Antony Jeffrey Antony Jeffrey i(24843145 works by)
Gender: Male
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1 y separately published work icon Transforming Passion : A Singer's Way Antony Jeffrey , Redland Bay : Connor Court Publishing , 2023 29189091 2023 single work novel

'Rosa is a woman who grew up in the bush of southern Queensland. At school she discovered she could sing and it became her abiding passion. While this book tells about her life and career, she couldn’t do it on her own, so her story is as much about the people she loved and who loved her back, and looked out for her.

'Her determination and talent brings stardom, but at a cost. Those blessed with an aura of success, like any of us, are plagued by loneliness, illness and loss. But life for Rosa and the people she loves and works with is never dull; every day seems to bring a new challenge to be embraced.

'‘He’d been drinking at the Regatta …and next thing, he skolled a glass, leapt up on the parapet, did a handstand slowly, and hand walked the whole length of the balcony. A hand misplaced by an inch and he was dead…’

'Riding Scrimple in the valley shortly after sunrise felt the only place where she belonged, the only place she could sing whenever or whatever she wanted … as a little girl she discovered that singing crushed some of the awful dreams.’

'It was like she had to be a vocal dancer or athlete. Keep to the beat; keep in tune! How was it done? Surely it must be better than what was going on? She had this aural vision of these people around her groaning or moaning.’

'All she could do was suspend judgement, her world and any other place or person, for this minute, hour, day … She stood on the little terrace, her eyes moving from him to the view of a village, hillsides, and the blues, ochres, sages of sky and landscape.

'‘The way you sang that long last song was more than brilliant; it said something to me about the power of communication through music I’ve never known.’

'‘Your memory or your truth, he said, can change depending on how you are living the moment of your recollection’' (Publication summary) 

1 y separately published work icon The Poinciana Tree : The Story of an Australian Woman's Life and Struggle in the Times before, during and After World War II Antony Jeffrey , Redland Bay : Connor Court Publishing , 2022 24843163 2022 single work novel

'The Poinciana Tree is a novel about a woman and her family whose lives spread across the vast continent of Australia. On one hand it is a story of hardship, emotional deprivation and coping with the desperation of the Depression and war, but on another level it is a classic example of bravery, resilience, the joys and sorrows of family and the unswerving commitment of love and support to others.

'The story is based on the real experiences of the author's own family. His mother Aimee Francis was born in 1908 in the remote goldfields of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, but after her own mother's early death she moved to Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and ultimately to Queensland.

'Our history is full of the bravery and resourcefulness of people like Aimee and those she loved, but rarely are they noticed. This book is a tribute to her and the thousands like her.' (Publication summary)

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