Cycling 70 Years: Once World Champion

Join Gordon on a journey through the world of professional cycling, from following in the footsteps of Tom Simpson on a journey to Saint-Brieuc, Brittany, to building a successful financial services business and organizing popular training camps in Mallorca, which helped make the island the top destination for serious cyclists. Along the way, discover the amusing characters and incidents that defined Gordon’s career, as well as the challenges and triumphs of sponsorship and racing with one of the top amateur clubs in the country. Experience the thrill of home and away racing in countries like South Africa, where Gordon competed in the pre-Nelson Mandela era, and Russia, where he won the world championship. With a mix of cycling adventures and tourism, this book also takes you on a hilarious four-day pilgrimage ride from Albufeira to Fatima, culminating in a unique ceremony at the famous site. Through it all, you’ll get a unique glimpse into the world of cycling and the joys and challenges that come with it.

Dancing to the Beat of the Drum

Returning to her parents’ birthplace in 1994, Pamela Nomvete became a household name as Ntsiki Lukhele, “the bitch”, on a South African soap opera called Generations.

But the mirage of luxury and success in which she lived was just that, a mirage. Behind closed doors, she battled her husband’s infidelities, addiction, and spiritual confusion.

Dancing to the Beat of the Drum details the traumatic personal crisis Pamela went through as her success grew – a crisis which took everything she had worked for from

her – and how she came to re-evaluate her priorities and reconnect with the spiritual side of her life, something she had long neglected.

Dancing with Chaos

Dancing with Chaos is a memoir. It is an eclectic tale that centres around themes of mental illness and medicine, travel and the struggles of a single mother. The main character is raised in poverty and uncertainty by a single mother who suffers from schizophrenia. Later, as a vulnerable teenager, searching for love and acceptance, she finds nothing but heartache. Then, as a young adult, she begins to discover that the world is actually a fascinating and sometimes wonderful place. Heartaches resurface as the genetics of mental illness unfold.

Dealing with a Head injury at Nine Years Old

After suffering a severe head injury at nine years old, Henry has embraced the difficulties of his condition. In this book, he depicts what it was like growing up between the ages of thirteen and twenty-five with a small learning disability. His quirky and bold writing style makes the reader engage their critical thinking, as they wonder whether he will win out in the end.

Unlike most memoir writers, Henry chooses not to end his story; he wonders if he will ever need an ending. Brain damage is a tricky topic and Henry certainly isn’t easy on himself. After reading his first-person account of waking up from a coma, the reader may wonder how he has been able to accomplish so much. In the end, and in the light of his parents’ support, Henry will never know how much his head Injury has really affected his life.

Death by Dementia

You have two extremely active individuals, mid-60s, looking to many more years of future travel, boating, loyal companionship and retirement. How things can change! Not feeling well in one instance, forgetting what one did with the car keys in the other.

A routine unconcerned visit to the GP, subsequent referral to a specialist and in 48 hours your life is in turmoil.

“You have dementia Mrs Mclean, it’s in the early stages and in your case the CT scans have identified Alzheimer’s. No, there is presently no cure.”

We then roll the dice once more. “You have a carcinoid tumour Mr Mclean. Its metastatic and barely noticeable. However, we have made an appointment for you to see a leading professor of oncology who may put you on trial for a new form of tumour suppressant.”

It’s the two words that everyone fears dementia and cancer.

This, therefore, is a deadly personal journey dealing with the many and varied implications of dementia. In this instance it meant caring for my best friend, confidant, advisor, lover and wife of 50 years, whilst fighting my own diagnosis.

Misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, misunderstood and often denied, this killer with no conscience, now mainstream, leaves but an empty shell as a memory.

If you know anyone with dementia, have been diagnosed in the early stages of dementia or if you are caring for a person with dementia, then you should definitely read this story of love, loyalty, passion and patience. A tale of never-ending belief in the future.

Democracy UK

The reader is asked to consider our democracy as it is today and whether increasing our level of representation in Parliament using a system of total voting will unite society and improve our governance. 

Having made the consideration the reader is then plunged into the ‘what could be,’ an array of thoughts, practises, and procedures that will bring society’s needs closer to governance.

Statistical data is set to a minimum so as not to divert the reader from the objective of making people think about what they have and then what they could have.

Dinner with the Founding Fathers

Few Australians have any awareness of how their nation was established on 1 January 1901 when six self-governing British colonies joined together as one nation.

It was achieved after a dozen years of superb negotiations in which Federation conventions drafted and agreed on a splendid constitution which was approved by six colonial parliaments, six referendums in which ordinary Australians had their say, negotiations in London to have the British parliament gave its approval and finally gain the agreement of a difficult Queen Victoria who wanted the six colonies to become counties of England.

Above all, it was achieved without violence, unlike their counterparts in USA.

Everald Compton has now written a vivid account of it all as he creates a dinner held ten years after Federation in which the founding fathers relive the great political and legal battles they fought and the huge parochial attitudes they overcame to create a nation.

It is one of those books which makes you stay awake to turn the
next page.

More importantly, it will get you thinking about the changes that are needed to the Constitution 120 years after Federation to make it relevant to a hugely different and rapidly changing world.

Disability & Me

“Never give up, raise your voice, so it’s heard and if you want something, go and get it. Define your own odds. And remember – “it’s not how long it takes you to get there – it’s about getting there in the end!””

Tyler’s Story is one of strength and resilience. Diagnosed at a young age with dyscalculia, dyslexia and hard of hearing, she faced bullies and unsupportive learning environments.

When she started work, despite all her achievements, people continued to try and bring her down. However, Tyler has come through the other side stronger than ever. Whatever life throws at her, she prevails, and her story will make you think twice about putting her in a box.

Do You Want the Shortcut or the Scenic Route?

Lucky or unlucky? – You decide!

This engaging book chronicles the true-life adventures, and misadventures, experienced by the author and his wife during their global travels that sometimes did not go to plan!

Readers will be entertained by a spectrum of stories including a rendezvous with an amorous Frenchman, a few scary moments in the presence of wild beasts, general holiday mishaps, hell raising motor journeys as well as floating holiday adventures, to name but a few. This page turning travel memoir will pull your emotions in all directions from ‘hysterics’ to ‘shock’.

The author strives to provide an accurate depiction of the events and the fascinating people the dynamic duo met along the way. All information is as accurate as possible and as such is based upon meticulous notes taken at the various times.

Doctor in the World

Doctor in the World opens with personal experiences of the socialist NHS in England and Wales; in developing countries in Central America, Africa and East Asia; Medicare insurance schemes in Canada and Australia; then back to the NHS in its hybrid public/private and internal market form.

It is an anecdotal record of medical care in many different places around the world. A country’s government has an impact on the health of its people and so geopolitical backgrounds that affect medical services have been included.

Finally, the results of WHO and OECD surveys from many countries are compared against the background of phenomenal advances in modern medicine.

The stories of world health will interest anyone involved in medical care, anywhere in the world.

Don't Expect a Standing Ovation

How shall I lead my life? What will bring me happiness (and can I possibly know this in advance)? Where do my ethical values, feelings and opinions come from? How do I know if I really understand something, or are my judgements always just opinions? Should I be optimistic or pessimistic about ‘human nature’ – including my own, of course? Finally, are there any ‘objective’ answers to all of this or is any answer always as good as any other?

If such questions seem important to you personally, then this book is written for you. Its focus is precisely on methods for understanding better the nature of our experience, behaving more ethically and with greater emotional awareness.

Don’t Expect a Standing Ovation is a reworking in contemporary terms of an ancient Buddhist teaching on meditation, but it is intended for readers of any ‘faith’ (or none), i.e., for anyone who is open to meditation as a possibly helpful practical response to the sense of unease arising from the questions listed above. Buddhist teachings are, therefore, introduced not as a ‘religion’ but as a combination of psychological, ethical and philosophical ideas that are nevertheless in themselves not unfamiliar.

The teaching consists of fifty-nine slogans or maxims, which taken together form a practical handbook of guidance in responding skilfully (and indeed, therefore, ‘wisely’) in our everyday interactions with others.

Don't Push Me Out

In the depths of institutional bullying, resilience and fortitude are tested. Across the globe, in myriad professions, individuals face a silent struggle that can shatter confidence, well-being, and personal relationships. Yet, amidst the silent tears and the unspoken pain, there lies a compelling tale of courage and tenacity.

A manager’s duty extends beyond just running the workforce; it’s about leading with dignity, respecting the needs of the business, and valuing every individual under their care. While managers are human and imperfect, prejudice and discrimination have no place in the workplace. Every individual should be assessed based on their worth, integrity, and capabilities, ensuring no room for regret.

As you delve into this narrative, you may find yourself questioning my endurance and wondering how I confronted the adversities thrown my way. I remain eternally grateful for the strength, determination, and blessings that guided me through both personal and professional triumphs. This is my story, unfiltered and real, shedding light on a pervasive issue while offering hope for a brighter tomorrow.