In Navigating the Pitfalls of Life: Betrayed by Marriage, Valerie Ovington bares her soul in a captivating memoir that traces her journey froma large, close-knit family to the dark corridors of a toxic, loveless marriage. Born as the second youngest of nine siblings, Valerie's life was marked by her mother's extended absence due to illness.At twenty, she ventured into the city, chasing dreams of a better career, and found herself drawn to a kindred spirit facing similarchallenges. However, familial persuasion kept her from pursuing her own path.When Valerie met her future husband, he was accepted by her siblings for his local connections, and she soon found herself ona tumultuous path through a toxic, loveless marriage. Through heartbreak and adversity, Valerie learned to survive while preservingher dignity. Her story spans over fifty years, a testament to the enduring strength of compassion and resilience that ignited herjourney as a naive twenty-year-old. Navigating the Pitfalls of Life is an inspirational tale of survival, self-discovery, and the indomitablehuman spirit.
The moving story of Silver Bangles and Gold Bangles is an insightful exploration unveiling the dark side of a once exemplary, brilliant young man who has become Sri Lankan culture. When the young man reacts negatively to his father's offer to buy gold jewellery for his young daughters, the father is distraught. How could his son not understand the importance in Sri Lankan culture for a father to provide for his family in this way? With tears flowing, the father remembers how his mother's only jewellery were two silver bangles and how they helped the family survive through the most difficult of times.In Be My Daughter, a once lovely, innocent daughter is angry and rude towards her father, disregarding how much he has sacrificed throughout his entire life to ensure his children get the best of everything, are taken good care of and protected from all kinds of dangers and challenges in the outside world. It's also a tale of the breakdown of family values across cultures. Somehow, the father's love and 'sweat' are forgotten in the face of the daughter's arrogant attitude. The story ends with the father expressing his never-fading love to the daughter in four beautiful verses.The Deeds is a sad story from the 1930s where a greedy elder brother cheats his illiterate youngest sister, who is just 16 years old, out of her home. When the sister falls gravely ill, the brother asks for her thumb print as signature on some documents, which she thinks he needs to get medicine. What in fact he has done is had her sign the transfer papers for her house and land over to him before she dies. However she doesn't die ... and the effects of this scoundrel act of cheating is passed on through successive generations of the family.Navigating through Loneliness and Aloneness is my own experience of being broken-hearted and battered by a loveless marriage, followed by a break-up after 35 years when I am abandoned to live alone. This leads to a powerful depression that comes close to suicide. It is the fear and loneliness that cause the feelings of isolation leading to my depression, and it's only when I discover the power of the mind and meditation that I manage to achieve an amazing recovery.
A riveting tale about the extraordinary transformation of a woman from victim to vigilante; to formidable crusader for the rights of women.In Quest for Freedom, by Cedric Saldanha, meet Smita, a young woman from Mumbai, who is swept into an arrangedmarriage and relocated to Melbourne.Thrust into an abusive and loveless marriage, she battles domestic abuse and violence.With resilience and tenacity, she fights back against the injustices that confine her. Transforming from a victim to a symbol of hope, Smita becomes an inspiration for countlessother women ensnared in similar plights. Her evolution is dramatic and empowering.This deeply moving narrative will resonate with the struggles and triumphs of women around the world. It witnesses the extraordinary transformation of a woman reborn, a warrior in her own right, fighting for justice and reclaiming her life.
Meet Steve Smith, an Aussie bloke grappling with a year of surprises. Between incorrigible mates, perilous half-truths to his wife, petty conflicts with neighbours and a variety of dubious life choices, things turn crazy for him. One Mad Year is Mike Lathouras's hilarious debut that delivers a generous dose of laughter, tears, and recognisable domestic madness.It's a rollicking ride through a year in the life of one very tested, very entertaining Aussie dad!
The prevailing principle of counter-terrorism is that it is now a shared responsibility of government and the community. This shift places all organisations on the front line, effectively creating a new guard of counter-terrorism professionals. This book by counter-terrorism expert Dr David Gawel APM, is a practical guide for those organisations and theiremployees who find themselves facing these new challenges. This guide delves into the myriad of infinite interconnected processes of counterterrorism, framing them within an overarching model called 'the processof counter-terrorism'. The components of this model are broken down and explained in detail with accompanying case studies covering, principles of counter-terrorism, collection, language, belief systems, extremism, strands of radicalisation, recruitment and threat versus risk. This guide also provides a critical decision framework which has been developed and operationally tested within this pressurised environment. Drawing on the hard-earned lessons and extensive research this guide equips this new generation of counter-terrorism professionals with the essential principlestogether with practical tools to proficiently address this threat. It is envisaged that this guide will enrich the knowledge of these professionals enabling them to apply their skills in the real world and assist in averting'black swan' events such as the atrocities witnessed during the Hamas incursion into Israel in October 2023.
Fun illustrations and dream interpretations from Dream Analyst and Teacher Rebecca Seibert.Fino's humans have told him that they will be going to the neighbourhood library and instantly Fino is worried thathe will have nothing to do but sleep while he visits the library.That night Fino falls into a dream filled sleep and dreams of all the wonderful things that he will discover in the library.Each page is a new part of his dream filled with wonder and surprise. After having his dream Fino can't wait to visit the library as now he is sure it is going to be a great adventure.This book has words for the children to read and interpretations of actual symbols from dreams for the grown up's on each page.
This book reflects on the author's experiences and lessons learnt over those 50 years and 20 schools he has enjoyed leading. The types of schools and their locations have added depth to his leadership skills and decision-making, which he shares with the reader. The author comments on the important aspects of schooling and being a principal. These reflections and observations may result in thoughtful discussions and lead to actions in schools to improve their current practices in any way that will benefit the students under their care.Dr Ken Darvall has enjoyed 50 years of educational leadership experience covering all sectors in Australia and overseas, including primary, secondary and international schools, training organisations, international business colleges, school quality assurance reviews and tertiary study abroad programs. To complement these experiences, Ken's tertiary qualifications include a Teaching Certificate and Diploma in Teaching (Goulburn CAE), Bachelor of Arts and Master of Educational Administration degrees (UNE), Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies (Aboriginal Education) (Armidale CAE) and a Doctor of Education (CSU). Ken's focus over the last 19 years has been establishing and leading IB World Schools at: Al Jazeera Academy, Doha; Al Zahra College, Sydney; SMIT International School, Tabubil; and King Faisal School in Saudi Arabia. Ken is currently the Principal at Tema International School, Ghana.
This is a chronicle of encounters with a lot of bird books, in fact a lifetime of such encounters.The world of bird books is vast and varied, defying coherent description. The author's qualificationfor making this attempt to describe it is that he owns several hundred of them, gathered over morethan 70 years. To help make sense of this obsession, the describing of the books is linked to a life inwhich traditional birdwatching (and book hunting) went on, in different places, and in betweenother things. Some non-bird experiences are recounted, to show this is the story of a real person.If further qualification for authorship is needed it is surely the distinction of having been bitten, quiteseriously, while birdwatching, by a fox. Who else, among today's legion of bird-book creators, canclaim that badge? Apart from that event, and no less damaging an experience, the author has triedto chair a committee that recommends names for Australian birds.More than 100 images are assembled to tell their own story: birds, people, places, book inscriptions,scenes. There are chapters about New Guinea, cassowaries, the fabled Ibis of ancient Egypt, birdsand national boundaries, field guides, the bird art of Ellis Rowan (the Australian flower painter),quests and challenges, the uses of bird photography, and some things that are no longer as certainas they once were.
Sledgehammer Beck shines the light into the murky corners of one of the darkest periods in Australian law enforcement history. Merv Beckwas born to be an extraordinary policeman and from the outset he proved his mettle. But he was never more severely tested than whenthe NSW Government led by Neville Wran tasked him with closing the illegal casinos and bookmakers which were the lifeblood of Sydney'sburgeoning organised crime syndicates.Sledgehammer Beck provides startling insights into many of the mysteries and scandals that have beset New South Wales since themid-1970s, up to and including the contemporary crises over money laundering in poker machines and plush, billion-dollar casinos.About Author:Fia Cumming was a federal political correspondent in Canberra for 20 years. Because of her willingness to investigated major issues she was approached around 2002 by former NSW police officer, Mervyn Beck. Beck asked her to write his story and she agreed, not realising how big an undertaking this would prove. As time has passed and many of the key players have passed away, the biggest obstacle to telling the full story has been removed.
Discover how to change your life with The Good NO.The Good NO is for anyone who finds it hard to say NO to the requests, demands and expectations of others.This book invites the reader into the world of NO and on a journey of how and why saying NO is a good idea. It questions the culture of 'yes saying,' inviting you to explore and experiment with alternate ways of interpreting andresponding to tricky situations. It is about discerning what is the best choice for you rather than reacting automatically.The author's style varies from informative and easy-going to ironic and thought provoking. There are many reasonswhy saying NO and backing up that NO are difficult: you may be easily led, don't want to make a fuss, think sayingNO is rude, are afraid of the reaction of others, lack the courage to say NO or you may have a habit you can't sayNO to. The cost of not saying NO is high; it creates stress and misery, it undermines relationships and leaves youfeeling inauthentic.If you recognise yourself here then this book is for you.
Mine is not the only voice in the worldThere are many some loud some notSome of what I do may be a little clunky or repetitiveAnd there may be those who may not like my perspectiveYet if you can speak do so when you feel the needThe world is in a bad stateSome people keep tryingYet a serious problem existsAnd that is the way manyIncluding our leaders and many politiciansDefer us from what really mattersI will not compile a list hereExcept to say there is much conflict and war in the worldAnd it is discernible that without my being personalOr believing in conspiraciesI know many in power divert our thought from the issues of todayThose of the disastrous global warming and climate changeAs well as the poverty of so many nations and people in this worldThey talk up other mattersFinding enemies here there and everywhereSo we the people face up to thatInstead of what we need to do:Help save the planetGovernments still run economics in terms of growthGrowth of goods and servicesAnd growth of populationWhile what we need is the sustaining of the worldSomething requiring a much more realistic approachTo what we have thought and doneSave the worldSave the people on itAnd let the animals have space and lifeSo we can live alongside them
Dyslexia and growing up in the bush as one of seven kids never stopped Stephen Oxley from writing stories and poems about everything he saw. Always a larrikin, from working on the railway, to cotton farms, bush servos, and farm work, he eventually became a linesman for PMG and Telstra. His story takes us on a winding journey from 1952 to 2022, in Brewarrina, Boorowa, Gerringong, Warilla, WeeWaa, Jerilderie, Gunning, Cootamundra, Wagga Wagga, Balgowlah, Balranald, Mosman, Binalong, Goulburn, Barham, and Orange. Every life's a story, and this is Stephen's; his life, loves, mishaps and career, along with a lot of laughter and interesting people.Stephen Leonard Oxley, born in Boorowa in 1952, has lived and worked throughout NSW his entire life. The third child of seven, he started working on the railway at age 15, later trying his hand working at cotton-picking, at a bush servo, on farms and eventually, training as alinesman for PMG, where he worked for 31 years. After his retirement, Stephen continued working, doing odd jobs and groundskeepingat Burrowa House, Boorowa's aged care facility. Stephen has always loved to write, jotting down stories and poems since he was small,doing so despite struggling with school and reading. Stephen has two children, Matthew and Danielle, and four grandchildren.
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