Kirjahaku

Tokkie Smith and the Colour of RugbyCreating the Hong Kong Sevens "The colonial rugby elite sat in stunned silence. He had been accused but not heard. Never before had they been required to make such an emotional and personal decision. Slowly, one by one, they raised their hands and his life was over." The Hong Kong Sevens produced a burst of brilliant rugby which brightens the world. It didn't just happen but was created through progressive inclusion. In the process Founder South African Tokkie Smith was caught up in the turbulent forefront of the game's move from white domination and into the clutches of big money. It brought him personal tragedy but gave the world Sunshine Rugby. Author John D'Eathe is a product of the golden years of amateur rugby. He has seen the game transform from elitist and non-inclusive into the brilliant, open Sunshine Rugby of today. He met Tokkie Smith in 1959 in exotic Hong Kong and joined him for a decade in the waning days of the Empire and of Colonial rugby. Discover the life of Tokkie Smith and his impact upon world rugby.Review by Martin Tiffany: "WHILE this book is essentially about Tokkie Smith and his contribution to rugby union in Asia and the world, it is about much more.It is about the fight against the elitist rugby bodies and their double standards, it is about the stranglehold of world rugby's governing body, it is about Hong Kong in the colonial era, and above all it is about the birth of one of the biggest and most exciting events on the international rugby calendar - the Hong Kong Sevens.The author John D'Eathe met Cape Town-born Tokkie in 1959 in Hong Kong and through rugby formed a lifelong friendship. One of the main reasons the author wrote this book was to shine a light on someone he felt was an unsung hero of today's modern game and through the book hopes to establish Tokkie Smith's rightful place in rugby history. If you are a rugby union fan this book is well worth a read.

A cynically light-hearted financial crime novel, set in recent times, follows Canadian Ron Leyland's encounter with romance in Hong Kong leading him into business opportunities presented by his colonial lawyer Hinkenbothem, with dubious big money coming from Macau and China. Renminbi, the Peoples' Currency, is slowly weaving its insidious way into control of the Western World. Illegal capital movement, unchecked money laundering and cheating have become prevalent in Canada. The Vancouver Model is now the international money launderers' standard. Wealth prevails and Ron is swept away into the process, uneasy but unchallenged. The Leyland Co. family prospers and chairman Logger Leyland even invests in China drawing them into illicit dealing there. However, increasing attention by Sgt. Singh of the Mounties alerts his Hong Kong experienced Commissioner Jack Jackman in Ottawa and they are heading for real trouble. Ron's human rights activist wife Maisie, now Canadian, tries in vain to control her evil nightclub owning and drug dealing brother. She also attempts to escape from the lust of powerful Mainland politically connected Zhang who brings questionable billions to invest with Leyland. Ron's Canadian banker friends and trusty lawyer George Oikawa rush to protect them. Ah-Cy, Zhang's wife of convenience is daughter of a revolution hero father and befriends Maisie but can she save her from his clutches? Ah-Cy achieves personal Party prominence in China but Maisie's serious concerns about human rights puts pressure on their relationship just when their mutual trust becomes vital. Will Canada itself learn to protect itself in a corrupt, manipulative world and struggle out of its naivety in time? Or will it also become addicted to the alluring Renminbi?

John D'Eathe, a child of the British Empire, tells his life story and expresses his thoughts on the decline of the empire through fascinating and often humorous interactions with celebrities who have met him. What became of the British Empire? It took over a thousand years to assemble but just his lifetime to dismantle. A century ago it was the greatest domain ever, directly controlling a quarter of the world and its population. Even as the book opens, during the Second World War, Great Britain still dominates over eighty countries. 'Celebrities' features our 'Child of the Empire, ' a little English boy first encountered fiercely defending Britain and its possessions from attack by the Germans. It was an era of intolerance and violence and he was born into a society influenced and prejudiced in many ways. His life was to see a great deal of change. The War won, he is schooled in a strict system preparing him for service in the world-wide Empire.From those modest beginnings he succeeds, and goes on to enjoy the Imperial life, initially lording it over others in the colonies. He meets a fascinating array of characters along the way, some well-known, and at the highest levels of their calling but all contemporaries in the developing dramas of their time. He watches with fascination from the security of the post-colonial Canada, as the other nations of his fading imperial world progressively claim their independence. Then, Canada withdraws, patriating its constitution, and at the end of the century even his revered Hong Kong is gone to Communist China. He then observes the newly independent countries finding their lone, contentious ways to prosperity in the new world order. Sadly his respected Queen Elizabeth dies and he reluctantly admits the sun has indeed set on his British Empire.