FATE KNOWS NO TEARS

A novel of passion and scandal in the days of the Raj by Mary Talbot Cross. Fate Knows No Tears, a romantic novel rich with the colour and pageantry of colonial India, charts the life of a gifted and sensitive woman's struggle to assert her individuality at a time when women everywhere in the English-speaking world were demanding the right of self-expression and struggling to redefine their role in society, culture and politics.
Mary Tablot Cross has travelled to India several times to research and write this towering tale. She was born and educated in England, emigrated to Australia in 1991 and now lives in South Australia. Thank you Mary, for organising a free copy for the committee. Contact Wakefield Press on 08 8362 8800 to purchase. Click on the image to read the detailed press review.

AUSTRALIA THE COUNTRY I CHOSE TO CALL MY OWN

In 1968 at 25 years of age, I had the choice of three countries to migrate to, - The UK. Canada or Australia, I chose Australia.

I arrived in Australia on the 8 th .of March '68, and started work on the 30 th . March, the Company I worked for in India- MICO (BOSCH) made sure I had a job to come to in Melbourne. In those days jobs were plentiful in Australia, and there was a shortage of tradespeople.

To me Australia was God's own Country. The climate was great, the air so clean and fresh, the water so pure and in abundance. Masalas and coriander were hard to get.

Within a month I applied for my fiancé to migrate to this great land called Australia. Gloria came here on a marriage visa- arrived on the 2 nd . of December '68 , two of her  brothers accompanied her , we got married on the 21 st of December '68.

At that time there were very few Anglo Indians in this country and I had not made many close friends in the nine months I was here on my own, but we had 35 Anglo Indians and 6 Australians at our reception – some of them we were meeting for the first time, but it was great and our circle of friends has grown to many thousands right through out the country. In 1969 we got our our certificates in the mail – we were now Australian citizens, I relinquished my British passport for an Australian passport.

Our families followed and in total we sponsored around 48 people – family and friends to this great country, - it was easy in those days. The White Australia policy was still an issue and the Prime Minister of the day admitted it, but it did not seem to affect the Anglo Indians, because we tend to mix in well we love our music, our sport, the occasional drink, and we speak English fluently.

Gloria and my self have lived in Australia all our married life, on the 21 st December '08 we celebrated our 40 th . Wedding- Anniversary. Boy have we seen some changes. We have three sons, seven grand children and between our two families and the friends we sponsored, we can nearly equal the population of Tasmania.

We have traveled the length and breadth of this vast country and many overseas countries but to me Melbourne Australia will always be my own.

Sam Bamford