Allan Gilfillan McLachlan was born in prewar Glasgow. Living in a poor tenement community, Allan's childhood was shaped by his strong and loving family. Coping with poverty was part of daily life.
After leaving school, he joined the Army and served in Cyprus as a radio operator. His skills in this area saw him emigrate to New Zealand where he became an industrial electrical specialist. Allan's business expanded to Australia. When he retired, he returned to New Zealand with his wife Pippa to the countryside in Clevedon in South Auckland, where he still lives today. Allan talks to NZ Booklovers about his memoir.
Tell us a little about My Gorbals Life.
It mainly consists of a series of brain snapshots throughout my childhood, which I managed to retain for some reason but with real clarity.
What inspired you to write this book?
The bare bones of the book were written as emails to my grandson, who at that time was six or seven years old and living in Wellington. The emails were written while I was recovering at my home in Sydney from a serious cancer operation. Family members asked to be on the mailing list, as did in fact quite a few others. Various family and friends located in places as diverse as Germany, the US, Scotland, Austria and Australia all insisted that my writings should be published as a book, and it is only after 20 years or so that the book has come to fruition.
What research was involved?
No research was involved. All of the material was more or less imprinted in my memory and could readily be recalled. Getting the individual memories onto paper would have been a difficult task otherwise.
What was your routine or process when writing this book?
As the material was assembled in the form of a series of emails over a period of time, the book more or less assembled itself!
If a soundtrack were made to accompany this book, name a song or two you would include.
A soundtrack would include some songs such as “Buttons and Bows” (Bob Hope), “Ghost Riders in the Sky” (Vaughn Monroe) and “Chattanooga Choo Choo” (Glenn Miller). As you can see, these are songs from the 1940’s.
What did you enjoy the most about writing this book?
The main thing that I recall from the writing of the book was that of relief that I had actually accomplished the recording of my formative years. As any writer will tell you, it is a wonderful pleasure to write, and to read back what you have written, and an even greater pleasure when you can put your hands on a printed book in the knowledge that you wrote all of its contents.
What did you do to celebrate finishing this book?
I am afraid there were no specific celebrations at all about finishing the book. As noted above, the book essentially repeats a series of emails written two decades ago, and as a result there was no real day of celebration. I did however allow myself a gin and tonic when the first box of printed book was delivered to my door.
What is the favourite book you have read so far this year and why?
The book I read earlier this year which made its mark on me is “The Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese. The concept of this book, giving a very detailed history over a period of 50 years or more of a small part of India, and the way in which the author presented the material, resulted in an extremely enjoyable reading experience for me. I commend the book to everyone, notwithstanding its size.
What’s next on the agenda for you?
Next on the agenda is the continuation of my very varied lifetime experiences. I have served time in the merchant navy and the British army, emigrated to New Zealand and lived in various places and had many ups and downs throughout my life that I think warrant being recorded, at least for the benefit of my family.