Jude Thomas weaving Threads of Gold
By RNZ | Posted:
The prejudice faced by Dunedin's early Lebanese settlers and the skills they brought to their new home are highlighted in a new book Threads of Gold.
Author Jude Thomas spoke to descendants of those settlers for the novel, the second in her Gold series. The book starts with emaciated Lebanese refugees who've been used as ballast on a ship because they had no embarkation documents. This is also the story of Billie Macandrew who runs a fashion house in Dunedin, who defends the new arrivals from enemies including the Prime Minister of the time, King Dick Seddon.