Beginnings- The First Few Years

Beginnings- The First Few Years is the sequel to the book Stories My Parents Told Me- Tales of Growing Up in Wartime Malta. It tells the story of Harry and Clotilde Grech's immigration to Australia and recounts their first few years in Sydney during the late 1950s. Revealed are the struggles, joys and personal feelings of a young Maltese couple moving to the other side of the world to start a new life, far from their families and traditional home. Included are accounts of real events and humorous stories related to their journey towards establishing a home and family in Australia.

Rupert Grech is a first-generation Australian born of post-war Maltese emigrants. During childhood, he lived in the low-rent suburbs of inner Sydney, later moving to the western suburbs. Rupert graduated with a B.Ec and Dip. Ed. from the University of Sydney, during which time he also played A-grade Rugby League. He later completed an Honours degree at the University of New England while working as a High School teacher.

Rupert owned and managed a cafe in the Blue Mountains for six years. He returned to teaching and became a highly successful school principal in regional N.S.W. Rupert also farmed a 114-acre beef cattle property for ten years. At various times, he has performed as lead vocalist, guitarist and bass guitarist in bands. He has worked as a part-time radio announcer for a commercial station and wrote a weekly column reviewing bands for a regional newspaper. He lives alternately in Valletta, Malta and the Blue Mountains, N.S.W., Australia, for six months each year. He is the author of Stories My Parents Told Me- Tales of Growing Up in Wartime Malta, Miller Publishing, Malta 2023.

He enjoys reading, writing, live music, trading equities and managing other financial investments.