Following a successful visit to the Tatura library last month, author Pam Wells will speak at the Numurkah library on July 26 from 2pm.
Her recent publication, The Tiger has Many Lives: The Story of Rod Wells, focuses on her husband’s tale of determination, endurance and survival in World War II.
Mr Wells had a passion for wireless technology and served in Malaya and Singapore as an officer with 8 Division Signals.
His nightmare started in 1942 when Singapore fell to the Japanese, allied forces surrendered, and he became a prisoner of war.
Sent to Sandakan in British North Borneo, Mr Wells joined a local underground movement.
Using his ingenuity and skill he built a wireless radio and a transmitter virtually from scratch.
In July 1943, when the underground was betrayed, Mr Wells was arrested and subjected to brutal torture before being tried and sent to Outram Road Gaol in Singapore.
Mr Wells returned to civilian and academic life to become a world expert in electronics and nucleonics.
His remarkable life was defined by his determination, his will to live, his self-discipline and unfailing optimism.
Mr Wells’s story is one of extraordinary inspiration and exceptional achievements, highlighting his ability to overcome extreme hardship by never giving up.
Mr Wells grew up on a farm at Dhurringile.
After a distinguished career as a scientist in the Department of Defence he returned to the area in 1983.
He was active in Shepparton Legacy, Rushworth RSL and Jubilee Masonic Lodge, Rushworth.
“As one of the few first-hand accounts of POW life in Borneo’s Sandakan camp and the equally infamous Outram Road Gaol in Singapore, this book will be a valuable addition to the nation’s military heritage,” military historian Lynette Silver said.
Mrs Wells was born in Melbourne in 1940 and grew up in Echuca, Victoria.
Soon after marrying in 1974, Mrs Wells began documenting Mr Wells’ life.
Mrs Wells has compiled numerous oral histories, interview transcripts and trial records of her husband’s time with 8 Division Signals in Malaya, his subsequent imprisonment and his survival.
If you would like to join Mrs Wells at the Numurkah library, contact Goulburn Valley Libraries on 1300 374 765 or email numurkah@gvlibraries.com.au
Copies of the book will be available to buy; however, sales are cash only.