With special guest:
- Simon Williams
Simon Williams is a big strong Queenslander. We find him living in Florida USA, a long way from home with a heartbreaking story to tell.
Simon left Queensland for the USA with his qualifications as a Physiotherapist in his back pocket. After landing a job in Florida he joined the local rugby team where he was instantly identified by his accent as being from a strong rugby nation. While not reaching the heights of Wallaby selection Simon was selected for the Florida state rugby team and went on tour to Uruguay. This is one of the many adventures described by Simon in his new book Torn: The Story of an Undeserving Wallaby Drowning in a Septic Tank. This book is earthy, funny and provides a fresh look at our friends on the other side of the Pacific but there is an undercurrent throughout the book which is what we pick up on in the interview.
Simon tells us that everything he hoped for in his life was taken away from him. This is something that should be familiar to Australians because we have the highest rate of international child abductions in the world. Simon’s young son was taken from him by his former wife to her native country, Brazil, and no-one in the US State Department or in any Brazilian authority was interested in helping him to ever see his son again. The Brazilians effectively put a wall between Simon and his son.
Simon tells us of the lengths he went to in trying to be reunited with his son, short of doing anything illegal.
We hear how finally Simon has managed to see his son again but this is not really the happy conclusion to the story that we would have liked. Simon hopes he has the strength to persevere and get an ending to the story that he will write down one day and get to read over and over.
Simon Williams
Simon Williams is a practising Physiotherapist currently living in Miami Florida. Simon moved to the USA 23 years ago and his love of Rugby in this foreign environment has been a big part of his life since then.
In 2010 Simon’s life changed when his wife abducted their one year old son returning to her native Brazil. His life since then has been a series of challenges. Simon’s story is important for his fellow Australians and anyone else around the world who is concerned about the tragedy of International Parental Child Abduction.
Song selection by our guest: Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel