March 14, 2013
When we see old blokes around town, do we know their background? Do we know their stories? Do we realise they weren’t always old?
Wondai author Dawn Vandenberg posed these questions when she launched her second book, “A Look Through My Eyes”, this morning at Kingaroy Library.
The book is a true tale of a special “old bloke” in Dawn’s life, her husband Rem.
Rem was born in 1937 in the Netherlands.
His early life was a struggle to exist under the Nazis. He also struggled against the doctrines of the Catholic Church and family discipline.
He eventually found his way to Australia.
Dawn read a section from the book which described Rem’s arrival at Albany in Western Australia at the age of 16 and his yearning “to disembark and become one with this land”.
Rem also spoke at the book launch, saying he didn’t understand what the Promised Land was until he saw Australia.
“It touched me, it grabbed me. I have never thought any different than I do now. I live in a country that cannot be equalled anywhere in the world.”
Rem said he was awestruck when he met his first Aborigine … a man with dark skin and blond hair whom he came up against in a boxing tent in Western Australia.
In this boxing ring, Rem also earned the first “quid” he made in Australia.
“I know people who say ‘I have lived my life but I don’t know why’,” Rem said.
“To me, life is what you experience and what you see. So grab a piece of paper and write down what you think are the highlights of your life. This is why you lived …”
Dawn, who formerly taught at Kumbia and Murgon State schools, published her first book “Tales From Manger Inn” in 2011.
- Both books are available online: A Look Through My Eyes and Tales From Manger Inn
