, my childhood was insulated. Differences weren't seen or discussed. During my teens I was introduced to the Born-Again Christian Church, attracted to the amazing music, but inwardly seeking a way to pray for acceptance and to challenge who I felt I was. Attending college was a turning point. I began to have new experiences and think about living for myself. Aged 19, I dropped out of college and scored a job at a factory. I met and befriended people who were gay - who seemed 'normal', fun and loving people. Sport became a huge love, which brought more exposure to gay people. An experience in my mid 20s led me to finally accept that I was gay. It wasn't long after that I met my future and current wife, who I have been with for 25 years.

Leaving Ecuador and arriving in Sydney in the early 1970s with no job, no plans, little English and no idea was ‘fate’ for this book. Adopting a childhood philosophy of ‘don’t do bad deeds to others because you don’t want bad deeds to happen to you’, this book faced all manner of circumstances to succeed in a system that was completely foreign. With a pregnant wife back in Ecuador, his priority was to work hard to build a new life for his family. Despite cultural and communication challenges, hard work and a positive attitude saw opportunities arise. But with these opportunities came difficulties newcomers to Australia can face, which are still relevant today

A fascination with motorbikes and a naturally rebellious spirit from an early age led this book to a life in a bikie club; hanging out with Sydney bikies in the 80s, meeting rockstars and One Percenters. But what happens when an unexpected accident changes your life? From bikie to disability advocate, this book has never let anything get in the way of living life ... even their tattoos have stories!

Born deaf in the 1950s, this book felt the stigma of being different from a very early age. With a mother who was adamant she would fit into the hearing community, this book has lived most of her life belonging, but not belonging, in two different worlds: the hearing community and the deaf community. The sense of not belonging has been difficult, and the search for her full identity is ongoing. On top of this, along came Covid, and the treatment this book experienced in the face of her deafness proved to be another challenge. With a naturally wicked sense of humour, this proud woman is looking forward to sharing her story, and teachings about the deaf community.

This book arrived in Australia when they were 20 years old, 20 weeks pregnant and had $20 in their pocket. However, this is not the experience this book wishes to resonate with you, find out what it is like to have lived in a country for 46 years yet still be seen as from elsewhere, raising children, studying, and working, all while living in various places around Australia, this book has many stories to tell and prefers not to be defined by where they have come from. This book reflects on the concepts of otherness and belonging, and what it is like to be a hyphenated Australian.

Growing up in the suburbs of Western Sydney in a harsh family environment, I escaped that life by escaping to the world of movies on television and cinema at any opportunity. Needing to grow up fast and told to ‘get out of school and get a job,’ a training interview was lined up for me in Parramatta. However, I brushed off the job interview, enticed instead by the lure of seeing a movie starring Charlton Heston, which was showing at my local cinema. This sparked my growing passion for the film industry, and I decided to look for a job in a film distribution office.

I acquired an Office Junior position with Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in Sydney. This began my journey into the demanding yet exciting world of the film industry, which lasted several decades from 1968 until Christmas December 2014 when I retired. In that time I went from office junior to National Administration and everything in between. My career also included spending seven years at the Charlotte Street Cinema in Bathurst and later owning and operating my own programming business, working with multiple screens around NSW.

Now in retirement, I enjoy holding occasional movie memorabilia displays, which is my way of contributing to society, and the arts. I really find that people need cheering up these days.