The World That Shaped Me

<p>I was born in December 1942 into a world engulfed in a brutal global war which resulted in an estimated 75 million deaths. It also led to a number of fundamental changes to the way the post-war world would function. These changes included the dismantling of the last vestiges of feudalism a retreat from colonialism and the transition from a hot war to a cold war. The latter being characterised by a contest between a communist versus capitalist economic order and a democratic as opposed to authoritarian approach to how countries should be governed. Now some eighty years later those contests and associated levels of tension continue to exist. </p><p>This memoir plots my journey as a refugee from my family home Schloss Spreewiese to life in post war Germany to that of an immigrant and later a citizen of Australia. It provides an insight into the rich and colourful life I experienced living in that rapidly changing world and how those experiences have helped to shape my values and beliefs. I have tried to tell my story with honesty and humour.</p>