STUART, Patricia

ISBN 978-0-9946431-6-2
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Black and White: Between the Lines

My story is about my heart being torn between two worlds, even at a young age, I remember the struggle was there within me, those strange feelings inside of me, not knowing what the feelings were? Who am I?

About the Author

Growing up in the early days, being poor, it was a time when you went without many things, but having a family to share everything with, we all thought having each other was all we needed. 

I was brought up as a Catholic. I remember going to church every morning with a lovely lady Mrs. Davis, rain, hail or shine and this was how I found my Christianity. This changed my life; the Lord became a very important part in my life and is still in my heart today.

I realised as I got older I knew I had to do something with my life; otherwise I would never amount to anything. 

During my working life, I have always treated everything I did as a challenge. I always set myself goals, I can now look back at my career, which was over a period of 30 years and know that I have achieved what I had set out to achieve. 

I knew there was something missing in my life; this was when I decided to start researching for.

ANDERSON, Robert

ISBN 978-0-9876317-2-5
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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
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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
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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. 

BRANCATASIANO, Frank

Frank Brancatasiano's self-published book Albert Street Families Interior
Frank Brancatasiano's self-published book Samo Village Children Interior
Frank Brancatasiano's self-published book New Families interior

Email Greenhill Publishing for further information
[email protected]

ISBN 978-0-6485046-9-6
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Emigrazione Samese: Eu Vaio E Torno

Emigrazione Samese – EU Vaio E Torno is a history of the families that left their small village of Samo in Reggio Calabria, Italy for Melbourne Australia. Some came before World War I. Many fled from the difficulties of war-torn Italy after World War II. Their journey was typified by the Bonfa, D’Agostino and Verzaci families. They lived side by side in Samo for many years and left when Australia offered opportunities in stark contrast to their beloved village then bereft of employment.

Once arrived, the Samese worked hard and prospered in Melbourne – a big city quite unlike their village home. They worked in factories, fields, building sites and restaurants, often starting their own enterprises. They struggled with language and a different culture. A mixture of determination, ability and a little luck saw them build families, houses and careers.

This book is a tribute to their courage and vision and a recognition of their success.

About the Author

I was born in Samo in 1948 and emigrated to Australia at 9 years of age.

My mother Caterina, and my two brothers Peitro and Vincenzo left Samo in 1957. My father Guiseppe Antonio had left the family five years earlier to ready the way to build a new life in Australia.

Growing up in Australia, I experienced difficulties typical to migrants who leave their home country to settle into a totally different culture.

These experiences motivated me to work on publishing this collection of family migrant stories. The stories are all from families who called the small village of Samo in Reggio Calabria, Italy home.

It is my hope that these stories will inspire and assist future generations to understand their origins and how they came to be in this great country.

The stories are a real testament of the courage and sacrifices made by all of the early migrants. They all shared the common goal of ensuring that their future generations would have greater opportunities in their new homeland of Australia.