Crossing four continents, Peter Jerijian’s expansive memoir was launched with scores of admirers in Springvale last month.
Bouncing Back: Tales from a Passionately Lived Life was the Dandenong grandfather’s Covid project that turned into a labour of love.
It spans 77 years of a life well lived in Lebanon, London, Melbourne and South Korea.
At the self-published book launch at Armenian Community Centre on 21 June, the audience got a taste of Jerijian’s versatility and resilience.
He regaled his travels, along with his varied guises as a bass guitarist in a pop band, etcher, machine engraver, screen printer and English-language teacher.
All the while mastering several languages including Armenia, Arabic, English, French, Turkish and Korean.
At 20, he left behind his Armenian family in Lebanon with a “longing to see the world”, he said.
“I had a Danish pen friend, I studied English after work and ready for a change, I made it happen.
“It turned out to be an amazing story.
“It’s all in the book!”
Jerijian spoke of ‘bouncing back’ from devastating lows in Melbourne such as divorce and losing his screenprinting business during the early 1990’s national recession.
He later met with companion Rosemarie, and they embarked on teaching in South Korea – a journey that was “all high”.
“God has been good to me. I seem to have an inner strength that enables me to go on and not to give up.”
Would he change anything? He said he was close to obtaining British Citizenship and settling in the UK in his twenties – instead of embarking to Australia with his then-fiancee.
“My life would have been very different, I think. But who knows?”
Greater Dandenong mayor Jim Memeti, councillor Rhonda Garad and Liberal MP Ann-Marie Hermans were among an eager, inquisitive audience.
aThe event’s MC Kevork Krozian said the book was more than a memoir but a guide and companion in a “world where adversity often feels overwhelming”.
“Peter takes us on a journey—not just through hardship and recovery—but through resilience, transformation, and the human spirit’s remarkable capacity to rise again.”
