What a busy few months it’s been;

1. Ivy, Refusing to Hate, final draft to the publishers – ‘tick’
2. Thesis to supervisor – ‘tick’
3. The U3A writers’ group I volunteer at, Collected Works, to the self-publishing publisher -‘tick’
4. Visit to the relos in the UK – ‘tick’

Because of this, the blog has been pushed aside. But with the pleasant surprise that pre-orders are open for Ivy, the blog can no longer be sidelined.

It’s with great appreciation this book is now to be published; however, it wasn’t all my doing. Ivy Getchell had a big role to play as she generously shared her life. But what makes this biography different are the documents I located, which provide written evidence of what Ivy experienced, corroborating what the Forgotten Australians endured. And in the use of these documents throughout the novel, I would like to thank the many notable people and places who granted permissions, including;

The Senate Committee, which graciously allowed me to use many quotes from its findings in the Forgotten Australians Inquiry.

The Department of Communities and Justices, who approached His Excellency the Honourable TF Bathurst AC QC, Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales, to seek permission to use his speech at the opening of the Parramatta Girls Home Memorial, and thanks to the secretariat who shared this lovely message – ‘At the outset, I wish to commend you on your achievements and successes along with your unwavering tenacity and fortitude over decades.’

Many authors also supported the publication of this book including Jess Hill,

who generously allowed me to quote from her exceptional book, See What You Made Me Do. And Laura Bates, English author and feminist, who allowed me to quote from Men Who Hate Women. Also Judith Herman, renowned American psychiatrist, researcher and author, who permitted me to use quotes from Trauma and Recovery and Truth and Repair.

Others have supported this book, and I apologise for not mentioning you individually, but I thank each of you, again, for your support.

The Forgotten Australians have been forgotten for too long.

Many of them have passed away, while others prefer to forget the dreadful experiences that shaped their childhoods. But Ivy, Refusing to Hate is a book long overdue about institutional abuses, biased government judgements and the sad but all too familiar outcomes of an adverse childhood. And it’s here I’d like to thank the Australian Human Rights and the Human Rights Watch, particularly Annabel Hennessy, for allowing me to use her article dated 19 March 2024.

It’s a lonely task writing a book. Ivy’s experiences were harrowing and recording those events required me to visit my own troubled childhood and subsequent experiences. But receiving so much support from those whom I admire has been validating and heartening. I know that everyone who reads this book will come away changed in some way. Ivy is an amazing woman. She suffered, but that suffering didn’t determine her life, nor did it break her spirit. I admire her strength and courage but mostly her emotional sensitivity and continued trust in humanity.