Morecambe author takes 'One More Step Along The Road' with his new book

Tony Kadelbach, 90, of Hatfield Court, Morecambe wrote ‘One More Step Along The Road’ during lockdown.

He is asking for donations for a copy of the book of which all proceeds are shared between Cancer Research UK and the Alzheimer’s Society.

So far he has raised £770 for the two charities.

Tony Kadelbach: “The book helped a lot last year to occupy my time during lockdown.

“The book stems back to 2019 when my wife Iris passed away in May. We were married for 61 years and I was devastated.

“I was on my own. I started off writing the book as a mini autobiography as a way of therapy.

“I found some diaries in a bedding chest and thought ‘these look interesting’.

“One diary was of a cruise we had taken in 2007 to Madeira and the Canaries.

“We went round Australia many years ago for six weeks for £100.

“What happened was we were living and teaching in spain up to 1990. We came over to see our family in Manchester and went into the travel agents. They had a special offer for the 70th anniversary of Quantas Airlines for one week only for £100 to go anti-clockwise or clockwise around Australia with at least four land stops.

“There would of course be the extra cost of flights to and from Australia but included in the package clients would be given a choice of free short stays in Singapore or Bangkok either flying out or returning from Australia.

“We had decided to go anti-clockwise on the offer and stop in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Cairns and Darwin over a six and a half week period.

“I found another diary when we had three months exchange in New Zealand in 2002.

“It was through the World Methodist Church. During a coffee evening in Kendal Iris was sat next to a minister who asked if anyone would like to go to New Zealand on an exchange basis.

“Iris was in conversation with the minister and later at home sahe said: “Do you know we might be going to New Zealand next year?

“I said: ‘you must be joking’ and Iris said we had to send for the necessary application forms and see what happens.

“We were 12th in the pecking order, and it was 2001 before we could make the preparations.

“Someone wanted to come and explore Lancashire and the north of England so we swapped with the Greens for three months.

“This was in March 2002. We flew to Cairns first of all and spent a few days there before flying to New Zealand.

“We then flew from Auckland and took a train to Palmerston North, our final destination and where we would live for three months.

“Gordon and Lynette Green met us on the platform and gave us a very warm welcome.

“The next day The Greens took us out in their car to show us the different parts of Palmerston North and also to acquaint us with aspects of day to day living.

“That evening we were taken to the Wesley Broadway Methodist Church where the Greens were active members and worshippers and which we would attend on a fairly regular basis.

“The rest of that week was taken up by exploring.

“Whilst we were still in the UK prior to departing to New Zealand the Greens provided us with information about a tour company called Unique Tours.

“They were able to fit us into one of their trips around South Island at the beginning of April 2002.”

He said: “I was 89 when I wrote the book. It was handwritten then the publisher did the typing for me.

“Carnegie Publishers printed and published the book in colour and hardback.

“I can’t believe I have written a book, it has still not sunk in yet.

“I go to Bare Methodist Church and people have asked me would I sign my book for them!”

Tony and Iris had a son Peter and a daughter Fiona.

Tony said: “Between 1970-1983 we lived in Windermere. When we were in Spain in 1983 we got a phone call to say Fiona had been badly injured in a car accident in the Lake District.

“We returned home to the Lake District that day.

“She passed away peacefully on the following Friday.

“I had been offered a teaching post at an international school in Spain, but when I explained the situation to the headmaster, I declined the post.

“September 1983 loomed and I accepted the teaching post in Spain. Iris and I had nine years teaching in that school.

“Then we spent 1983-1992 in Spain and came back to Kendal in 1992.

“It was the hardest five years of our married life. We taught privately, Iris taught music and I did home tuition for GCSEs.

“I did this until I got my state pension and a small Spanish pension.

“We moved to Morecambe in the year 2001.

“My son Peter is living in Vancouver in Canada and my eldest grandson is in Toronto.

“I didn’t think I would write a book myself. I chose all the photos in the book but the difficulty was selecting photos that would match the text.

“It’s an anthology that people can dip into.

“I write it as I say it and I tell it.”

To order a copy of the book call Lucy Frontani at Scotforth Books tel: 01524 745619.

All donations for the book (minimum donation of £10) should be sent to 1, Hatfield Court, Morecambe, Lancs, LA4 64Q.