Mandaley Perkins was born in Darwin in1960 to a father who’d survived being a prisoner of war on the Burma Siam Railway, enduring horrendous conditions over three years in many of the forced labour camps along the route from what is now southern Thailand to Myanmar. She’d known nothing of this until she broke her neck in the last term of university and, in an effort to encourage his daughter to dig deep into her own resilience reserves, her father finally spoke of it for the first time.
She offered fascinating insights into both her parents, as well as her stepfather. These two men formed the narrative of her two books, Tropic Tide and Hanoi, Adieu. the stories are hard to comprehend from the enjoyment of maggotty rice to the bodies fed to crocodiles.
While Mandy is much more comfortable talking about others, her own story is full of challenges, and you'll hear about how a seed of an idea became a successful business as Husk Distillery, despite devastating floods and plague.
Don't be fooled by her unassuming and modest demeanour; Mandaley Perkins is currently CFO and co founder of Husk Distillery in the Tweed Valley, and as tough as they come.
This episode is a cross between a history lesson, a lesson in making rum and gin, but more than anything it’s a lesson on resilience.
Photo is her own
www.huskdistillers.com
Books
Tropic Tide and Hanoi Adieu available from www.mandaleyperkins.com
Hanoi Adieu is also available from Booktopia
If you like what you hear, we'd love you to leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Thanks for listening in.
lynneschinella.com.au
0419 186 984
lynne@lynneschinella.com.au
Recorded on Bundjalung Country and thanks to Darrian Warner for the edit on Wadjuk Country.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.