'Judy McNeil is only fourteen when her father dies in a railway accident. Penniless and with nowhere to live, her mother is forced to take Judy and her five siblings to seek a new life in Brisbane, where she quickly remarries and Judy's life takes a dramatic turn for the worse. Fleeing to Sydney after attempting to kill her stepfather, all she has are a few belongings in a cardboard port, or suitcase. Judy falls in love with a Singaporean man named Richard, but her dreams of happiness are soon dashed. He sends her to live with his family in Singapore while he remains behind in Australia. So, still a teenager, Judy finds herself abandoned in a strange country with her young child and another on the way. The twists and turns of Judy's subsequent life make for compelling reading. Loathed by her husband's father, she leaves the family home only to find herself at the mercy of one of Malaya's headhunting Dayak rebels and forced to turn to prostitution to feed herself and her children. Later, reunited with her husband, she battles the 'body rats' that feed on corpses buried in a neighbouring cemetery before returning to seek refuge in the drains. Ultimately she is faced with a devastating choice: to escape her nightmare world she will have to leave her children behind. This is a true story that will leave you wondering how one woman could endure so much and yet still survive.' (Publisher's description)
No One's Child
Wollombi
:
Exisle Publishing
,
2008
Z1911486
2008
single work
autobiography
'In her compelling memoir, The Girl with the Cardboard Port, Judith McNeil shared the incredible story of her life in the turbulent world of Singapore and Malaya during the 1960s. Now, in No One's Child, Judith takes you on a journey back to her childhood - as a 'railway brat', growing up in small towns along the tracks while her father worked on the lines. Judith's life was one of hardship and poverty. The eldest of six children, she soon took on the role of provider and carer, while desperately craving affection from a mother too tired to give it and a father who resented her because she wasn't a son. Yet there was still joy to be found: in the vibrant Gypsy camp, full of laughter and love; in the eyes of Tom, the engine driver who believed in her and fed her thirst for knowledge; and in the friendship of Billy, the boy who could see into her soul. No One's Child is an unforgettable portrait of Australian life in the 1950s. With a vivid cast of characters and set against the backdrop of the ever-changing outback landscape, it will leave you marvelling at the indomitable spirit of one little girl who was determined to forge her own destiny.' (Publisher's blurb)
