Cirrus@Austlit

'Maddy spent her early years in the Northern Territory before her family moved back to Western Australia. Maddy’s love of the sea and everything in it was nurtured by her beloved grandfather who would take her fishing and snorkelling in the ocean off Busselton, south of Perth. On these trips he would regale her with his many stories of shipwrecks around the coast and share his great curiosity in the natural and human-made world.

'Still only a 14-year-old teenager and already a certified SCUBA diver, her passion for maritime archaeology in particular, was sparked by a lecture she attended in Busselton where her family had finally settled. A maritime archaeologist from the Museum of Western Australia in Perth told the gathering the story of the shipwreck of a cargo ship Georgette, that occurred in 1876, south of Busselton. At great risk to themselves, two courageous young people who lived in the area, Indigenous man Sam Isaacs and 16-year-old Grace Bussell, rode their horses into the boiling surf to rescue survivors.

'Dr Maddy McAllister is now the Senior Curator of Maritime Archaeology at Queensland Museum Network and is based in the Museum of Tropical Queensland in Townsville. Her PhD research was on the notorious Batavia shipwreck of 1629 in the Houtman Abrolhos Islands of Western Australia.' (Publication summary)

'Skye Blackburn-Lang is an entomologist and food scientist who has combined her two specialities and high energy entrepreneurial spirit to become a world leader in developing nutritious superfoods for a sustainable future from insects and their larvae without the Yuck! factor.

'From the time Skye was very young, she was passionate about all things creepy crawly and dreamed of becoming an entomologist when she was just four years old!

'After finishing her university studies, she first worked in a pet food company developing nutritious food for cats but very soon created her own businesses introducing children and adults to the world of insects. She developed insect life cycle kits and butterfly sessions, becoming a regular and extremely popular speaker at schools, invited to show and talk about her insects at public and private events. She has appeared on television, on the children's reality show Camp Orange, and has also worked with production companies that require her services and live insects in TV shows, films and advertisements. Her creepy-crawlies have become rock stars!

'After visiting Thailand and seeing insects cooked up as yummy treats, she is now famous for producing amazing food from ice cream, to muesli to choc chip cookies, made from protein and nutrient-rich insects that she farms herself. Food for the future!'  (Publication summary)

'Emma Johnston AO FTSE FRSN is the Dean of Science at the University of New South Wales and President of Science & Technology Australia. She is an authority in marine ecology and a former Pro Vice-Chancellor at UNSW.

'Johnston's research group at UNSW investigates the ecology of human impacts in marine systems, combining the diverse disciplines of ecology, microbiology and ecotoxicology to expand fundamental understanding and provide recommendations for management. Her research is conducted in such diverse field environments as Sydney Harbour, Antarctica, the Great Barrier Reef and temperate Australian estuaries.

'She is a regular media commentator and, as co-presenter of the Foxtel/BBC television series Coast Australia, which has helped take Australian marine science to an international audience. She also launched a Sydney Harbour cruise called Underwater Secrets' - Sydney Harbour Revealed, which focuses on scientific research into the waterway.'  (Publication summary)

'Growing up in London, Michelle's interests frequently bumped up against expectations of girls which she pushed through, including her love of playing soccer and chess, and later, her passion for science and technology. Professor Simmons is well-known for creating the field of atomic electronics. Since 2000 she established the Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology dedicated to the making of tiny atomic-scale devices in silicon and germanium. Her research group at the University of New South Wales is the only group worldwide that can create atomically precise devices in silicon. It was also the first team in the world to develop a working 'perfect' single-atom transistor and the narrowest conducting doped wires in silicon.

'In 2018 Michelle became Australian of the Year and is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow. She is passionate about encouraging girls to pursue a career in science and technology: 'Seeing women in leadership roles and competing internationally ... gives them the sense that anything is possible'.'  (Publication summary)

'Professor Ajay Rane is the Director of Urogynaecology at Townsville University Hospital and Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at James Cook University (JCU).

'Ajay has devoted his research and practice to treating women with severe childbirth injuries in the some of the world’s poorest countries. For his years of service, Ajay was awarded the Order of Australia in 2013 and the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Award for Humanitarian Work in Women’s Health in 2016.

'Today, as one of Australia’s leading experts on female health, Ajay remains committed to educating the community about women’s health'  (Publication summary)

'Creswell John Eastman AO is the Clinical Professor of Medicine at Sydney University Medical School, Principal of the Sydney Thyroid Clinic and Consultant Emeritus to the Westmead Hospital. Eastman is an endocrinologist and has directed or conducted research and public health projects into elimination of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) in Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, several Pacific Islands, Hong Kong, China and Tibet and Australia. For his work in remote areas of China, he has been dubbed the âman who saved a million brainsâ.

'In 2013 Eastman expressed concern that IDD may be affecting Australian children's ability to perform at school and reiterated that view in 2016. While the initial focus was mostly on indigenous children, he recently expanded it to include all children.

'Cres was awarded Membership of the Order of Australia in 1994 for his contributions to Medicine, particularly in the field of Endocrinology, and was awarded the Premierâs Gold Service Award in 2002 for development of the NSW Forensic DNA service laboratory.' (Publication summary)

'John Albert Long is an Australian paleontologist who is currently Strategic Professor in Palaeontology at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia. He was previously the Vice President of Research and Collections at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. He is also an author of popular science books. His main area of research is on the fossil fish of the Late Devonian Gogo Formation from northern Western Australia. It has yielded many important insights into fish evolution, such as Gogonasus and Materpiscis, the later specimen being crucial to our understanding of the origins of vertebrate reproduction.

'His love of fossil collecting began at age 7 and he graduated with PhD from Monash University in 1984, specialising in Palaeozoic fish evolution. He held postdoctoral positions at the Australian National University, The University of Western Australia and The University of Tasmania before taking up a position as Curator in Vertebrate Palaeontology at the Western Australian Museum and then as Head of Sciences at Museum Victoria.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'A single moment has the power to change any life, forever. This is a story about what happens next.

'On 1st March 1999, Dom Frawley was a rural general practitioner, providing medical care to a few hundred families through a small cottage practice. He and his wife Maggie were due to deliver their fourth child any day. Dom worked daily with people at their most vulnerable: sick, powerless, and often fearful or distressed. His job was to help carry them through.

'By nightfall on 2nd March, Dom and Maggie were the ones needing help. Their newborn child was critically ill, flown by helicopter to an intensive care unit in Sydney. The baby’s life rested in the hands of Dom’s former colleagues.

'Malachy had a major heart defect, making him a ‘blue baby’. His family were forced to experience the medical system from the patient side, walking with Malachy in a prolonged struggle with severe disability.

'Fear for the future stalked enjoyment of the present. Drawing on Maggie’s love, his passion for philosophy and innate optimism, Dom navigated a slow path to equilibrium. A deep father-son bond developed, enriching the lives of both.

'Malachy’s heart disease inspired Maggie and Dom into activist roles with 'HeartKids'. Their involvement with the cause risks dominating their lives.

'Meanwhile Malachy had taken up activism for the HeartKids movement and became an inspiration amongst his peers, and to many who crossed his path. The burden of heart disease brought a certain type of meaning and definition to our lives. All the while we had to balance the cause against the needs of three other children, and the demands of work and daily life.

'Then Malachy died. Life changed again.

'The carefully built framework of family life, Dom’s beliefs and ability to cope came up against life’s irresistible, final challenge.

'Malachy explores the bond of love between a parent and their child. It is a reminder of how treasured and important all children are. It is also a story about living with the agony of loss. The story touches what it means to love and be loved, to stare down hostile fate with a sense of humour, and to embrace life with courage and resilience.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Marija lives in a small village on the idyllic island of Korcula off the coast near Split in the country now known as Croatia. At 18 years of age she agrees to a proxy marriage to a 27-year-old sugarcane farmer in Far North Queensland who had left the village as a small child with his family in the 1920s.

'The couple do not know each other, having only exchanged photographs and a handful of letters, but this marriage is Marija’s escape from a traumatised post-war Europe.

'Her childhood is scarred by constant fear, with death and brutality stalking the island after it is occupied, first by the Italian army and later by the Nazis. Marija’s older sister joins the Partisan rebels as a codebreaker for General Tito, while Marija and her younger sister and father secretly help the Partisans hiding in the hills, with intelligence on the enemy. At one stage, her beloved father is taken by the Nazis, only to return at the end of the war grateful to be alive. Bitter ethnic battles accompany this war and many from her village are tortured and killed.

'A life in Australia with a husband she does not know is a risk worth taking. She travels by ship to Australia along with hundreds of other young men and women seeking escape from poverty and despair in the old world to the promise of adventure, love and a better life.

'Finding herself sharing a farmhouse with a hostile father-in-law far removed from neighbours, in the midst of cane fields in tropical Queensland, was only bearable as she fell in love with her devoted husband, created her own family and with it, a future for the next generations in the new country.

'At 62, Marija is diagnosed with cancer so returns one last time to Korcula to farewell her family. However, Yugoslavia is imploding, and she finds herself once again fleeing tanks in the midst of a war.

'Shortly after returning from her trip, she passes away, surrounded by her Australian family in the country she has come to feel is truly her home.

'This is the migrant story of Australia, of courageous individuals taking the biggest risk of their lives often with little or no English. Their determination and hard work enable them to live with their sacrifices and overcome the profound loneliness of homesickness. The result is the rich diversity of our modern multicultural nation.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Aussie STEM Stars is an inspiring children’s series that celebrates Australia’s experts in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

'The fourth book is about Gisela Kaplan, one of Australia’s leading bird and primate scientists, whose love for animals has seen her care for and rehabilitate numerous species.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Aussie STEM Stars is an inspiring children’s series that celebrates Australia’s experts in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

'The fifth book is about Eddie Woo, the teacher extraordinaire whose ‘WooTube’ channel has been helping students to find the magic in maths since 2012.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Aussie STEM Stars is an inspiring children’s series that celebrates Australia’s experts in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

'The sixth book is about Alan Finkel, Australia’s Chief Scientist.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Aussie STEM Stars is an inspiring children’s series that celebrates Australia’s experts in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.'

(Source: publisher's website)

'Aussie STEM Stars is an inspiring children’s series that celebrates Australia’s experts in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

'The second book is about Munjed Al Muderis, a refugee to Australia who went on to become the world-leading pioneer of surgical osseointegration.

'“I admire the way Munjed works tirelessly to give back to others less fortunate than himself. I hope that by sharing ways Munjed has over-come obstacles in his life journey, that readers will be inspired to seek ways to remain positive when they are also faced with hardship.” ~ Dianne Wolfer, author'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Aussie STEM Stars is an inspiring children’s series that celebrates Australia’s experts in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

'The second book is about Georgia Ward-Fear, a reptile biologist and explorer well-known for her pioneering work with cane toads.

'“I strongly believe that increasing the capacity of female scientists to engage at the environmental leadership table could alter our planet’s future. I also want girls to grow up in a world knowing they can work with reptiles, get their clothes dirty, drive ATVs, be passionate and assertive AND be just as likely to direct federal environmental policy as men.”  ~ Georgia Ward-Fear'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Aussie STEM Stars is an inspiring children’s series that celebrates Australia’s experts in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

'The first books is about Fiona Wood, Australia’s leading burns specialist and inventor of spray-on skin.

'“Fiona has this incredible aura of energy and determination. She’s revolutionised treatment and outcomes for burns patients around the world – and she continues to work tirelessly in this area, striving for a better future. I think everyone she meets comes away affected and uplifted by her spirit, stamina, generosity and courage. It was an extraordinary honour to work with Fiona to tell her story.” ~ Cristy Burne, author'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Mother, wife, partner, daughter, sister, niece, grandmother: every woman is a VICTRESS in her own unique and special way. 

'This book is an ode to some of Australia’s most cherished female athletes who, not just through achievements in their chosen sport, but through their unwavering conviction and commitment to women’s sport, blazed a trail for their sisterhood. 

'From legends like Dawn Fraser and Cathy Freeman, to the new breed of powerful sportswomen like Ellyse Perry, Tayla Harris and Ash Barty, each athlete is honoured and celebrated, thanks to Hobart Hurricanes Women’s Big Bash League cricketer Corinne Hall’s unique artistic talents. 

'Inspired by these incredible women, Corinne takes readers on a journey into the lives of each athlete through both her stunning drawings and her authentic tales. 

'From personal interactions with the athletes, to recalling where she was when watching some of the iconic events that made them household names, Corinne provides a fresh but relatable perspective on how each has left an indelible mark on the exponential growth of sport for women. 

'Kindness is key for Corinne, who has ensured funds from the book will be directed back into grassroots women’s cricket, along with helping charitable organisation, The Kindness Factory, spread its positive message. 

'In keeping with the kindness theme, athletes have provided their own stories of kindness, unearthing the special role simple acts have played in their lives.' (Publication summary)

'Two antique cars, a few old mates and the journey of a lifetime.

'Take a couple of vintage cars and their owners’ determination to drive them on a pilgrimage from Australia to Finland and you have a fascinating story told through photos and the distillation of blogs and diary entries by some foolhardy, adventurous blokes.

'Starting out from Thailand, their travels took them through Laos, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Russia and Finland – a six-month journey spread over two legs in successive years.

'Told in an engaging, self-deprecating and personal style, the reader enters the journey, every step of the way: following the ancient Silk Road route into the mountains of south-west and western China and the Tibetan Plateau where Muslim and Buddhist communities have lived for centuries, through the ‘-stans’, and beyond.

'Many an adventure, impossibly sticky situations, near misses and regular mechanical breakdowns were inevitably resolved with the support and civility towards this motley group of travellers in their ancient cars, by locals renowned for their hospitality. Nothing was ever too much trouble.

'They had no sponsor, no professional photographer or filmmaker, no journalist to publish the story, no ‘name’ to add fame and celebrity, no contract in the pocket for a coffee table book with quality photos and deep, or informed historical and cultural insights, and no travelling mechanical workshop. There was just a determination to get each of these old cars to Helsinki in one piece and smell the roses along the way.' (Publication summary)