Andrea Mabalo at Paperchain Manuka

Join us at Paperchain Manuka for the launch of The Distance That Built Us: A Story of Love, Sacrifice and the Families We Carry Across a Lifetime, by Andrea Mabalo What do we carry with us when life takes us far from home? In her debut hybrid memoir, Andrea Mabalo traces a life shaped by family, migration, identity, sacrifice, resilience and belonging — from her roots in the Philippines to the life she has built in Australia. At its heart is a story about family: the bonds that survive distance, the sacrifices we understand differently as we grow older, and the ways the people and places we leave behind continue to travel with us. Deeply personal yet universal in its themes, The Distance That Built Us is a story for anyone who has loved, sacrificed, begun again, or discovered that sometimes the distances we travel do more than take us away from home. They help build the person we become. Andrea Mabalo — Andie, as her friends in Australia call her — is a Canberra-based author, registered nurse, executive leader, entrepreneur and founder of Nurses Off Duty Press. Born in the Philippines and now based in Australia, Andrea’s life and work have been shaped by family, migration, resilience and the courage to begin again. Her debut hybrid memoir, The Distance That Built Us: A Story of Love, Sacrifice and the Families We Carry Across a Lifetime, explores the geographical, emotional and generational distances that shape families and the people we become. Written as a legacy for her sons, the book is deeply personal, but its themes are universal: love, sacrifice, identity, belonging and what it means to build a life across distance. This event is free but as space is limited please book to secure your place.