Hirado Alumnus and longstanding Trust supporter Val Binney was joined by a group of fellow alumni, friends and book lovers at the recent London launch of her new novel, Downhill Without Brakes.
Val studied English and Psychology on the ‘Maritzburg campus 1970-73 before coming to the UK. After retiring as a clinical psychologist, she did an MA in creative writing at Sheffield Hallam University.
Downhill Without Brakes, set in a newly democratic South Africa, focuses on 
two characters who work at Durban City Hall and are each struggling with their own challenges.
Ezekiel Mabuza, a much-liked doorman, has lost one son to AIDS, the other in township violence, and now his wife from cancer. He fears that he will lose his daughters next.
Ben Gallagher, director of the museum, is trying to hold together a difficult marriage and train for the famous Comrades double marathon, while having to fend off a municipal workers strike and raise funds for the museum.
In the midst of a meeting with wealthy Swedish grant-givers, a shocking event occurs between Ezekiel and Ben, with drastic consequences. Downhill Without Brakes is a poignant novel tracing how one fateful incident changes the lives of both men forever, against the backdrop of a society undergoing rapid social change.
The book launch took place at St George’s Tavern in Belgrave Road, London SW1. The novel is published in the UK by Troubador Publishing and is available from good bookshops, ISBN: 9781836280200.
