Past events are archived for future reference.
The Tatura Library welcomes author Pamela Wells on June 21st at 7.30pm to speak about her recent publication The Tiger has Many Lives: The Story of Rod Wells.
Time: 7.30pm
The Tiger has Many Lives: The Story of Rod Wells is a remarkable tale of
determination, endurance and survival in WW2. Rod Wells had a passion for wireless technology and served in Malaya and Singapore as an officer with 8 Division Signals. His nightmare began 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, Rod 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, Rod was arrested and subjected to brutal torture before being
tried and sent to Outram Road Gaol in Singapore. Rod Wells returned to
civilian and academic life to become a world expert in electronics and
neuclonics. His remarkable life was defined by his determination, his will
to live, his self-discipline and unfailing optimism. Rod’s story is one of
extraordinary inspiration and exceptional achievements, highlighting his
ability to overcome extreme hardship by never giving up.
Rod 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”. - Lynette
Silver AM, military historian
Pamela Wells was born in Melbourne in 1940 and grew up in Echuca, Victoria. Soon after Pamela married Rod Wells in 1974, she began documenting his life. Pamela has compiled numerous oral histories, interview transcripts and trial records of Rod’s time with 8 Division Signals in Malaya, his subsequent imprisonment and his survival.
If you would like to join Pam Wells at the Tatura Library, please contact
Goulburn Valley Libraries on 1300 374 765 or email tatura@gvrlc.vic.gov.au.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase however; sales are cash
only.
