My latest picture book, Fight for the Franklin, illustrated by Lois Bury and published by NLA, is being released on September 1 2026.
This is the story of the fight to save the Franklin River in Tasmania from being dammed by the Tasmanian Hydro Electric Commission in 1978.
The Wilderness Society campaigned to stop the dam. Different groups from all over Australia came together to protest.
The Kutikina cave was of huge significance to the Palawa people and it contained 75,000 human-made objects and 250,000 animal bones.
While environmentalists began their blockade, a separate vigil at the cave was organised by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.
In March 1983 the Australian labor Party won the election and Bob Hawke passed legislation to bring World Heritage sites under Commonwealth control, effectively stopping the dam.
It was a huge win for the environment and for the everyday people of Australia who had fought for years to stop the dam.
The book is being launched on Sunday September 13 at the Burnside Library by Peter Owen, the president of the S A Wilderness Society.
