‘For some, especially those who’ve been born in the twenty-first century, the accounts of my early years may seem like the reports from a planet in a different galaxy. If so, I cannot altogether blame them. There are times when I feel just the same.
‘But I hope, as they read about my inter-planetary travel, and as perhaps some of my friends and Nosson’s join them for the journey, they’ll be able to share the adventure. For that is what life with Nosson was: a marvellous and thrilling adventure … I know what a blessing it is to have friends and family. Life has been good to me. I try to do whatever I can the best way I know how.’

Nechama Werdiger has had a long and fascinating life. Growing up under the Soviet Union’s harsh antisemitism, she endured the war years as a child in Uzbekistan where thousands of Jews sought refuge from the Holocaust. She and her family managed to escape to Poland and France before arriving in 1949 in Australia. Through hard work, a strong sense of family and unswerving faith, she and her husband Nossom built a successful new life in Melbourne. Generous, wise, kind and caring, Nechama will inspire you with her life story.