BOOK EVENT - 5pm Friday 25 March
Gough and Me, by Christine Sykes
RSVP info@paperchainbookstore.com.au
or phone 6295 6723
On this 50th Anniversary year of the election of the Whitlam government, join the team at paperchain Bookstore for an in-store conversation with Christine Sykes, author of Gough and Me: My Journey from Cabramatta to China and Beyond
Refreshments will be provided.
This is a free event but please arrive early if you would like to sit during the event as we have limited seating.
When Gough Whitlam and his family move into her street in Cabramatta in 1957, eight-year-old Christine has little idea how her new neighbour, one of the most visionary and polarising political leaders of Australia, will shape the direction of her life. Born to working-class parents and living in a fibro house built by her truck-driver father, Christine simply dreams that one day she might work as a private secretary like her aunt.
But when the reforms Whitlam championed give Christine the chance to go to university, her world expands. She experiences the transformative power of education, struggles to balance motherhood with being the family breadwinner, and faces her own mental health battles. She follows a path forged by Whitlam, from scholarships he fought for, to local community initiatives he generated, and even as far as China, where Whitlam crucially initiated Australia’s relationship when he visited the country in 1973.
Written with genuine heart and humour, Gough and Me is a nostalgic and deeply personal memoir of social mobility, cultural diversity, and the unprecedented opportunities that the Whitlam era gave one Australian working-class woman.
Christine Sykes is a community worker and senior public servant, now retired. She was born and raised in Albert Street, Cabramatta, in Sydney's western suburbs. she attended Cabramatta Primary School, Liverpool Girls High, the University of Sydney and ANU.
Her previous book, the award-winning The Changing Room, was based on her experiences at the non-profit Dress for Success, which provides practical support and help for women looking for work. Christine has another novel due for release in July 2022, inspired by tap dancing and women's friendship.
Venue
Paperchain Bookstore
34 Franklin Street
Manuka ACT 2603
T: (02) 62956723