April 22, 2009
It's all good... - Amy Larkin
I never met Ray, in fact i knew nothing of him until he had already passed away. I was on my first trip overseas on my own, i was a very naive 19 year old leaving the shores of Sydney, Australia and the safety of my family for the big wide world and going to take on the world in San Francisco. My Aunt bought me a book to make the plane trip move a bit faster, she picked up "it's all good" because she thought it was about an adventure across the USA (which it was i guess), and because the Daddo family are famous in Australia and she thought it was going to be a story of how Andrew Daddo made it big. It was so so much more. I can not express how different my life would have ended up if i had never read this book. I did actually get a car (def not as cool i know!) and drive from New York to San Francisco, and i made my sister fly from Australia to do it with me - it was the best experience of my life. But so much more then that it made me realise it was more important to be passionate about what i was doing then anything else, when i returned to Sydney 13 months later i dropped out of Law degree at university and started a teaching degree - sure my father wasn't happy, but i was and he in time would realise it is much more important that i am happy and passionate then that he can tell his mates at the golf club that his daughter is a lawyer.
The reason i am writing this to you now is that i have just finished reading the book for the second time, 3 years later for some reason i picked it off the shelf. I have just graduated as a Teacher (with honours) and am happily teaching a 2nd grade class, and love getting up every morning. And no matter what, no one can ever ever take the memories that i have with my sister exploring the US away from me.
I never met Ray...but he most definitely changed my life.
March 08, 2009
It's still All Good
i just re-re-read It's All Good on Rose's & my runaway - so incredible to hold a book in my hands filled with stories & pictures of Ray. Of course it's filled with stories of Andrew too, just as much, but that's great - it's amazing to me that those two managed to find each other, both the same mix of macho/bravado & utter goofiness - setting up dramatic photo shoots of themselves, c'mon. Andrew's remembered Ray is far more laconic than I think of my chatty question-man husband, and I reallllllly struggle with the image of him falling asleep at one point, the wrong point -- but that IS the point for me. These aren't my memories, these are Andrew's, and they add to our collective picture & knowledge of Ray. I can't thank Andrew enough, I hope everyone gets to read IAG.
December 13, 2006
Jennifer Rafton - It's All Good
Hi,
I have just finished reading Andrew Daddo`s Book, Its All Good.
What a beautiful story for Rose to have and remember her dad.
I`ve had a look through the website and can see what a loving father and husband he was. I`m sorry for you both to have lost a wonderful man.
Chin up and keep on Remembering Ray.
God Bless.
Jenny
August 26, 2006
Bruce Facoory - It's All Good
Yesterday my partner and I decided to visit Borders Bookstore in our home town Auckland New Zealand. As we were leaving we spotted a book "It's All Good" by Andrew Daddo. Without any hesitation we picked up the book, paid for it and left the store. That evening I picked up the book again and read it from cover to cover.
After reading the book and discovering the website rememberingray.com on the last page I went straight to have a look. Thank you Andrew Daddo for sharing your memories of your road trip.
How nice to know that Ray is still travelling around and making an impression through this book.
Thank you
Bronagh Withell
Auckland
New Zealand
April 30, 2006
Andrew Daddo - It's All Good
I'm not really sure how to start here...
Funny that.
I rode across America with Ray a long time ago. A lifetime. No kids, no wives and probably not that many expectations. We were both heading west, Ray was stopping on the coast, I was searching for my own about a million miles further on. Back home. In Australia.
Like you, I was gutted to hear about Ray's death.
I was a long way away and unsure how to help. Somewhere in my brain, a penny dropped. I get the feeling it's dropped for everyone who's taken the time to write on this site.
I decided to write a letter to Rose about our ride. It was easy to start, "Dear Rose." was pretty obvious, but from there it got trickier. So over the next year or thereabouts, armed with photos, a road atlas and some memory, I did my best to get it down for Rose.
What began as a letter has become a book.
It's All Good.
It comes out tomorrow, Australia only, I'm afraid, but maybe it'll come to where you are, too.
Ray was a mate of mine. A "forever friend."
I trust It's All Good does him justice. I thank you, too for your memories, some of which I have borrowed to flesh out the book.
Best
Andrew Daddo
