I am a graduate of the Australian National University, Canberra. I worked for many years in the area of social policy and have had many journal articles, monographs and reports published on various social issues. I have a deep personal interest in nineteenth century Australian history, particularly the story of those people who emigrated from the United Kingdom and the vessels they sailed in to reach the Australian colonies. In my writing I have combined my expertise in social issues with my work on exploring the circumstances of people who sought a better life in the colonies in the nineteenth century. As a consequence I spend lots of time searching for and examining the stories of those who emigrated, seeking to understand their experiences, the reasons for their decision to emigrate, the difficulties they faced, the outcome of their passage and the vessels that carried them to the Australian colonies.

 

As a result I have written several books exploring nineteenth-century emigration issues, processes, experiences and stories with an emphasis on the stories as told by emigrants. My book Farewell to Old England Forever is a comprehensive study of the complete story of nineteenth century emigration. A recent book Death Ships is a sad story about some 5000 emigrants who departed for the colonies in six big ships seeking a better life.

 

I am also a keen runner and have been involved in running activities including club administration for many years. I have completed 26 marathons and some 60 half marathons and have also competed in many cross country and mountain running events for the past 30 years. My Guide to Running Your First Marathon draws directly on my personal experience. The book Running the Marathon with Cancer is a personal story that combines my passion for running with dealing with rectal cancer. While not writing or running I am a very keen photographer and also an enthusiastic collector of vintage cameras. As a historian vintage cameras offer for me a sense of time.

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