Just Me and the Kids
Just Me and the Kids was published by Penguin. Now out of print.
The Secret of the Tower Room
Volunteering
Lester Dudley
Mackay's Little Green Book which I self published in the 1980's. People found this very useful at the time, especially those who were new to Mackay. Reading it these days reminds me how much Mackay has changed
Just Me
Soon after I arrived in Mackay I began work as office manager at The Centre in Wellington Street. The Centre housed Family Day Care and Family Services, and was also a community information centre.
Single parents constantly arrived or rang in need of information and help. At the time we only had a few pamphlets and telephone numbers to give them and I frequently wished we had a single resource. We didn't - so I wrote Just Me and the Kids. Kids is not a word I use, in fact I dislike it intensely, but Penguin chose the title, and it was catchy and certainly sold the book.
As part of the Penguin publicity effort for the book I undertook approximately 47 print, television and radio interviews in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and it was amazing how many of the journalists who interviewed me, were sole parents. They had a vested interest in the subject and as a result I enjoyed interviews which were both engaging and wide-ranging.
and the kids
A few years after the book was published I morphed into a widow and it was just me and the (three) kids.
Just Me and the Kids is now very much out-of-date. I have looked at it a few times with thoughts of updating it but a total rewrite would be needed and now, particularly with the internet so widely available, all up-to-date help is out there in an easily accessible and printable state.
