Today's review of No Ordinary Man in the Tamahere Forum: www.tamahereforum.co.nz
Nicky Webber, a former journalist, tells the story of Mick Thompson, a young, World War II soldier who is forced by the times and intolerance to hide his true nature. A brave soldier who fought in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria and Italy and gained the rank of Sargent, Thompson was also a cross dresser.
A chance conversation led Webber to the story and a meeting with Thompson’s niece. In a few weeks she had old documents, photos, news clippings and his tattered diary.
“It took two years of historical research and many discussions with his niece to pull the story together,” says Webber.
“Apart from getting the facts straight there was the dramatisation of Mick’s life as seen through his eyes, building the character and his relationships. It was tough going living in the head of a 20 year old ANZAC soldier in the Western Desert war!”
Read More in the popular Tamahere Forum online: https://www.tamahereforum.co.nz/2019/04/22/book-makes-case-for-tolerance/
Lisa was born in Auckland at the start of the 1970s, living in a small campsite community on the North Shore called Browns Bay. She spent a significant part of her life with her grandparents, often hanging out at the beaches. Lisa has many happy memories from those days at Browns Bay beach, where fish were plentiful on the point and the ocean was rich in seaweed. She played in the water for hours, going home totally “sun-kissed.” “An adorable time to grow up,” Lisa tells me.
Lisa enjoyed many sports; she was a keen tennis player and netballer, playing in the top teams for her age right up until the family moved to Wellington. Lisa was fifteen years old, which unfortunately marked the end of her sporting career. Local teams were well established in Wellington, and her attention was drawn elsewhere.