Pila Wirsu 1973: Ten men, shipwrecked and alone in a life raft on the wild Southern Ocean off Tasmania, are declared dead by the authorities. Can they survive the un-survivable? This is the astonishing story of the sinking of the coastal freighter the M.V. Blythe Star, which sparked the most extensive sea and air search at the time and left ten men, including 18-year-old Mick Doleman, in a tiny life raft at the mercy of the wild southern ocean – and all given up for dead.
Twelve days later, three ravaged and starving men were found wandering on a remote logging trail in a southern peninsula of Tasmania and their story would shock the nation … and leave a powerful legacy in its wake.This is a wild, stunning story of survival in one of the most challenging environments on earth and an extraordinary story of human endurance.
Colin Burgess Based on personal interviews conducted by the author over many years, Australia’s Aviation Heroes captures the exploits of extraordinary men in extraordinary times. We’re introduced to Jack Treacy, the WWI fighter pilot who was not only on the scene when the notorious Red Baron was shot down over France but came perilously close to joining him in his grave. Re-live the story of Ernie Guest, a man determined to fly against all odds after storming into battle on the bloody shores of Anzac Cove, Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.
Meet George Allen, the Scottish-born pilot who survived that same war and went on to become one of the great pioneers in Australian aviation history. Then there is the harrowing tale of Joe Herman, the Queensland bomber pilot blown out of his doomed aircraft over war-torn Europe without a parachute who, through a mid-air miracle – truly a million-to-one chance – managed to live to tell his story.
We get to know Clive Caldwell, the indomitable Sydney man regarded as Australia’s greatest fighter pilot of WWII, as well as Don Bennett, the resolute, record-breaking Queenslander who developed and led Bomber Command’s legendary Pathfinder Force. During the Korean War, Phillip Zupp, an Australian Meteor pilot, was badly hurt while trying to rescue a fellow jet pilot who had been shot down, and his bravery while under fire was recognised by a citation for a Purple Heart – the only Australian ever to be recommended for this uniquely American medal for injuries sustained during an act of outstanding courage.
These are the amazing stories of men who answered the call during desperate times, willingly taking to the dangerous skies in wartime. Australia can salute and be proud of their many astounding accomplishments.
Bill Marsh. Audiobook After I’d got him out of harm’s way, I dived back in yet again and swam out past the surf-break, out to where the other two lads were floundering. Then, one at a time, I took them back onto the rocks – all done against the raging rip and wild surf. By then an hour or so had passed. Still, severe cuts, bruises and abrasions aside, I’d successfully saved the lives of the four young people who, in all probability, would’ve otherwise drowned.
Surf Life Saving Australia is the nation’s largest volunteer organisation, with over 300 affiliated clubs and more than 198,000 members – that’s 198,000 Australians each with amazing stories to tell.
From the golden sands of Bondi to the remote coastlines of Arnhem Land and the chilly waters of Tasmania, Bill ‘Swampy’ Marsh has gathered some of the best of those stories – from acts of remarkable bravery and daring rescues against the odds, to lighthearted and humorous yarns of encounters with crocodiles and sharks. Each story shines a light on the unwavering dedication, community spirit and extraordinary experiences of everyday Australians who selflessly devote their time to protect others.
This audiobook contains the names of Aboriginal people now deceased.
Daniel Silva Sometimes the only way to recover a stolen masterpiece is to steal it back . . . Gabriel Allon has been awarded a commission to restore one of the most important paintings in Venice. But when he discovers the body of a mysterious woman floating in the waters of the Venetian Lagoon, he finds himself in a desperate race to recover a lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.
The painting, a portrait of a beautiful young girl, has been gathering dust in a storeroom at the Vatican Museums for more than a century, misattributed and hidden beneath a worthless picture by an unknown artist. Because no one knows that the Leonardo is there, no one notices when it disappears one night during a suspicious power outage. No one but the ruthless mobsters and moneymen behind the theft — and the mysterious woman whom Gabriel found in a watery grave in Venice. A woman without a name. A woman without a face.
The action moves at breakneck speed from the galleries and auction houses of London to an enclave of unimaginable wealth on the French Riviera — and, finally, to a shocking climax in St. Peter’s Square, where the life of a pope hangs in the balance. An elegant and stylish journey through the dark side of the art world and the Vatican’s murky finances, An Inside Job proves once again that Daniel Silva is the reigning master of international intrigue and suspense.
Daniel Miller Hazel has everything she wants. Business is booming at her boutique private investigation firm. She’s dating the man of her dreams. Even her perpetually skeptical mother seems impressed. Then the NYPD finds a beloved neighborhood priest dead along with a mysterious red letter.
Hazel investigates the murder as a favor to an old friend and discovers that the priest wasn’t the only recent murder victim to receive a red letter…and one victim has ties to a psychopath from a past life that Hazel thought she had buried. One by one, the red letters continue to appear, and with every letter, another killing, each more mysterious than the last.
As Hazel closes in on the killer, the killer closes in on her, and Hazel begins to question everything she thought she knew about herself and the people around her. Even worse, Hazel discovers that the only way to find the truth is to open one more…
Sophie Hannah The twistiest murder mystery you are ever likely to read? A story about a family that does the unthinkable in order to save the life of one of its beloved members? Both? Or something else altogether? You’ll have to read until the very last word in order to find out…
You think it will never happen to the ring of the bell, the policeman on the doorstep. What he says traps you in a nightmare that starts with the words, ‘I’m afraid…’ Sally Lambert is also afraid, and desperate enough to consider the unthinkable. Is it really, definitely, impossible to escape from this horror? Maybe not. There’s always something you can do, right?
Of course, no one would ever do this particular something – except the Lamberts, who might have to. No one has ever gone this far. Until Sally decides that the Lamberts will…
Andy McDermott THE WORLD’S RICHEST MAN IS DEAD. HIS FINAL A BILLION DOLLAR BOUNTY ON THE PERSON HE BLAMES. ARCHAEOLOGIST NINA WILDE IS ABOUT TO HAVE A VERY BAD DAY . . .
A global social media message from late trillionaire Rafael Loost makes Nina the most hunted person in history. She and her husband, former SAS soldier Eddie Chase, are forced on the run – with everyone they meet a potential assassin.
When a deadly old enemy of Eddie’s joins the pursuit, the couple realise their only hope of survival is a mysterious ancient the Shroud of Hades. But can they stay alive long enough to find it?
Lynda La Plante The husband of a prominent and infamously ruthless barrister is found in horrific condition after a robbery and brutal assault. Now in a coma, a major investigation is launched using the newly formed, experimental Metropolitan Police Serious Crime Analysis Unit.
Jessica Russell is an experienced CSI with degrees in psychology and criminology with an exceptional Masters in Investigative psychology and behaviour analysis. But Jessica’s first job as team leader of MSCAN is entirely new to to bring together a team of three trusted officers.
Between them, the team has dealt with every kind of murder and major crime scene – their expertise ranges from forensic DNA to blood spatter analysis, digital forensics and beyond. Now they must piece together the complex puzzle at the heart of this brutal crime. If it was a robbery gone horrifically wrong, what was so important to have been stolen?
Eve Pownall. CLASSICS Women were pioneers of the pastoral industy, the goldfields and vast inland. Not all were well known like Mary Reiby or Elizabeth Macarthur. Many lived and died without publicity. From personal recollections , family chronicles and historical records , Eve Pownall has set down their stories and achievements as pioneers of Australia.
Constance Petrie. CLASSICS Constance Campbell Petrie’s book about her father is an important document from the good kind of early Australian settlers. Tom Petrie attended one of the earliest schools in Brisbane, with Aboriginal classmates who taught him their languages. There is a glossary of words and place names at the back of the book, which is excellent. Tom Petrie recalls the early days of Brisbane town from the 1830s, the Turrbal or north-side Aborigines, and their places and practises. Tom is allowed by his parents to “go walkabout” with the Aborigines, as they do the triennial walk to the Bunya Mountains for the Bunya Nut festival. He tells us of the dawn-time “Cry of the Dead” which local Aborigines made in their camps. He walked the Aboriginal trails linking campsites, Bora Rings, and Pullen Pullen fighting grounds. I was excited by Petrie’s mention of which tribes frequented which grounds, as his words linked my friends in the Cressbrook family to the Bora Grounds near Samford, and the Roma St Pullen Pullen ground. An invaluable resource.
The Petries treated their Aboriginal neighbours with mercy and respect, but the author outlines the poisoning and shooting of Brisbane Aborigines by the police and racist settlers.
