Neil Begley

Neil Begley was born in 1932. He spent the first 13 years of his life in China, including the last 3½ years as a Prisoner of War of the Japanese. In 1945 at the end of World War II, he and his parents and siblings came to Australia to live.

After finishing school, Neil joined the office equipment industry. During his career with NCR he was part of the team that installed the first commercial computer in Australia.

In 1972 he went to live and work in the joint British/French colony, then called the New Hebrides. His contract was for an initial term of two years, but he stayed for nine years. During this period he also worked on Nauru and in the Solomon Islands.

After leaving the newly independent country, now known as Vanuatu, Neil lived and worked in the Solomon Islands for two years and then in the Cook Islands.

Neil has written two books. His first book is about his childhood in China. It was released in 1995. A second edition under the title Red Dragon Rising Sun: An Australian’s Childhood in China has recently been published by Genesis Publishing.

His second book, Vanuatu 1972 - 1981 which tells of his time in the New Hebrides, was published by InHouse Publishing in 2015.

You can buy Neil's books here:

Red Dragon Rising Sun: An Australian’s Childhood in China
Vanuatu 1972-1981: When three Cultures Collide