Tales of child migrants revealed
BRITISH author John M Taylor will hold the Australian launch of his new novel in Cairns at the weekend.
The release of I Will Find You follows seven years of research into the heartbreaking tales of child migrants sent to Australia from Great Britain after WWII.
The story charts the journey of a small boy who is separated from his mother in England, sent to an orphanage in Australia, runs away to live with Aboriginals and later sets out to find his mother.
But his task is huge as his name has been changed and his records destroyed.
It is a tale John Taylor heard over and over while rethem,” searching the book. “I don’t want readers to think it’s entirely about child migration, but they need to know about the story behind the book.
“There are things I carry in my head that I could never put into print. The things that happened to them were so extreme, no one would believe John says.
“I met dozens of child migrants while living in Melbourne. They told me their stories, which were heart wrenching and that is a gross understatement.”
John and wife Elisabeth lived in Cairns for many years before moving to Melbourne to help care for their son, Christopher Taylor, when he developed a brain tumour.
When Christopher died two years ago, they returned to live near family in England “so we could share our grief and accept their support”.
“It still hurts just as much, but we’ve learned to live with it. We want to come back to where our hearts are, which is here in Australia,” he says.
London publisher Austin Macauley recently launched John’s novel, which has quickly picked up rave reviews in the UK and US. One described it as an epic, while a Brisbane reviewer said “every Australian should read it”.
“Austin Macauley’s marketing department tell me it is becoming a bestseller in the UK and has developed a reputation for being ‘one of those books you can’t put down, yet don’t want to end, then stays with you long after’.”
John M Taylor will meet readers and sign books at Collins Booksellers Smithfield from 10.30am-1pm Sunday, March 3.