Riding Fences

Jim Pollock

Losing Belief, Finding Purpose: a Memoir

Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Glenn Frey (Eagles) and Neil Young were icons for a generation of protesters, energised by the anti-Vietnam War movement of the late 1960s and early 70s. Jim came of political age in this time and for ten years was absorbed by an ethos of resistance to a mainstream society he wanted no part of.
Eventually, he broke with this life and walked away from what had been his dreams, identity and sense of place for most of his adult life. It is only when he met his future wife, and they travelled to Zimbabwe to visit Jim’s brother, that a pathway to reinventing himself came into view, rekindling the flame he believed he had lost.

 

 

About the Author

Jim has been writing for ten years since leaving behind a satisfying career in government secondary schools. His first literary forays were in biography and history, stimulated by some inspirational Cambodians he met while house-building there. He and his wife led teams of volunteers for ten years, which eased the transition away from ‘work’.
Currently, 2026, Jim tries to pass on what he has learnt about writing to classes of seniors in Perth, Western Australia. Riding Fences is his first memoir based on formative experiences in his twenties. He is currently working on another memoir about leaving teaching and finding meaning in stories from the French Resistance. These stories combine travel, research and personal reflection and insight.
A complete list of Jim’s work can be found here: https://jim-pollock.com