2017 Speakers
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Rob Mundle established his international identity as an author in 1999 with his gripping factual account of one of the world’s most dramatic sporting tragedies, the 54th Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. His book, Fatal Storm, became an international bestseller. It is published in six languages and has sold well over 200,000 copies – a remarkable achievement for this category in publishing.
His three most recent books, ‘Bligh – Master Mariner’, ‘Flinders, The Man Who Mapped Australia’, and ‘Cook – from Sailor to Legend’, achieved No. 1 bestselling status across Australia within a few weeks of being released. ‘Bligh – Master Mariner’ has been released in the UK. Rob has now published his 14th book, a fresh and insightful look into the activities around the First Fleet sailing to Australia, and the men and women who became the cornerstone of the foundation of the nation. Rob Mundle was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2013 for his services to Sailing and Journalism. |
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Sallyanne Atkinson was born in Sydney. She was elected Lord Mayor of Brisbane – the first woman to do so. She was a journalist for several newspapers and also received a Bachelor of Arts degree. Sallyanne was Australia's Senior Trade Commissioner to France from 1994–1997. Her role was to promote Australian exports and encourage investment in Australia. She was also Australia's representative to the International Chamber of Commerce. She was also on the Australian Olympic Committee.
Sallyanne was awarded Australian Catholic University's (ACU National) highest honour, Doctor of the University (honoris causa). Professor Peter Sheehan AO, said the award recognises Ms Atkinson's extraordinary contribution to Australia's international reputation as a location for sporting events, and her contribution to government and the community. "Through her many years of generous service, in particular her work on the Olympic bids for Brisbane and Sydney and as Deputy Mayor of the Olympic Village at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Ms Atkinson has contributed to Australia's eminent status in world sport” In 1993 she was created an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to local government and the community, and in 2003 she was awarded a Centenary Medal. Professor Sheehan in 2004, said "Sallyanne Atkinson is a most distinguished Australian, an eminent Queenslander, and has brought great credit to the city of Brisbane." She was also involved in the Brisbane Writers Festival and as such we will ask Sallyanne to chair a debate on Sunday morning. |
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Heather Rose is the author of seven novels including her latest novel 'The Museum of Modern Love', 'The River Wife', 'The Butterfly Man' and 'White Heart'. For children Heather writes with Danielle Wood under the pen-name Angelica Banks. Heather has been long-listed, shortlisted or won awards for literary fiction, crime fiction, fantasy and children's literature and is published internationally. Heather is the recipient of a 2017 Australia Council grant.
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Helena Pastor will be holding a workshop on memoir writing/creative non fiction on Friday afternoon. Saturday she will speak for an hour about her book Wild Boys – about eldest son Joey who left home when he was 15. After years of anger and rage, windows getting smashed and the police knocking on the door, Pastor was at her wits' end. Joey's family loved him dearly but the tension-filled environment was destroying them all. Fortunately he moved out and went to live with friends. He has not lived at home since. Helena has a Dutch heritage and hails from Armidale.
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Craig Cormick writes across a wide range of genres and topics, including fiction and non-fiction, books for children and adults, and literary fiction and speculative fiction, journalism and academic studies, short stories, novellas and things that are kind of hard to classify. Clearly a writing life is a journey that travels through many countries says Craig.
His writing awards include the ACT Book of the Year Award (1999) for Unwritten Histories (Aboriginal Studies Press, 1998) and a Queensland Premier’s Literary Award (2006) for A Funny Thing Happened at 27,000 Feet… He was a former Chair of the ACT Writers Centre and have taught creative writing at both university and community level. Craig will hold a creative writing workshop on Friday and give a talk on Saturday. |
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National conservationist, chopper pilot and animal expert Matt Wright has spent his life in the great outdoors drawn to creatures that most of us would run away from. He was born for a life of adventure and action. When he is not flying his helicopter around Northern Queensland and other places, rounding up the cattle, he is hovering over crocodile nests to collect their eggs in season. He also flies around Canada as a wrangler.He is star of his own international television show on National Geographic.
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2016 Speakers
Ben Southall is a presenter, digital journalist and adventurer. His achievements include beating 35,000 to win the Best Job in the World in 2009 and became the ‘Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef’ in Australia.
In 2008 he climbed five of Africa’s highest mountains and ran five marathons during his circumnavigation of the continent with his Afritrex expedition. During 2011 he kayaked 1600kms along the Great Barrier Reef retracing Captain Cook’s ‘Voyage of Discovery’ with the Best Expedition in the World. Ben has set a number of world records in the last few years; the Aussie 8 – the fastest ever ascent of the tallest mountain in each state in Australia, and the New Zealand 9 – the fastest ever completion of New Zealand’s Nine Great Walks – totalling 545km in 9 days.
In 2016 Ben and his wife Sophee completed their Best Life in the World expedition – a 55,000km, 12-month drive through 33 countries from Singapore to London. They both run successful travel websites that have become portals for would-be travellers from around the world. In 2015 Ben’s first…and last book, The Best Job in the World: How you can make a living from following your dreams was published by Wiley.
In 2008 he climbed five of Africa’s highest mountains and ran five marathons during his circumnavigation of the continent with his Afritrex expedition. During 2011 he kayaked 1600kms along the Great Barrier Reef retracing Captain Cook’s ‘Voyage of Discovery’ with the Best Expedition in the World. Ben has set a number of world records in the last few years; the Aussie 8 – the fastest ever ascent of the tallest mountain in each state in Australia, and the New Zealand 9 – the fastest ever completion of New Zealand’s Nine Great Walks – totalling 545km in 9 days.
In 2016 Ben and his wife Sophee completed their Best Life in the World expedition – a 55,000km, 12-month drive through 33 countries from Singapore to London. They both run successful travel websites that have become portals for would-be travellers from around the world. In 2015 Ben’s first…and last book, The Best Job in the World: How you can make a living from following your dreams was published by Wiley.
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Bryan Grieg Fry has known since he was just four years old he would chase snakes for a living. Dr Fry is Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland where he studies different types of venom and their potential use for drug development. "Of course the world would be much a weirder and cooler place if everyone lived their childhood dream," he told the ABC.
The US-born, Australian-based venomologist — better known as the Venom Doc — has experienced 26 venomous snake bites, along with 23 broken bones, multiple stingray stings and a near-fatal scorpion sting. He has appeared in more than 70 documentaries for Animal Planet, the BBC and Discovery Channel - and it all stems from a childhood illness – spinal meningitis at 18 months of age. His book is described as The edgiest, darkest and strangest natural history memoir ever. |
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Annie Seaton lives near the beach on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. She is fulfilling her lifelong dream of writing and has been delighted to discover that readers love reading her stories as much as she loves writing them. She is now published internationally in e-books across the romance genre, and in 2015 Annie was voted Best Established Author in the AusRomToday.com Readers' Choice Awards. Annie’s first print book, Kakadu Sunset, a suspense novel, was released on 1 January, and is now widely available in book stores across Australia.
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Lindsay Jane Simpson is a journalist, university teacher and writer of true crime. Simpson worked as an investigative journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald for twelve years. Her latest book, launched in August 2014, is 'Where is Daniel"' written with Bruce and Denise Morcombe about the abduction and murder of their son, Daniel. Her first book was Brothers in Arms about the Milperra massacre. The best-selling book was made into a television mini-series, Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms screened on Channel 10 May 2012. Honeymoon Dive, co-authored with Jennifer Cooke, is about the scuba diving death of Tina Watson on the Great Barrier Reef. It was later updated by the authors after Watson's husband Gabe was acquitted in February 2012.
Lindsay was Co-ordinator and founder of the Master of Arts (Writing) and the Bachelor of Multimedia Journalism at James Cook University and founder of the Journalism & Media Studies program and postgraduate writing program at University of Tasmania. Lindsay organises retreats which take place in the Whitsundays which she now calls home. For more information on Lindsay's retreat read more here. |
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Professor Iain Duncan McCalman AO FRHS FASSA FAHA, was born in Nyasaland, Africa. He earned his BA, MA and PhD in Canberra and Melbourne, Australia. He is Research Professor at the University of Sydney, and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, and the Australian Academy of the Humanities. He has been a historical consultant and narrator for a number of BBC, ABC and other TV and Film documentaries.
Iain is a former Federation Fellow and currently a Research Professor in history at the University of Sydney and co-Director of the Sydney Environment Institute. His new book is The Reef – A Passionate History, from Captain Cook to Climate Change |
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Dr.John McIntosh MBChB, MRCP (UK), MRCGP qualified in medicine in 1984 and trained in the United Kingdom as a Specialist Physician and then as a General Practitioner. He immigrated to Australia in 1993 and since arriving in Mackay, has left an indelible mark on the medical environment with major gaps in community services being filled under his vision. John is the owner of the GP Superclinic and is known as the ‘medical guru’ through his columns and media presence.
Wife, Rev. Elizabeth McIntosh is known as the “Positivity Expert” from her life’s work and research in the field. She trained as a life and wellness coach; certified personal fitness trainer, counselor, hypnotherapist, meditation and yoga teacher. Elizabeth is a Reiki master Levels 1, 2 and 3, and a Reiki Master Trainer. She holds a BMSc in Metaphysics from the University of Sedona and the University of Metaphysics, and is an ordained minister through the University of Metaphysics. She runs retreats at her resort in Bali and has produced a series of CDs on health, relaxation, and success, and a TV documentary series, as well as being a magazine columnist and radio talkback presenter. |
