Grace Gawler Comments on Guy Allenby’s: The Dragon’s Blessing to be launched 10 October 2008
Posted on October 10, 2008
Filed Under Media
It is unusual if not rare that a formerly married, high-profile couple, launch their biography’s not only in the same year—but also in the same month, 7 days apart.
The discerning reader who purchases Ian Gawler’s biography Dragon’s Blessing due to be launched publicly at Readings Bookstore in Hawthorn Victoria Friday night 10 October 2008, may find themselves in a dilemma, particularly if they have had association with both co-founders of the Gawler Foundation.
The writer of this rendition, journalist Guy Allenby; without doubt, took on a difficult, if not impossible task. Our personal lives were complex and inextricably intertwined with the Yarra Valley Living Centre; so much so that I cannot imagine how anyone, other than the Gawlers could write about their circuitous, amazing and difficult lives. Without getting into he said – she said dialogue, it is my hope that my Memoirs: Grace, Grit and Gratitude, authored by me, and a story of my personal life experience reach the public arena for fair and open-minded discussion. I would welcome a television interview with Ian.
Ian Gawler is certainly unorthodox and has incredible willpower—his staying power is admirable, given his life trauma - but as one reader emailed this week after reading The Dragon’s Blessing,
‘Who is this amazing and relatively invisibilsed woman, called Grace?’ What has she done in the intervening years?’
Well dear lady, given the details provided to Mr Allenby, I am surprised too given the story of my own health demise when Ian left our relationship. So how do I feel after being ravaged by the written word? Well, I could feel disrespected, angry and hurt—but I do not. I wrote my Memoirs from compassion and understanding, respecting both points of view and the challenging circumstances in which we found ourselves. Even more importantly, my conscience is clear—I have acted appropriately, especially in my public and ethical duties during my time as Director at the Gawler Foundation. Like Hemingway said: ‘I have grown strong at the broken places.’ I note that my Dutch surgeon who took me on as an experiment for bionic surgery in Rotterdam did so because of my psychological stability under trauma and stress.
This past week, those around me who know me, have certainly felt angry enough at the tirade of unsubstantiated allegations that appear in Ian’s biography—friends, my children and of course, Pip my partner, who has been love and care personified, has been wonderfully supportive. I am deeply saddened that the book paints a damning, uncompassionate picture of me – so ridiculous; that that the mud simply does not stick. It would appear that the patriachy is not dead when people mistake passion and female drive for rage and fury.
Anyway, I am left feeling perturbed, a tad betrayed and more puzzled than upset; especially given my overall contribution to Ian’s life, our family and the Gawler Foundation not to mention material that I honestly and willingly provided to Mr Allenby.
Given the content of my interview with the creator of Dragon’s Blessing, I am left confused rather than angry or perturbed. (See Footnote from Grace, Grit and Gratitude below)
Thank you to all those who really know me – you calls and emails are appreciated. Yesterday, a close friend simply sent me a helpful quote from Tennessee Williams:
“A high station in life is earned by the gallantry with which appalling experiences are survived with grace.”
I encourage readers, the public to read both books and make up their own mind. Most importantly – cancer patients and carers who have read an tried to implement the concepts in Ian’s You Can Conquer Cancer may be enlightened and heartened by what is written in Grace, Grit and Gratitude from the birds eye view of the 24-7 carer. How did Ian Gawler conquer cancer? Was it meditation, diet or TB that cured him?( Read Coley’s Toxins and BCG vaccinations)
Grace’s book provides a plausible explanation that could have a tremendous impact and influence on the future treatment of osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer).
An Excerpt from Grace, Grit and Gratitude.
Footnote from the introduction:
Almost eight years have passed since I began writing this memoir. It was ready for publication Christmas 2006 with Black Swan Press—Department of Women’s Studies, Curtin University,Western Australia. Black Swan unfortunately lost their funding just prior to publication, causing all manuscripts and Rights to be returned to the authors—edited, libel checked, but unpublished. In the meantime, in October 2007, I was approached by Mr Guy Allenby; a journalist, who informed me he was writing a biography about Ian Gawler’s life. He asked to interview me and I agreed, travelling to Sydney, where we talked for more than six hours in a recorded session. Assured that he would represent our story equitably, I was more than happy to accommodate his questions. I cannot view the pre published work—but I trust in good faith that the
text will reflect my words accurately. It might appear unusual that two books, with a similar theme, have appeared at the same time, and I can only assume that our timing is yet another one of those synchronicities about which I have written.
Special thanks to my children—In respect of their privacy, I have not used my children’s Christian names in this book, nor have I given them pen names. Their love and mine for them, has kept me going in very troubled times.
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