This book was started by my father, Patrick Keith, nearly 20 years ago as an endeavour of the heart. His first book, "Ousted", was published in early 2005, the same year that he died. It was an insider's account of Singapore's expulsion from the Federation of Malaya, chronicling the events that led to the birth of Malaysia and told from the perspective of a man who was at the negotiating tables with the key political players. Even though, or maybe because, he was suffering from severe health issues by then, Dad felt compelled to tell an even more personal tale. Haunted by the unexplained disappearance of his 10-year-old sister at the start of World War II, Dad sought to share his sense of loss and explain the impact on our family, in the context of the world they lived in. Sadly, he wasn't granted time to finish it. I have done my best to fulfil his dream.

This story is for our family and how we came to be.