'Most veterans were either alcoholics or workaholics and I fitted into the latter category' —Chris Cannin (6RAR, 1967; 7RAR, 1967-68). 'When I look back and I see what I used to do … there were a lot of things wrong that I would never ever admit to at the time … I thought I was fine, but I wasn't' — Alan Thornton (17 CONSTRUCTION SQUADRON, 1968–69). The medical and psychological legacies of the Vietnam War are major and continuing issues for veterans, their families, and the community, yet...

A unique and outstanding military and industrial achievement, the Collins class submarine project was also plagued with difficulties and mired in politics. Its story is one of heroes and villains, grand passions, intrigue, lies, spies and backstabbing. It is as well a story of enormous commitment and resolve to achieve what many thought impossible. The building of these submarines was Australia's largest, most expensive and most controversial military project. From initiation in the 1981–2...

A descendant of early pioneers of New South Wales, James Rowland combined a thirst for adventure with a strong sense of duty. Aged just 22, he became a Lancaster pilot in the elite Pathfinder force, flying 34 missions over occupied Europe and being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. In January 1945, he was the only survivor of a collision with a Canadian aircraft over Germany. After narrowly escaping being shot as a spy, he spent the rest of the war as a POW.Returning to the R...

For five generations, the Buxton family has contributed to the growth of Melbourne through their real-estate and Property development businesses. They have left their mark in every epoch, rom the magnificence of Rochester Terrace to the to the elegance of 333 Collins Street, from inner-city developments in South Melbourne in the 19th century to Docklands in the 21st, and from eastern suburban projects to fully planned communities at University Hill and Merrifields.The Buxtons are on...

In August of 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton set out with a crew of twenty-eight aboard the ship 'Endurance' in an effort to become the first men to cross the vast Antarctic land mass. Their adventurous tale of exploration soon became a struggle for survival when the ship was enclosed by a sea of ice which slowly crushed it leaving them stranded in a barren icy wilderness. What would follow is one of the most gripping tales of heroism and survival in the face of almost certain death to have eve...

The story of a stranding alone, on an island off the coast of New Zealand, of an English Clergyman. His survival, despair, and joy at rescue.

In early August 1974, despite incredible risks and after six years of secret preparations, the CIA attempted to salvage the sunken Soviet ballistic missile submarine K-129 from the depths of the North Pacific Ocean. The audacious effort was undertaken with the cover of an undersea mining operation sponsored by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. “Azorian”—incorrectly identified as Project Jennifer by the press—was the most ambitious ocean engineering endeavor attempted by man. Following t...

France, early summer 1794. The French Revolution has been hijacked by the extreme Jacobins and is in the grip of The Terror. While the guillotine relentlessly takes the heads of innocents, two vast French and British fleets meet in mid-Atlantic after a week of skirmishing.The French, in ships painted blood-red and bearing banners proclaiming 'la République ou la mort!' are escorting an American grain convoy to Brest to feed a starving population. Their ships are manned by a mutinou...

This landmark publication provides a comprehensive and authoritative account of New Zealands involvement in the Vietnam War, and will remain the standard reference work on the subject for decades. Its publication completes the programme of official war histories that began in 1945.Ian McGibbons primary focus is what New Zealand did in South Vietnam. He traces in detail the operations carried out by New Zealand forces and seeks to illuminate the experience of New Zealand soldiers fighting i...

In "Botany Bay, True Tales of Early Australia," John Lang delivers a meticulous account of the early exploration and settlement of Australia, intertwining a rich tapestry of historical narratives with vivid personal anecdotes. Written in the early 19th century, Lang employs a narrative style that reflects the Romantic sensibilities of his time, emphasizing the interplay of nature and human endeavor. The book serves not only as a chronicle of colonial encounters but also as a critique of Br...

The realities of WWII underwater warfare come to life in this chronicle of a submarine sunk in the Philippines—and the remarkable sailors who survived.The fate of the USS Flier is one of the most astonishing stories of the Second World War. On August 13, 1944, the submarine struck a mine and sank to the bottom of the Sulu Sea in less than one minute, leaving only fourteen of its crew of eighty-six hands alive. After enduring eighteen hours in the water, eig...

The 'Neva' sailed from Cork on 8 January 1835, destined for the prisons of Botany Bay. There were 240 people on board, most of them either female convicts or the wives of already deported convicts, and their children. On 13 May 1835 the ship hit a reef just north of King's Island in Australia and sank with the loss of 224 lives - one of the worst shipwrecks in maritime history. The authors have comprehensively researched sources in Ireland, Australia and the UK to reconstruct in fascinatin...