Cirrus@Austlit

'A FEW WEEKS into the first draft of what eventually became The Wonder of Little Things, I said to my co-­author, Vince Copley – whose life story it is – ‘I don’t know whether I can do this.’ This being to turn the many stories he was telling me into a book.

'On the other end of the phone, Vince – a Ngadjuri Elder – said, ‘I have every faith and trust in you, right. It doesn’t even exist that you’re not gonna do a good job.’' (Introduction)

'A First Nations Elder shares his extraordinary story of finding kindness in the midst of prejudice, and joy in living life to the full

'Welcome to my story. It's a simple story of a simple person, who's lived a long life now with some struggles along the way. I didn't learn a lot in school, not in the classroom, anyway. But I learned a lot from life.'

'Vince Copley was born on a government mission into poverty in 1936. By the time he was fifteen, five of his family had died. But at a home for Aboriginal boys, he befriended future leaders Charles Perkins, John Moriarty and Gordon Briscoe. They were friendships that would last a lifetime.

'Always remember you're as good as anybody else,' his mother, Kate, often told him. And he was, becoming a champion footballer and premiership-winning coach. But change was in the air, and Vince knew he had more to contribute. So he teamed up with Charlie Perkins, his 'brother' from the boys' home, to help make life better for his people. At every step, with his beloved wife, Brenda, Vince found light in the darkness, the friendly face in the crowd, the small moments and little things that make the world go round.

'In The Wonder of Little Things, Vince tells his story with humour, humility and wisdom. Written with his friend Lea McInerney over many cups of tea, it is an Australian classic in the making, a plain-speaking account of hardship, courage and optimism told without self-pity or big-noting.

'Vince's love of life will make you smile, his heartache will make you cry, and his determination to enjoy life in the face of adversity will inspire you to find the wonder in little things every day.'(Publication summary)

Confronted with a global pandemic, writer Lea McInerney experiences the freedom to create while receiving regular government payments In September 2020, two months into Melbourne’s second lockdown, I was doing my allotted hour of physical activity when a pleasant feeling that wasn’t just feel-good-exercise-chemicals flowed through me. A surprising thought followed: “I’m really happy.” I’d just had another weekday of the same routine: get up, eat breakfast, go to my desk, write more of the story I’m working on, knock off after six or seven hours, go for a walk, cook dinner, eat, chat, read, bed. Then the next day, start over again, same routine, same rhythm. On weekends, I’d scale things back a bit and do an hour or two of writing, go shopping for groceries and clean up around home. As I walked around the park that day feeling happy, I looked at the other masked walkers and wondered how they were getting on. Had their pre-Covid work selves changed dramatically like mine?' (Introduction)

'IN SEPTEMBER 2020, two months into Melbourne’s second lockdown, I was in my local park doing my allotted hour of physical activity when a pleasant feeling that wasn’t just feel-good-exercise-chemicals flowed through me. A surprising thought followed: ‘I’m really happy.’' (Introduction)