Thank you to Belinda Castles for her constructive critique; Dorothy Gliksman for her wonderful encouragement and support and Lyn Tranter for her honesty and insight.
A special thank you and acknowledgement to Bryce Courtenay who provided me with the tools I needed to tame my manuscript into a book. His generosity and support have been invaluable. At Penguin Australia many thanks go to publisher Clare Forster for taking the risk; Saskia Adams for her artful editing and designer Miriam Rosenbloom for the beautiful cover.
Finally, thank you to my partner Lee Wynyard and our children, Tula and Milan, for their love and support and to our dear friend, Rocco Martino, many years gone but never forgotten.