Books by Hazel Barker

Two-year-old Colin and his parents are thrown into a new and harsh environment when they immigrate to Australia. They travel as ten-quid-migrants and, after roaming round in the bush they settle down in Portland in rural Victoria. Primary school brings taunts, jeers and bullying to the young boy. He finds solace in books, and is torn by two loves - the bush and the sea. The music teacher at High School initiates a love for music, but the Depression Years cast a shadow upon his future. Will he be able to continue his studies or be compelled to quit school? Colin's plucky spirit carries him through one crisis after another, and the unexpected turns up... Written in an easy style with good descriptive narrative, Count Your Blessings makes compelling reading. A moving narrative of real people and real places, the characters that live in its pages will bring joy to your heart and tears to your eyes.

London. 1940.When World War II breaks out and men over eighteen are conscripted, Clarence Dover, a conscientious objector, refuses to go rather than compromise his principles. Instead he joins the Friend’s Ambulance Unit. From the London Blitz to the far reaches of Asia, the war tests Clarence in the crucible of suffering. In the end will he be able to hold his head up as proudly as the rest and say, to save lives, I risked my own?One man will stand as God’s soldier not the war’s soldier.This compelling story tells the tale of a different kind of soldier: a conchie.