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A delightful, surprising and warm collection of stories about Sir Robert and Dame Pattie Menzies, from their only daughter, Heather Henderson Heather Henderson is the only daughter of Sir Robert Menzies, Australia's longest-serving Prime Minister and founder of the Liberal party. Father and daughter were very close, and in 2011 Heather edited and published Letters to My Daughter, a collection of letters written by Menzies to Heather throughout the fifties, sixties and seventies, when she was living overseas with her diplomat husband. They are full of warmth, love, humour and insights - both political and personal - and they allow us to see a completely different side of a man many Australians think of as a rather stern and forbidding authoritarian figure.Now comes A Smile for My Parents, Heather Henderson's engaging memoir recounting charming and insightful stories and memories of Dame Pattie and Sir Robert and their family and friends that will surprise and delight all who read it.

A fascinating insight into the political and private life of Australia's longest-serving prime minister.As Australia's longest-serving Prime Minister and the founder of the Liberal Party, Sir Robert Menzies is a towering figure in our political and cultural history. Letters to My Daughter is a collection of letters written by Menzies to his only daughter, Heather, throughout the fifties, sixties and seventies, when she was living overseas with her diplomat husband. They are full of warmth, love, humour and insights both political and personal and they allow us to see a completely different side of a man most Australians think of as a rather stern and forbidding authoritarian figure. The letters are so beautifully written they make you realise what a lost art letter writing is, and they are introduced by Heather herself, who explains the insider references and humorous asides. The collection also includes fascinating correspondence between Menzies and leaders of the day, including President John F. Kennedy and Gough Whitlam. Even the most rusted-on Labor voter will come away with a different view of Menzies and his legacy after reading this book.