Showing results by publisher "Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd" in Biographies & Memoirs

An elemental force present at the creation of Australian rock 'n' roll, Johnny O'Keefe converted incredible drive, a tremendous flair for showmanship and a comic spirit into status as Australia's first rock star and a national icon. Johnny was dead at 43 after 30 hit singles, 28 albums, and a succession of self-inflicted disasters. Today " Shout", "Wild One", "I'm Counting on You" and "Sing" remain as indelible hallmarks of the early years of Australian rock 'n' roll.

An intense and inspiring story of sporting triumph, from World, Commonwealth and National racing champion and Olympic silver medalist Lizzie Armitstead. On the eve of the 2016 Olympic Games, the biggest moment of her life, Lizzie Armitstead's career was throw n into turmoil. After being cleared to ride the Games at the final hour following a successful court appeal to overturn an alleged missed drugs test, the ensuing leak and backlash threatened to engulf her.

With her husband dead, murdered by Saddam Hussein's brutal regime, only Guzin Najim's love for her children gave her the strength to face what was to come. Placed under house arrest, the family endured a relentless campaign of terror, until a chance at freedom came and they fled across the desert in a daring overnight escape. Guzin stepped off the plane in Sydney knowing that risking everything had been worth it.

Sunburnt Country is an outstanding selection of autobiographical stories and short fiction about Australia and Australians. From childhood, through adolescence, work and marriage, to old age, these stories provide a lively, at times moving, sometimes funny, glimpse into many aspects of life in Australia.

From the hills of South Lebanon to the monsoon jungles of Southern Asia, Ray Goggins has operated in a life-and-death world. In the suffocating humidity of Liberia, the mountains of Afghanistan and the snow-covered Balkans, Goggins has seen the best and worst qualities in himself and others. From conflict zones to terrorist attacks and hostage rescues, Ray has learned the greatest life lessons: how to control fear, how to react calmly and positively and how to create a strong baseline from which to take action.

Step into the surreal world of a Tokyo hostess club and gain an exclusive underground pass through the eyes of author Chelsea Haywood as she explores a way of life unique to the Japanese, experiencing $600 dinners, kabuki theatre, Harajuku shopping sprees and first-class trips to 'anywhere you want to go'.

A candid and beautifully written wrinkles-and-all meditation on the middle years, with all their dilemmas and challenges.... In a society obsessed with living longer and looking younger, what does middle age nowadays mean? How should a 50-something be in a world ceaselessly redefining ageing, youth and experience? The Middlepause offers hope and heart. Cutting through society's clamorous demands to work longer and stay young, it delivers a clear-eyed account of midlife's challenges.

Frank, fearless, funny, articulate and inspiring, Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a dynamo - a young Muslim dynamo offering a bracing breath of fresh air...and hope. At 21 Yassmin found herself working on a remote Australian oil and gas rig; she was the only woman and certainly the only Sudanese-Egyptian-Australian-with-some-Turkish-and-Moroccan-background Muslim woman.

From a talented emerging writer comes a brave, honest, unforgettable memoir about mental illness, which breaks the silence and shatters the taboos to give hope to all those struggling to find their way through. One day Sophie Hardcastle realised the joy she’d always known had disappeared. She was constantly tired, with no energy, no motivation and no sense of enjoyment for surfing, friends, conversations, movies, parties, family - for anything. Her hours became empty.

Dance Until it Rains shares the life of a remarkable lady, and in so doing, highlights the amazing lessons that each of us can learn, not only from her life, but also from our own. It is an inspirational story of love, hope, courage and overcoming the many obstacles life throws our way. It will help you to find the motivation to create a better level of wellbeing and a happier life for yourself.

Derrick "Taffy" Rees was a 12-year-old Welsh boy when he saw a newspaper advertisement which offered children a free passage to Australia. So in 1938 Derrick set sail for Australia, with his mother's permission, and took along his two young sisters - aged eight and ten. Derrick "Taffy" Rees is now 75, and he tells his story in By Then I Was Thirteen.

If you're likely to buy only one audiobook this year, make sure it's a ripper. Make it one about a boy from the bush who's hell-bent on becoming an elite sportsman. Be sure it's a true story, with ups and downs and plenty of fun times you can relate to. An inspiring insight into triumph over adversity probably won't go astray either. Born without the lower half of his left leg, young Don Elgin never considered himself disabled until he was in high school - and even then, he had to be convinced.

Rex tells the story of a kid who struggled at school, but who found the drive and motivation to carve out a hugely successful career as an Aussie Rules footballer and then as a major media figure. Along the way Rex talks about his years in the police force, his National Service, the ups and downs of his business and professional life, the dramatic legal case against his former manager, his loving family, and, of course, lots and lots of football and fishing.

It was a blood oath between best friends. As Sergeant Brett Wood prepared for a third tour of Afghanistan, he made fellow commando Jamie Zimmermann promise to take care of his wife and financial affairs should the worst unfold. When Brett was killed two months later, it tore two worlds apart. The Promise is the extraordinary story of two mates, Jamie and Brett, each with two families – the family at home and the brotherhood that bonds military servicemen in times of war.

Adam Ford is an archaeologist. Not only has he been on expeditions to unlock the mysteries of the past in the Caribbean, British Isles, Jordan, Syria, Israel, United Arab Emirates and Australia, he's also had heat stroke, hypothermia, and dysentery; been chased by camel spiders; been walked on by scorpions; and been pestered by bugs big enough to ride.

His best-selling books are violent, terrifying, brilliantly written and have sold millions of copies around the world, but Stieg Larsson was not there to witness any of their international success.That his fame is entirely posthumous demonstrates the dizzying speed with which his star has risen. However, when one looks a little deeper at the man behind these phenomenal novels, it becomes clear that Larsson’s life would have been remembered as extraordinary, even if his Millennium trilogy had never been published.

From improving her painting to perfecting her garden, exploring family histories and reclaiming her mother’s art of tea-making, Alice Taylor discovers the challenges and pleasures of living alone.

In the following documentary first broadcast on ABC Radio, seven men and one woman tell extraordinary stories of endurance during their time as prisoners-of-war of the Japanese during World War Two. They survived brutal interrogations, and physical and psychological torture in conditions of starvation, illness and near-death. These are stories of horrific conditions, but also of triumphs of the human spirit. Survival is not about war, but about uncommon feats of human fortitude and resolution.

Following the Irish coast in a clockwise direction, acclaimed ecologist Richard Nairn travels by boat, on foot and sometimes by air to visit the best remaining wild places, including islands, cliffs, beaches and dunes. The result is a unique mix of nature, history, science and a reflection on the author’s personal experiences of exploring Ireland’s coast. By viewing the Irish coastline from the sea, Richard gains a unique perspective on the island. And along the way, he recalls a lifetime spent studying nature.

2019. Dawn. The River Humber. A misty February walk. Surprise early daffodils. A picture taken. Then forgotten. Because five hours later, my world shattered. My mother jumped off the Humber Bridge. Had those yellow flowers not delayed me, I might have been there. Could I have stopped her? In the aftermath of this violent act, I turned to my writing, to my beloved siblings, to our only uncle. I was forced to look at events that led to this suicide attempt. At relationships wrecked by alcoholism. At chronic depression. At our care records. At my childhood. At my mother.