Erin Eldridge

Distillation is Beautiful Erin Eldridge

The 1950s were a time of peace and prosperity in New Zealand. After the horrors of World War Two, returned servicemen were keen to settle down back home, marry, and raise a family. Our economy was booming, there was full employment, and everybody could achieve a house and a quarter acre section. Of course, we had our small wealthy elite, but Kiwi society was largely egalitarian and fair. But, behind closed doors, things were not always so rosy. Our supposedly idyllic nation had a dark underbelly of issues, which revealed themselves in violence, alcoholism, and misogyny. As always, the most vulnerable individuals who had to endure this toxic mix were the children. This is more than just my story of growing up in New Zealand in what is nostalgically recalled as 'the golden fifties'; apart from the social history, it's also my brutally honest account of being part of a family that scapegoated and devalued me, the impact this had on my life, and how I mustered the courage and personal resources to reverse the damage that was done to me by differential parenting.