ANDERSON, Robert

ISBN 978-0-9876317-2-5
PAPERBACK

A Lawyer in Paradise

This book is dedicated to my fellow travellers: my wife Lee, and my children Ben, Kimi and Sam, and also to the Samoan people who so enriched two years of my life.

Although I refer to a number of trials in which I appeared, this is not a comparative analysis of the legal systems of Australia and Western Samoa; rather, those trials have been included for their human, as distinct from their forensic, interest only.

Nor have I set out to examine in minute detail the broad sweep of Samoan life or to venture into the Margaret Mead/Derek Freeman debate.

Instead I have simply recorded some of the adventures and misadventures of expatriate life. The passage of time and the vagaries of memory since I left Samoa some 32 years ago have, I am sure, softened the rough edges of some experiences and otherwise impaired my recollections but if some memories may have been enhanced a little, or some names now escape me, I hope that is of little significance.

About the Author

A Lawyer in Paradise proves that Robert Anderson is an adept author – its epilogue, a poignant poem, is written by Rob. Also an accomplished artist, one of Rob’s paintings features on the cover.

ARCHER, Emily

ISBN 978-0-6486616-9-6
PAPERBACK

Let My Voice Be Yours

Let My Voice Be Yours. Domestic Violence: A Survivor’s Guide For Every Woman

The distressing statistic in Australia is that nearly every week one woman dies from domestic violence. Imagine how many heartbroken parents, grief-stricken siblings and bewildered children are left behind with a gaping hole where their loved one used to be.

From the Author

My Story

Everyone has a Story – this is mine…My story began when I moved to Australia with my family from the UK 17 years ago, in search of a better life. Happily married at the time I did not expect to be divorced and diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) 10 years later after my husband attacked me and left me for dead.

For a long time afterwards I was overwhelmed with various emotions that took their turn of being in charge of my decisions, my behaviours and the way I communicated with the world. I felt worthless, hurt, betrayed, rejected, fearful, anxious, anger, guilt, and sadness. These emotions had imprisoned me and held me in my suffering. Everything was a struggle; every day was exhausting and I felt very isolated. I cut myself off from all my friends and moved house, I didn’t feel safe and I didn’t know who I could trust.
It was at that time I started to question “why me?” “Is this really how the rest of my life is going to be?” “What is the meaning of my life?” “What do I do now?” Even though I had been hurt, I still knew that my life’s purpose was to help others. Having been a nurse for a long time now, I was drawn to find a way to help people heal from their negative life experiences. I wanted to understand why people do what they do, to help me comprehend how someone who was supposed to love you, would try to hurt you. I found Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) by chance. You know when you see something and then you move on but you keep going back to have another look? Or that thought that keeps nagging away at you? This is what happened when I came across EFT, so I went along to find out more. That first session was so powerful in highlighting where my limiting beliefs about not being lovable were coming from (and it wasn’t from my ex-husband) I was hooked. EFT has helped me heal physically, psychologically and emotionally from the trauma I suffered.

It has opened my world to an expanse of possibilities. Embracing and investigating my negative emotions to situations instead burying them deep and trying to ignore them. This easily learned technique has helped me to rediscover my true authentic self – that beautiful, innocent, fun loving, cheeky little girl I once was.

I have found the parts of me that had been hidden, lost and beaten down. Those same parts of me that shine proudly today guiding the deep, delightful, expansive life I am now living. I was so inspired by the results I was getting and continue to achieve, I decided to become an EFT Practitioner. I want to bring this powerful emotional healing technique to others. By working as an EFT Practitioner, I help others understand that there are benefits to the suffering we encounter in our lives, because life happens in balance. For every negative experience, there is a positive lesson to be learnt, you just need to be open to receiving it. I know this is a hard concept to grasp when your whole being is oozing feelings of sadness, unjust and rejection. I truly believe my marriage and everything that happened is the best thing that could have happened to me in the bigger picture of my life. I no longer see the day I was attacked as the day I nearly lost my life – it is the day I got my life back.

SAVIGE, Kim

ISBN 978-1-922337-13-9
PAPERBACK

Owning My Crazy

Most of us are just trying to get through the day, but paramedics are often extremely harsh on themselves. We have high expectations and feel a pressure to have all the answers. Add to this the training we receive from day one, to respond quickly, to be ever-vigilant, to ‘switch on’ without notice, and then make difficult logistical and clinical decisions, for an organisation that doesn’t seem to care for the carers when they fall, and we are all a recipe for disaster. Paramedics, firies and police have front row seats to the greatest shit show on earth. The question is not ‘why’ we break; it’s why it sometimes takes so long…

From high functioning, multi-tasking, goat-owning paramedic, to broken, blubbering mess on the side of the road, Kim’s journey through PTSD, anxiety and depression after 20 years as a paramedic has more ups and downs than a toilet seat.

This book is edited, conceived and distributed by affiliate publisher Tightrope Publishing.

About the Author

Born out of personal experience and the need for catharsis, Kim’s first title tells one Paramedic’s story of their journey through PTSD. The decision to publish was based on the desire to reach out to others who may be in similar circumstances and struggling or feeling alone. The current system dealing with the mental health issues related to emergency service workers is lacking, and if no one speaks up, things will not change.