Centenarian publishes his memoir with the help of friends and family
A World War II veteran has released a memoir of his extraordinary life to coincide with his 100th birthday.
Tom Barry, a resident of Bolton Clarke Bicentennial in Mackay, Queensland, has published “A Prodigious Leap” – which he describes as “a story about me, from A-Z” – after 15 years of hard work writing, dictating, and editing his life story.
“I started writing my story on the computer, but I progressively lost my sight over a number of years. I had to keep increasing the size of my font, toward the end I was only fitting five or six words on a line and mixing up the letters.
The book, written with the help of Ann, his late daughter Joanne, Bolton Clarke At Home Support staff, and close friends – as well as the Mackay Regional Arts Development Fund – tells the story of his childhood in Sunderland in the UK right through to the end of his service in World War II.
It will be launched as part of a 100th birthday celebration on Saturday 30 July.
