Gary Robuck at Paperchain Bookstore

Join us at Paperchain Bookstore to hear Gary Robuck, author of Vilda Chaya: Memoirs of a Boy Who Couldn't Sit Still.

What happens when the ordinary moments of childhood become the memories that shape a lifetime?

Vilda Chaya: Memoirs of a Boy Who Couldn't Sit Still is a warm, humorous and deeply personal journey back to a childhood that has all but disappeared.

In forty-two engaging stories, Gary Robuck recreates the sights, sounds and spirit of growing up in Cleveland, Ohio during the 1960s and 70s-a world of neighbourhood adventures, Little League baseball, piano lessons, paper routes, Jewish family life and unforgettable characters.

Whether recalling the excitement of discovering "a dragon with ladders" on the school playground, the pressures of piano lessons, neighbourhood games that today's children would scarcely believe, or the small kindnesses that left lasting impressions, Robuck captures the joy, uncertainty and resilience of growing up with honesty and gentle humour.

Richly illustrated with family photographs, this is more than one man's memoir. It is an invitation to rediscover a childhood many readers will recognise as their own-a reminder that the simplest moments often become the stories we treasure most.

Gary J. Robuck grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1960s and '70s before making Australia his home. An Educational Adventurist, he has spent much of his career helping people explore the values that shape their lives and communities. In his first memoir, VILDA CHAYA, he invites readers to revisit a faraway, long-ago world where the stories of one childhood may awaken memories of their own. In 2024-2025, he served the ACTJC in Forrest as Rabbi and Educator.

This event is free but as space is limited please book to secure your place.