The Folks from Fowlers Bay

History is not always the exact truth but a narrative flavoured by the writer’s passion and background and the time when she or he lived. It is particularly true for southern Australia's history because it was put on paper by the colonialists. It is as if the history of Australia started then, and nothing happened before. Many past stories representing the history of aboriginal Australia are lost because its people died rapidly of infectious diseases, malnutrition and wars. Even these stories may not be the exact truth because they were told and re-told many times. But somewhere within the tales and the stories, there is a truth, and I have tried to find it. Behind the glamorous reports of Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin’s maritime exploits, one can find their humanity, aspirations and failures. The history of the people that lived along the South Australian coast from the Murray River, the Encounter Bay (Ramong to the Ramindjeri people), Kangaroo Island to Port Lincoln (Kallinyalla, the Place of Sweet Water, to the Barngarla people), and along the entire west coast of the Eyre Peninsula, is at best scanty. But there are stories—interesting stories—of whalers, escaped convicts and their lives among the aboriginal people. Here, I meld these stories together in a tale of love, adventure and imagination.

The Forest - Part 2 A Friend in Need

As Thomas and Pricilla practice their dance routine for the upcoming Village Talent Competition in the forest while the four large singing oak trees sing for them, they bump into Becky and Cap running around the forest playing soldiers. As the two parties get to know one another and become great friends Thomas is confronted with a big problem with only two weeks left to go till the talent competition.

You see, Pricilla is Thomas’ imaginary friend and Cap, like Pricilla, is Becky’s imaginary friend too.

Only children with imaginary friends can see other children’s imaginary friends and of course the oak trees and animal too.

How will Thomas be able to compete in the competition with Pricilla when no one will be able to see her?

What will he do, and will Becky and Cap be able to help?

The Forest of Tūkino

The Forest of Tūkino follows the stories of four different creatures who are each experiencing a different aspect of domestic violence. This story is told in a way which evokes emotion, so that readers can understand what it can feel like to be stuck in a cycle of abuse.

Providing insight to some and hope for others, The Forest of Tūkino takes readers on a journey into the darkness and back out into the light again.

The Forest – Big Oak

As Ashton was cycling home from school one autumn day, he heard an almighty sigh coming from the forest, “Aaaahhhhh…” and then a loud crying, sniffling and weeping noise. When he eventually got home after cycling as fast as he could, he asked his daddy, mammy and two big brothers what the noise could have been. They all had suggestions but Ashton knew that they were not the right answers.

With the help of his best friend, Jack, they decided to investigate themselves. Walking through the forest in fear, the two boys stumble upon a very big oak tree crying out loud to himself. After they befriend the big oak tree, they invite their school friends, family and teacher Miss Brownson to join them in decorating the big oak tree for Christmas. Along the way, they make more friends including two crows and get a surprise that happens right beside the big oak tree.

Ashton asked his granny for help as winter was coming. The days are getting colder with snow starting to fall. All of Granny’s friends join her in the forest knitting woolly scarves and jumpers for the big oak trees. There are grannies knitting, laughing and singing everywhere. They are high up and low down with their legs wrapped around the branches holding onto the big oak trees. This is just the start of many more adventures to follow in the forest.

The Forgotten Gun

A Metropolitan Police detective about to be dismissed is given a second chance by his old boss, who is now a police commander. He’s given a new unit to run and two misfit detectives to assist him. All three know their status is temporary.

Their first case together is an impossible double murder. Each murder is identical. Both victims are expertly shot in the head from long range, but the post-mortems reveal no bullets were used in the shootings. The CSI teams calculate that in both cases there was no place for the marksman to have fired from, unless suspended over busy roads.

Although it’s a case apparently impossible to solve, DCI Steve Burt reluctantly agrees to investigate with his new team. Their enquiries lead them into the murky world of greed, corruption, fraud and money laundering, but they are no nearer solving the murders.

The team is stumped until the DCI meets a retired army major and a WW2 veteran who unwittingly hold the keys to solving these impossible murders.

The Friendly Giant Called Zak and His Friend Rory the Misnamed Monster

A giant of the oceans (Zak) and a so-called monster (Rory) meet and become friends. They agree to travel the world’s oceans and seas together. During their travels, they meet many creatures that are friends of Zak and who become friends with Rory as well. There are, however, some creatures that wish to attack Rory when Zak is not around. And so, the adventures begin.

The Frost King

A hero and a heroine, a witch and a sorcerer; everything is straightforward, or is it? Fairy tale, adventure story, fantasy and saga, old and new, it all intertwines in this epic tale where nothing is exactly as it seems and where the ending has enough answers to leave you satisfied and enough questions to leave you wondering.

A mountain that fills the horizon, a dream that becomes a nightmare, a woman in search of her forgotten past and a king looking for his future; these separate but related parts are all brought together when a stranger appears in their midst, asking for help. As the story unfolds, the landscape and its inhabitants come to life with the tale moving slowly towards its inevitable climax.

Monstrous creatures, deeds of valour (and dare-devilry), action, drama, humour and romance, this is a story where you can enjoy all of them. So, delve into A Dragora Tale and relish your time in the company of The Frost King!

The Future Knowledge Compendium

Thriving in the 21^st Century

Humans have a unique capability to both understand their situation in the world and to envision and act to realise their aspirations in the emerging world. And most of us would welcome knowing how we can become ever more skilful at both understanding, and shaping the future of, our emerging world, so that we can thrive in it. The 21^st century is very different from the 20^th century. Globalisation, the greatest economic prosperity uplifting machine humanity has ever invented, and mass education, are combining to sweep humanity into an emerging interdependent global village. It is creating a global educated middle class that will number 5 billion in 2030.

In this emerging world, a world where our future prosperity will be increasingly based on metaphysical wealth, on what we know, 20^th century nation-first, competitive, win/lose, mindsets and agendas can no longer work. These now yesteryear mindsets will instead undermine our best endeavours, including making our future ever more climate and pandemic safe.

Humanity is now beginning to learn that it now has no option but to adopt planet-first, collaborative, win/win values and mindsets, if it wishes to shape our emerging global village so that it can become liveable for all: ever more prosperous, harmonious, inclusive, sustainable, healthy, and secure. Meeting these challenges successfully will require that humanity innovates for itself a new future knowledge curriculum so that it can economically thrive in a sustainable and humane manner.

Peter Ellyard has asked the question: what would be the contents of such a curriculum? In The Future Knowledge Compendium: A Curriculum for Thriving in the 21^st Century, he has sought to answer this question.

The Game of God: The Ultimate Solitaire!

The world is not as it appears. The universe and all of life is a fantasy being played out and experienced by God—with God being the only player. This is the ultimate game of solitaire! The Game of God explores this amazing game that God develops and plays as though illusion is reality, as though man and all other forms of life have their own separate lives and minds. They live in bodies, in the world; they are born, grow old, and die. Everything in the universe is held in shape by mind-patterns, and within the game God is constantly assessing play as it develops and as though it is real and not an illusion or dream. The latter part of The Game of God illustrates a fundamentally different way of playing the game of life by changing your view of yourself and others within the game. It offers explanations of how to play this fantasy game effectively, how to develop fully the character you find yourself playing at the moment, and how to express your abundance. For thousands of years man has pondered on his identity, his relationship to God, and the meaning and purpose of life, and he is still pondering. The Game of God shows how the answer to these profound questions lies within each of us.

The Gap Between Two Kingdoms

From a very religious country, Saudi Arabia, I moved to the United Kingdom. I had a cultural shock and I was moved by the details of British lives there. What was my perception? Where have I been? What are the changes that made me a new person after my journey to proceed with my postgraduate studies? Here is my book and there is definitely a gap between the two kingdoms.

The Garden Creatures of Fairfax Lane: The Dipping Dragonfly

At the end of the road on Fairfax LaneBehind a small wall—surprisingly plainThere is a garden that’s full of lifeTenderly cared for by Mr Crankshaw’s wife The Dipping Dragonfly learns to focus on one thing at a time, getting twice as much done, to have double the fun. Follow along with our rhyme…The aim of this picture book series, The Garden Creatures of Fairfax Lane, is to supply your children with the tools to manage their mental health. Each story provides an example of a subtle change you and your child can make to manage your thinking. It provides you with a medium to navigate developmental themes and, therefore, project the characteristics of the creatures in real-life scenarios.

The Garden Gnomes

Introduce your little ones to the magic of wildlife gardening in the company of the garden gnomes Graham, Dando and Spottiswode.

Meet the real garden gnomes whose job it is to tend the garden. They find their way to my garden which is straggly and wild. They help to make it just right to attract insects, birds and animals who come to live there. Find the gnomes’ secrets in their garden shed. Make your own garden perfect for wildlife!