âHope as My Compassâ is a best-selling memoir set in Canada and Australia...a stranger than fiction, true life story nominated for the National Biography Prize- first published by Random House Australia as âWho Says I Canâtâ and then McArthur Press in Canada as âSerendipity Roadâ
On the cover, the late Bryce Courtenay, best selling author of 'Power of One' says: âstory of hope and perseverance-whenâs the movie?â
Starting life in an orphanage in Calgary, Catherine DeVrye was adopted by loving parents. When she was twenty-one, they both died of cancer, within a year of each other. An only child, Catherine packed her bags for a 3-month working holiday in Australia, arriving jobless and near pennilessâŠ
This led to a life-long journey to find her place in the world, as she waited tables, taught school, worked on a mine site and as a senior public servant. She then joined IBM with postings to Tokyo, Hong Kong and New York. Named Australian Executive Woman of the Year, Catherine found herself dining with princes, prime ministers and Olympic athletes. Sheâd cycled over the Andes, dived with sharks and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Yet, still something was missing. So, eventually Catherine decided to search for her biological parents. And thatâs when her adventures really beganâŠas she saw her birth father inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame.
If youâve ever felt alone and hopeless, laugh and cry through Catherineâs story and become more empowered to turn your own stumbling blocks into stepping-stones.
Catherine DeVrye is based in Sydney and travels the world sharing her life experiences as a conference speaker.
Narrated by the author, a percentage of all royalties go to the Salvation Army who cared for her as a baby.