Books by Ashley Mallett

This remarkable true story pays tribute to a band of Aboriginal boys who grew up together in one group home - many succeeding spectacularly in later life.In 1945, Anglican priest Father Percy Smith brought six boys from their Northern Territory home to an Adelaide beach suburb. There, they became the first boys of St Francis, a place that would house 50 such boys over 11 years. Some were sent, with the blessing of their mothers, to gain an education. Others were members of the Stolen Generations.In their interviews with Ashley Mallett, many of these men recall Father Smith's kindness and care. His successors, however, were often brutal, and the boys faced prejudice in a wider world largely built to exclude Indigenous Australians. The Boys from St Francis is a multi-layered tale of triumph against the odds - using the early building blocks of education and sporting prowess. Many of them went on to become fiercely effective advocates for Aboriginal causes, achieving significant progress not just for themselves, but for Aboriginal people, changing their world for the better.Activist Charles Perkins, the first Indigenous man to receive a university degree, commenced his status as a national icon with the 1965 Freedom Rides.John Moriarty, the first Indigenous man picked for the national soccer team, designed the famous Dreaming images for five Qantas planes. Harold Thomascreated the iconic Aboriginal flag. Vince Copley played football for the Port Adelaide Magpies. George Kruger worked with Fred Hollows in remote Indigenous communities for nearly 20 years.The Boys from St Francis is a sometimes shocking, but ultimately hopeful book about black and white Australia, told through one constellation of lives, sharing one seaside address.

A man of substance in war and in peace, Dr Donald Beard, AM, is a leader, and known for his compassion, humility and charm. The Diggers' Doctor tells of his extraordinary life as a surgeon, as well as his love of cricket and deep friendship with cricketers, including Sir Donald Bradman. It was in the Beards' backyard that The Don faced Jeff Thomson and hit his last cricket ball.Dr Donald Beard has embraced those from all walks of life and considers himself enriched by the experience. Surgery, cricket, music, theatre, reading and his love for Margaret, the greatest love of his life, has warmed him to thousands. It has indeed been a fortunate life.'Don Beard - "the Doc" - is a familiar and much-loved figure at cricket grounds around Australia and the world. In another part of his extraordinary life, as an army doctor, he is equally revered. His role as a doctor tending to soldiers in combat in Korea is a byword in the Australian Army. At the Battle of Kapyong in 1951 his inspirational care and leadership contributed to the love the soldiers had for this strong man of peace and compassion. His invariable good humour, stamina and great professional skill made him a wonderful role model for further generations of medicos in uniform. I am delighted that one of Australia's great cricketers is writing about the Doc, one of nature's gentlemen.' - General Peter Cosgrove, AK, MC (Retd)