A lovely evening, a bit of respite from the torrential rains in Colombo, and the buzz at the Barefoot Gallery, with Beverley Pinder’s charm making the book launch a lively event. Beverley wears her experiences with pride, and that’s what stands out.
Beverley Pinder’s, Pride Without Prejudice, is the retelling of her life in Ceylon, and subsequently Australia, sharing her setbacks and successes, with an aim to inspire people to keep moving forward, and lighting the path for others who may be in need.
In Beverley’s own words, “Life is a good dose of what you are looking for. Never stop short of trying to attain that which you know is achievable. And then keep going- exploring your next steps and getting into the road that allows you to realise your fullest potential.”
Beverley Pinder, OAM (Medal of Order of Australia) was born to Dutch-Burgher parents in Ceylon in 1955. Seeing Australia as a land of opportunities, her family moved to Australia when she was thirteen.
Her experiences in Ceylon have stayed with her, always grounding her to what her roots and reality were, imbibing in her, empathy and kindness. Australia, as she says, is her home, a place she made her own.
It takes courage to share your story with the world, and I respect writers who do so. Our stories are similar, we have all had our fair share of challenges. It’s through stories of resilience and grit that we inspire people.
‘Communitarianism’, an ideology which has guided Beverley Pinder as she has traversed a complex path, carving a place for herself in Australia, is what the world needs right now. A term, though coined only in the mid- nineteenth century, describes an ideology which had been at the very root of human civilisation, where every individual was conscious of how his or her behaviour would affect the community.
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A unique story of resilience, success, love…
Pride without Prejudice is the inspirational autobiography of Sri Lankan-born Beverley Pinder: A former student of St Lawrence’s School, Wellawatte (1960-68), Miss Universe Australia 1978, glass ceiling-breaking PR businesswoman and former long-serving City of Melbourne councillor.
Beverley’s professional, civic and personal journeys have been anything but smooth. Yet conquering the odds is part of her DNA. In Pride without Prejudice, Beverley invites the reader into her confidence, sharing not only her personal story but the lessons life has taught her.
Beverley’s story includes some domestic turmoil as she was growing up, and the highs and lows of three marriages.
Along the way, she encounters celebrities and Captains of Industry including Sir Richard Branson, Ita Buttrose, Solomon Lew, David Bardas, Robert Doyle and Derryn Hinch.
Beverley’s life’s work has been underpinned by her strong concern for the less fortunate among us, and her belief in the late Father Bob Maguire’s philosophy of ‘communitarianism’, where we all benefit from the help offered to those who most need it within each community.
Beverley’s story includes pointers for younger generations on how to achieve success in any field of life.
Her autobiography includes a few pages where some of the women she has mentored over the years (including Sally Grero formerly Machado) speak with passion and eloquence about the inspiring ‘beauty with brains’, Beverley Pinder.
Pride without Prejudice is available now at Barefoot Bookstore and online https://barefootceylon.com/collections/bookshop. Beverley will be donating the profits from sales of her book to the homelessness charity she helped start: Turning Hope into Action Inc.
