Review: Pride Without Prejudice – An inspiring Life – Beverley Pinder Bares Her Soul In Her Inspiring Life – By Lawrence Machado
Beverly Pinder OAM is an extraordinary Australian who never ceases to amaze me. Migrating to Australia as a teenager, she fought her own personal battles to become the first Sri Lankan-born to represent Australia at the Miss Universe pageant, going on to become a Melbourne city councillor for many years while running a very successful PR company which saw her make a big impact.
Now, Beverley, who remains at heart a true Christian and believes in serving others, specially those going through homelessness and tough times, has bared her soul in her book, which has the blessings of her good friend and mentor, the late Fr Bob Maguire AM.
Pride Without Prejudice – An inspiring Life (Wilkinson Books) shows the ups and downs of Beverley’s life and reaches out to us because as migrants we can understand what she went through trying to assimilate into Australian life with so many different cultures and nationalities around her.
It has a positive message, for migrants in particular: that no matter what your obstacles are, there is always a way out to make the most of this magnificent country.
Beverley’s courage in speaking about all her problems is inspiring to all of us and if anything, her book shows that you can succeed even though you are not dealt with a great hand.
From her life in then Ceylon (renamed Sri Lanka in 1972), through the tough childhood, family issues, to migration in the late sixties, separation from her spouses, desperation, and now successfully remarried, the vivacious Beverley holds nothing back in this raw and highly-readable book about her life, which offers hope to any of us going through hardship.
Beverly, who moved smoothly among the powerful, rich, and the downtrodden with equal ease, tackles the issue of low esteem head on and how she managed to leverage herself out of the brink of the worst stage in her life.
I know Beverley personally as she is a close friend of my sister Sally. They were classmates at St Lawrence’s Covent, Colombo. But I did not comprehend what she had gone through until I read the book, because she has such a bubbling personality and love for life. Her life story is a lesson on how to beat adversity, stay positive and help others.
Her helping hand has touched me, as many others, during the Covid shutdown when she sent freelance work my way.
Beverley has been involved in countless fundraisers for Australian and Sri Lankan causes and her work is unceasing. Her work in raising funds and awareness of the magnitude 2004 Boxing Day tsunami tragedy in Sri Lanka is one of the largest and most successful she has undertaken.
Proceeds from Pride Without Prejudice – An inspiring Life will help the not-for-profit organisation she has helped to kickstart: Turning Hope Into Action Inc (THIA). It will help to bring hope to the most vulnerable people.
I will leave the last words to the great Fr Bob Maquire who knew Beverley very well in his remarkable life and work.
“She is as tough as nails. She grew up in a challenging environment, and whatever successes she has enjoyed in life, she worked hard to achieve it,” the much-loved Fr Bob says in his foreword. “This book explains who Beverly Pinder is, and how she developed her views on the world around us. You could do worse than read it., and give her ideas your consideration.”
