Lost and Found

I mentioned some time ago how much of a fan I am off The Big Issue. A brief reminder, it is a totally independent street press magazine which assists homeless people and the long term unemployed.

It originally started as a very small venture but is now available in almost every capital city (except Darwin unfortunately, and I miss it greatly). This week the magazine celebrates its 13^th anniversary. This article in the Brisbane times has highlighted something to me. I always though I was just providing income for the vendors I purchased from, but it is very much more than that. It provides an opportunity for the less-advantaged in our communities to socialise and communicate with their somewhat better off peers, and helps to build their self confidence.

The magazine itself is also a good read. Being totally independent it is not forced into conformity, and can often share some harrowing and compelling stories that would otherwise not see the light of day.

I strongly urge you not to be one of those who walk past their local vendor. Take the time to have a chat and buy a copy of the magazine. I can assure you that they will really appreciate it and you will be a better person for it.

Over the weekend I finished reading another great book. It is called Survival in the Killing Fields, and is the autobiography of Haing Ngor who was an Actor in the 1984 movie The Killing Fields.

In real life he was a Doctor and had never acted before. He went on to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Dith Pran a Cambodian Journalist who was enslaved by the Khmer Rouge. The role was almost identical to his real life story.

Warning: Book Spoiler. If you are interested in reading the book do not read on.

The book is a truly unimaginable account of his life during the 1974 to 1979 Pol Pot years where he was held captive by the Khmer Rouge. On three occasions he was imprisoned and subjected to unbelievable torture. The Khmer Rouge were killing all people with professional backgrounds so he was forced to hide the fact he was a Gynaecologist and pretended he was a Taxi driver.

What made this even worse is that he watched as his wife died during childbirth all because the Khmer Rouge were looking on, and would have killed both of them if the found out he was really a Doctor.

He managed to survive numerous attempts on his life and moved to America in the early 80s. During the four years of the Khmer Rouge regime Haing Ngor lost 32 relatives out of his extended family of 41, an astonishing 78%. Only 9 survived.

The true tragedy is that after surviving all of this he was murdered in 1996 in Los Angeles during a botched mugging. Three Asian Gang members had wanted to steal a gold locket he was wearing, which was the only remaining item he had left after his wife’s death.

It is just crazy to believe that a man who had survived so much would be gunned down over a $150 locket. It really made me thing about my own mortality.

When I was in High School we were literally forced to read every day during sessions known as DEAR, Drop Everything And Read. Being forced to read wasn’t a lot of fun and meant that I never really got into it, and didn’t appreciate that reading can actually be enjoyable.

When I was at uni in 05/06 I started reading a lot of management text which I quite enjoyed. They are not exactly the type of books that you pick up and read from start to finish, but I certainly learnt a lot during those two years.

Since finishing Uni I have started to buy and read more and more books. With so much free time on my hands in Darwin, it provides a great opportunity to get through them. I am finding that I like reading true stories and Biographies/Autobiographies.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago I read the biography of Barbe-Nicole (Veuve) Clicquot which is a great book. It is just interesting to see the world through someone else’s eyes. I don’t intend to make this blog into Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club, but from time to time I may share with you some thoughts on what I have been reading. Stat tuned.

I have just finished reading the biography of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, the namesake on every bottle of Veuve (widow) Clicquot. Given my passion for champagne I originally bought the book to try to learn a bit more about the history of one of my favourite labels, but I got much more than that.

The book has educated me about French History, about the entire Champagne industry dating back to the 18^th Century, and more importantly, about how far one woman can make it when all the odds were stacked against her.

She was widowed in her early 30’s in an era when a woman’s role was to play house-maker and mother. Women were not allowed to discuss commerce or industry let alone play a role in it. She made a crucial decision upon her husband’s death to run the company herself and not hand it over to relatives. This decision and her extraordinary business skill have made the brand one of the most recognised in the world.

Through reading the book I learnt a lot about overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. Before it was just a Champagne label to me, but now I understand the history behind getting it to my table. I highly recommend the book to everyone, even those who do not have a passion for champagne.