Cirrus@Austlit

'Sophisticated computer hacking told the syndicate everything about Wally. Everything but why it would be a big mistake to kidnap him.

'Retired farmer Wally Flannagan is on a pilgrimage to Indonesia to witness the once-in-a-lifetime blooming of a rare flower. His holiday soon goes awry when he finds himself the target of kidnapping with the goal of extortion. Yet these plans, as alarming as they are for Wally, are little more than a diverting pastime for this criminal syndicate. They are organised, powerful, and ruthless. But there’s one thing they don’t know about Wally. He’s a Pig. What’s a Pig? Read on ...

'The Operators is a thrilling yarn of wit, man bags, and old-fashioned ingenuity in the face of a changing world from master storyteller Barry Heard.;

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'As a lad in the high country of eastern Victoria, Tag Wardell shows an extraordinary gift with animals: he is followed to school by his pets; his rapport with his horse, Dimble, becomes the talk of the district; and he even manages to befriend a mob of brumbies during an adventure with his schoolmates in the Dargo high plains.

'Later, when he becomes a blacksmith, locals come to watch him at work, amazed at his ability to calm the meanest of nags. But 1914 brings war, and the government's patriotic fervour entices Tag and his mates to join the Light Horse Brigade.

'For Tag, war begins as an adventure. On the convoy to Egypt, he is quickly singled out to help the distressed horses. Then, while on leave in Cairo, he meets Jill, a nurse, but their brief romance is cut short as Gallipoli looms. Tag's life spirals into one of survival in the day-to-day madness of the trenches.

'In the years that follow, Tag comes up against conditions that are terrible for man and beast, and he discovers the hardship and joy that come with wartime love. In the face of it all, his unique abilities bring about essential changes in the handling of horses under fire - and expose him to death and disaster.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Here is the captivating prequel to Well Done, Those Men, Barry Heard's much-loved, deeply moving account of life as a Vietnam veteran. This memoir takes us back into the heart of Heard's experiences as a boy and a young man in Australia during the 1950s and 1960s. Colourful, poignant, and often very funny, The View from Connor's Hill reveals a young man who, among the devastation of loss and constant upheaval, celebrates the joy of living in the bush, and delights in the love of his faithful dog Rover and his headstrong horse Swanee. Capturing the detail of a lost world of country and suburban life in Australia - a world of matinees, country dances, and manual dunnies - Barry Heard delivers his memories with an unwavering honesty and candour'. (Back cover)

'Australian Vietnam vet Barry Heard draws on his own experiences as a young conscript, along with those of his comrades, to look back at life before, during, and after the Vietnam War. The result is a sympathetic vision of a group of young men who were sent off to war completely unprepared for the emotional and psychological impact it would have on them. It is also a vivid and searingly honest portrayal of the author's post-war, slow-motion breakdown, and how he dealt with it. Well Done, Those Men attempts to make sense of what Vietnam did to the soldiers who fought there. It deals with the comic absurdity of their military training and the horror of the war they fought, and is unforgettably moving in recounting what happened to Barry and his comrades when they returned home. As we now know, most Vietnam vets had to deal with a community that shunned them, and with their own depression, trauma, and guilt. Barry Heard's sensitive account of his long journey home from Vietnam is a tribute to his mates, and an inspiring story of a life reclaimed.' (Publication summary)