Author(s): Bill Murrell

Australiana | South Australian Authors

  Industrial engineer Bill Murrell's To Thyself Be True is the remarkably honest account of a man whose near-death experience as a baby on the kitchen table gave him an indefatigable zest and passion for life.

    From growing up in a sewers yard at Port Road, Thebarton in South Australia to the night clubs and strip joints of New York in the early 1950s, Bill's passions were art, cars and family. In a remarkably detailed account of life during the depression and pre-war years, we see how his drive and ambition was shaped by the opportunities that were presenting themselves in car manufacturing on a global scale.

    A direct descendant from a convict on the First Fleet, Bill goes on a personal journey to Norfolk Island, tracing his family history back to the Lords of Moresby in Cumberland and the Earl of Gospatric. He uncovers the stories of Calvert, the slave trader and Murrell, the sealer.

    Treasured moments are captured in his vast collection of photographs. His story personally documents the great social changes happening both in Australia and the US and is told in an open, authentic and direct way. It is a unique book by a faithful man who lived to the motto "to thyself be true"