Australian Gospel

Buckle in, because Lech Blaine’s story about his family will blow your mind. It reads like a crime novel, but it took Blaine 11 years to write this tale because he wanted to be accurate. He interviewed hundreds of people from every facet of his life – perhaps to ensure he wasn’t glamorising the truth. Australian Gospel reminds me of Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet, but this story is true.

Michael Shelley and his wife Mary are extreme Christian fanatics who consider most of their fellow Australians to be barbarians obsessed with alcohol and sport. The Shelleys travel around Australia, believing they are disciples of God. Their children are taken from them as infants. Blaine’s parents, Lenore and Tom, are unable to have children except for Lech, so they turn to fostering. They raise their children in the pubs they run. They are loud, generous and without religious faith. They foster three of the Shelleys’ children and love them as their own. However, the Shelleys want their children back – and they are not going to give up. So begins a battle that will last years and years.

Blaine is considered one of Australia’s most talented writers and this story is a clear indication why. He switches from one side to the other and, alongside, gifts us with a portrait of how the system of social workers and foster carers works. It is not a flattering picture. There is tremendous sadness in this narrative; a grief that runs through each page, born of Blaine’s mother, who wanted only to provide comfort and safety to her children. She died before Blaine could bring the story together, although he used her files and notes as a springboard.

By telling us his story, Blaine opens his arms and invites us in to an extraordinary tale of love and survival. Australian Gospel is a riveting and exceptional read.