Michael Veitch Michael Veitch i(A863 works by)
Gender: Male
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Works By

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1 Dear Lover : Michael Veitch Michael Veitch , 2023 single work correspondence
— Appears in: Dear Lover 2023;
1 Hell Ship : The Journey of the Ticonderoga Michael Veitch , 2020 single work drama

'In 1852, the handsome emigrant clipper ship Ticonderoga limped into Port Phillip Bay with a nightmare in her holds. On the 90-day voyage from England, a deadly typhus epidemic swept through her decks, taking nearly 200 of her 800 Scots passengers. Forbidden to enter Melbourne, the Ticonderoga’s passengers and crew were set down on a little beach inside the heads while the ship’s surgeon – assisted by a brave young Highland girl – did their best to heal and comfort.

'One of the biggest stories of its day – now all but forgotten, Michael Veitch plays the surgeon in later life recounting the dramatic saga. But Hell Ship is more than just a maritime tale – the surgeon was Michael’s own great-great grandfather, and the young nurse his great-great grandmother.

'Resonating powerfully with today’s world, and accompanied by original music performed by Michael’s son Thomas Veitch, Hell Ship is a story of hope, love and survival.'

Source: fortyfivedownstairs.

1 y separately published work icon Barney Greatrex : From Bomber Command to the French Resistance - the Stirring Story of an Australian Hero Michael Veitch , Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2019 16870200 2019 single work biography

'The incredible untold World War II story of Australian hero BARNEY GREATREX - from Bomber Command to French Resistance fighter.

'A school and university cadet in Sydney, Barney Greatrex signed up for RAF Bomber Command in 1941, eager to get straight into the very centre of the Allied counterattack. Bombing Germany night after night, Barney's 61 Squadron faced continual enemy fighter attacks and anti-aircraft fire - death or capture by the Nazis loomed large. Very few survived more than 20 missions, and it was on his 20th mission, in 1944, that Barney's luck finally ran out: he was shot down over occupied France.But his war was far from over. Rescued by the French Resistance, Barney seized the opportunity to carry on fighting and joined the Maquis in the liberation of France from the occupying German forces, who rarely took prisoners.Later, Barney was awarded the French Legion of Honour, but for seventy years he said almost nothing of his incredible war service - surviving two of the most dangerous battlefronts. Aged 97, Barney Greatrex revealed his truly great Australian war story to acclaimed bestselling author Michael Veitch. (Publication summary)
 
1 y separately published work icon Southern Surveyor : Stories from Onboard Australia's Ocean Research Vessel Michael Veitch (editor), Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing , 2015 9188077 2015 anthology autobiography

'This engaging book tells the stories of the men and women who worked onboard CSIRO’s research vessel – the Southern Surveyor. For ten years (2003-2013) this magnificent ship sailed over 190 voyages across the seas and oceans around Australia and contributed a wealth of knowledge to marine science.

'From the captain to the support staff, scientists and students, this book tells the stories of adventure and discovery onboard this great ship.' (Publication summary)

1 1 y separately published work icon Heroes of the Skies Michael Veitch , Scoresby : Penguin , 2015 8584349 2015 single work biography

''It is somewhere close to midnight on the clock when the men who fought the Second World War will still be with us. I have met just a few of them, sometimes goading them to reveal their experiences, at other times being simply a conduit to the river of their memories, sensing, on occasion, a kind of urgency to get it out there, just so these adventures and tragedies not be lost to future enquiring minds.''

'Michael Veitch has always been a keen historian and aeroplane fanatic. From a young age he was obsessed with airforce pilots and their machines. And with his gift for chat, he has once again captured the memories of these brave, lucky men who survived the unsurvivable.

'The risks of not returning from flying missions in WWII were extremely high so the stories are uniquely heroic, almost unbelievable. But these were ordinary men in extraordinary situations and, in this third collection from Michael Veitch, they record their stories for future generations. ' (Publication summary)

1 1 Flak Michael Veitch , 2014 single work drama war literature
1 Another Australia Michael Veitch , 2011 extract prose (The Forgotten Islands)
— Appears in: Meanjin , Summer vol. 70 no. 4 2011; (p. 15-16)

'Three Hummock Island. Standing atop The Nut, I rolled the name around in my mouth. It seemed huge, standing aloof off the coast like a ship waiting to come in, cloaked in that odd, diffused light. Strange, I thought, that I had sought out places like this on the other side of the world, yet this one, just half an hour's flying time from my home, I had never heard of.' (Publication abstract)

1 Michael Veitch : The Books That Changed Me Michael Veitch , 2011 single work column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 20 November 2011; (p. 6)
Michael Veitch nominates five books that changed him.
1 4 y separately published work icon The Forgotten Islands Michael Veitch , Camberwell : Viking , 2011 Z1803800 2011 single work autobiography travel 'Michael Veitch has long been fascinated by the islands that lie between mainland Australia and Tasmania. As a child, he was told a mysterious tale about a young man, a lighthouse and one of the islands of Bass Strait. He stored this information away, mentally filing it alongside other snippets he gleaned about the islands and the goings-on there. Years later he is reminded of this story and wonders if there is any truth to it. Then, one day, he finally has a chance to explore the islands.

'Bass Strait has over fifty cold, dark islands that are regularly pounded by atrocious weather and hardly visited. These islands are rich in atypical Australian history: sealers, shipwrecks, lighthouse keepers, feuds, Aboriginal 'resettlements', deadly encounters with nature and people who have vanished.This is the story of how he manages to get to the islands (weather/transport dependent) and what he finds when he gets there - the inhabitants, the stories, the birds and plantlife.

'On his personal odyssey (plagued at times by appalling seasickness, airsickness and stinging nettles) around these islands, Michael comes across unresolved myths and legends, beaches of incomparable beauty, magical lighthouses, and people who live truly solitary lives.

'The Forgotten Islands is an incredible, evocative read that will shine a light on this little known part of Australia and its extraordinary history.' (From the publisher's website.)
1 y separately published work icon Fly : True Stories of Courage and Adventure from the Airmen of World War II Michael Veitch , Camberwell : Penguin , 2009 8473912 2009 single work biography

'All over the world during World War II, thousands of young men who had never so much as been near an aeroplane left offices, farms and classrooms to learn to fly and fight in the greatest conflict the world has ever seen. They fought over deserts, cities and jungles, in-single-engine fighter aircraft, heavy bombers, transport planes and flying boats. How do they feel about their dramatic days in the air? What is it they remember, and what do they choose to forget?

'In these candid and moving stories, Michael Veitch, writer, broadcaster and aeroplane fanatic, uncovers some of the untold stories of World War II: Australian, British and even German. He captures the events that defined a generation of men before these stories are lost forever.' (Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon Flak : True Stories from the Men Who Flew in World War II Michael Veitch , Sydney : Pan Macmillan Australia , 2008 8473875 2008 single work biography

'Michael Veitch's life-long obsession with the aircraft of the Second World War led him to conclude that every single person who flew, or flew in them has at least one extraordinary story to tell. With most of these veterans in their eighties, he knew that it was a matter of urgency to find them now, before their personal stories disappear for ever.So, over the course of a year, Veitch interviewed over 50 former aircrew across Australia, many of whom had never spoken about their experiences before, even to their families. The result is Flak - a collection of vivid, unforgettable stories from RAAF veterans about their experiences of combat in World War II. It is also an account of the strange, sometimes obsessive journey of the author himself, as he explores a passion held since childhood. From bomber pilots to fighter aces, from rear gunners to bomb aimers, from stories of death and fear to tales of humour and comradeship, Michael has helped unearth the extraordinary stories of ordinary men living and fighting in extraordinary times.' (Publication summary)

1 Who Cares about Plot? Michael Veitch , 1999 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 11 September 1999; (p. 11)

— Review of A Close Run Thing David Treweek , 1999 single work novel ; Syrup : A Novel Maxx Barry , 1999 single work novel
1 [Review of Miss Bosnia] Michael Veitch , 1996 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 3 May 1996; (p. 17)

— Review of Miss Bosnia Louis Nowra , 1995 single work drama

Review of the 1996 Melbourne Theatre Company production (Fairfax Theatre, Melbourne; 26 April - 1 June).

1 Untitled Michael Veitch , 1996 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 2 February 1996;

— Review of Shades of Blue Andrew Bovell , 1994 single work drama
1 Golden Pillar of Stagecraft Michael Veitch , 1996 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 30 July 1996; (p. 9)

— Review of Jerusalem Michael Gurr , 1996 single work drama
1 And Two More Plays by Women Michael Veitch , 1996 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 179 1996; (p. 54)

— Review of The Family Jill Shearer , 1994 single work drama ; Composing Venus Elaine Acworth , 1995 single work drama
1 Theatre Michael Veitch , 1996 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 8 March 1996; (p. 10)

— Review of My Father's Father Janis Balodis , 1997 single work drama
1 Untitled Michael Veitch , 1996 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 23 February 1996; (p. 14)

— Review of Emma Graham Pitts , 1991 single work musical theatre
1 Moorehead's Classic, Eclipse Michael Veitch , 1995 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , July no. 172 1995; (p. 33-34)

— Review of Eclipse Alan Moorehead , 1945 single work prose
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