• Published: 5 May 2021

  • ISBN: 978-1-920727-53-6

  • Format: Paperback

  • AU: $32.99

  • eBook: $12.99

Also available as an ebook from Kobo, Apple or Amazon Kindle

About the Author

Christine Sykes served as a Senior Public Servant for 30 years. She published her first book, The Changing Room (Ventura Press) in 2019, inspired by her work with the women’s charity Dress for Success. Now retired, she enjoys the life’s simple pleasures, and is regularly involved in tap dancing, acting, painting and playing the flute. Christine lives with her partner on the south coast of Sydney.

GOUGH AND ME

My journey from Cabramatta to China and beyond

By Christine sykes

‘When Gough Whitlam moves into her street in Cabramatta in 1957, eight-year-old Christine has little idea how her new neighbour, one of the most visionary and polarising political leaders of Australia, would shape the direction of her life. Born to working-class parents and living in a fibro house built by her truck-driver father, Christine simply dreams that one day she might work as a private secretary like her aunt.

But when the reforms Whitlam championed give Christine the chance to go to university, her world expands. She experiences the transformative power of education, struggles to balance motherhood with being the family breadwinner, and faces her own mental health battles. She follows a path forged by Whitlam, from scholarships he fought for, to local community initiatives he generated, and even as far as China, where Whitlam crucially initiated Australia’s relationship when he visited the country in 1973.

Written with genuine heart and humour, Gough and Me is a nostalgic and deeply personal memoir of social mobility, cultural diversity, and the unprecedented opportunities that the Whitlam era gave one Australian working-class woman.

 

Gough and Me is also available from Book Depository, Amazon, or at your local bookstore.

PRAISE FOR THE changing room


‘Christine Sykes has had an interesting life and career, often inspired by my parents. Gough and Me is an engaging read.’
NICHOLAS WHITLAM

‘A wonderful reminder of Australia’s history and the people who shaped our future through the day to day lens of a young woman. A brilliant read.’
ANN SHERRY AO

‘An engaging memoir of a working-class girl’s personal experiences of Gough Whitlam and the legacies of his reforming government.’
LYNDALL RYAN AM, FAHA, AUSTRALIAN ACADEMIC AND HISTORIAN

‘This terrific read is not just for the rusted-on Whitlamites but for all of us who grew up in a very different Australia, one that we often referred to as a cultural desert. Christine’s life, with all its struggles and great achievements, will resonate with many, particularly women who strive for recognition, respect and equality. Her humour, pathos and sentimentality shine through on every page. A must-read book!’
PATRICIA AMPHLETT (LITTLE PATTIE) OAM