While the Australian Defence Department's Central Flying School at Point Cook struggled to keep training planes in the air during WW1 the NSW Government created an Aviation School on Ham Common at Clarendon, west of Sydney, complete with land, buildings, aircraft and experienced instructors and mechanics, to train pilots for service abroad.

With no suitable training planes available NSW turned to the USA's Curtiss Jenny JN4.

The coup de grace was the appointment of W. J. "Billy" Stutt as Chief Instructor. Billy left his home in Hawthorn before the War to learn to fly in England. So successful was Billy he returned to Australia with amazing credentials—Chief Test Pilot at Farnborough, over 6000 ascents in every conceivable aircraft type, and not one crash—and the first appointed King's Messenger when the War began, ferrying planes and messages across the Channel and often returning with captured German planes.

In the first two years of instruction Stutt undertook training of around 130 pilots. Not all were successful. His assistant, Lt Andrew Lang left after a few months. Undaunted, Stutt appointed two of his star pupils from the 2nd Course to Instructor status, and the training continued seamlessly.

Stutt was a wizard, could both fly and teach." A.F.Woodward-Gregory, trainee.

28th August, 1916: The Official Opening.
Liberally interspersed with many previously unseen photographs provided by the fliers' families, the book is less a traditional history presentation and more the bringing to life the story of the student pilots, the part they played in the Great War of 1914-18, and the politics behind the scenes. Flyboys tells the story for the descendant families, many of whom knew little more that 'he said he was a flyer'. And keeps alive the names of those who served the nation, some of whom paid the supreme sacrifice.

Many of the pilots could not be accommodated by the Army at Point Cook. The NSW Government paid their passage direct to England by ship to join the RAF. Sadly their names do not therefore appear in the Australian National Archives. After the War the land and buildings on the Common became the fledgling Richmond Air Base, the top arm of Aerial Defence in Australia.

Truly brilliant. I consider this publication one of the best on early Australian aviation and I'm sure it will be used as the standard reference work on the history of Richmond Aerodrome. With 322 pages it is a huge repository of important milestones and relevant people. It has my unqualified 100% recommendation.

Ben Dannecker, Nowra NSW, Pilot/Historian

A superb history meticulously researched and presented. I thoroughly recommend it.

Keith Meggs, DFM, AAM, Pres. AHSA, Fighter Pilot, 77 Sqn

314 pages, indexed. Many previously unseen photographs.

Bio's and photos of all the trainees, instructors, mechanics and ground staff. Full chapters on the Curtiss Jennies and the life and career of Billy Stutt

ISBN 978 0 9578 705 3 1
$50.00 AUD + postage
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Author - Neville Hayes, Member Aviation Historical Society of Australia, and Australian Association of WW1 Historians.

Sadly, after suffering a heart attack, Neville never saw his 25 years of work in print. The body of his research was by mail to the descendant families before the internet data available today. The research was completed by brother Barry with the assistance of elder brother Graeme and sister Beth.

For every romantic, a breath of the Pacific.
For every Islander, a touch of home.

The Tambu Ground is a 125,000-word novel set in the exotic Solomon Islands. This book by Australian author, Barry Hayes, features all indigenous characters, culture and customs in a contemporary Island setting. His life shattered by earthquake, a young Islander seeks survival in a world in which he is suddenly a friendless fringe-dweller, his village, gone. Now torn between the spirit worship of old and the new Christianity, a chance meeting with a stunning young girl from the Western Solomons begins a series of events and situations in which he has no experience—love, loneliness, and the attention of an awesome enemy with powers of black magic. Escape? Guadalcanal - Malaita? Or land nobody owns - of which the old men whispered tales of horror in the dank shadows of night? The Tambu Ground.

Industry critics say:
"Very good, very powerful, exciting, romantic - absolutely magic location - he's got a fine book here"
"Well crafted and impressive"
"Not like any other book I have read before. It opened up a window on the world"
"Dreamlike quality. The visitation of evil is edge of seat stuff - characters are real people"
"A darn good read, a plot of considerable complexity and cultural accuracy that kept me glued."

Culture, romance, suspense and excitement no Pacific-lover will want to miss. Some contextual horror. Cover Art - Jasper Schruers, Fiji

$15.00 AUD + postage
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Postage to NZ / South Pacific 1 copy $20, multiple copies on quotation
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This 24 page mini manual assures parents that child tantrums are developmentally normal - suggests what parents can do when the tantrum is in full cry, and lists what NOT to do, and why. Denise maintains that ignoring a tantrum is a form of conditional love and of abandonment - that a child at its most unlovable is in the greatest need of love. Also relates adult problem issues in today's world to events in childhood. This work is best read through what we feel rather than what we know. "Feelings are perfect," says Denise, "what we know is not." The manual is superbly illustrated by Hazel Collins, an artist from Balmoral in Western Victoria.

What is a tantrum? Is it normal? Can it be beneficial? Why not ignore it? Clues to cause. Unconditional love. Does it indicate bad parenting? What to do. What not to do. Little tantrums. Emotions and feelings. Toddler's needs. Unmet child needs become later adult needs. The angry child. The angry parent. Anger management checklist. Abandonment. Time = love. Making a fresh start.

"It brought to light every mistake I've made raising my children, and everything I did right. Now with my two grand-children, history is repeating itself." (a reader Mum)

$10.00 AUD + postage
Postage within Australia: 1-5 copies $10
Postage to NZ / South Pacific 1 copy $10, multiple copies on quotation
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Sample Pages What not to do | Little tantrums

Shame-based parenting rules and practices.
If we don't "fix it"—we pass it on.

Nobody told me! Shame—The Impact of Shame in Multi-Generational Family Systems and Parenting Practices.

2000 copies sold in Australia, New Zealand and USA

Denise is now retired from active counselling. In her practise over 20 years she found the vast majority who arrived at her door had carried shame scenes from childhood into their adult relationships.

A reference work for counsellors and a manual for parents to assist in identifying and healing the childhood shame and decimated self-esteem. Walks step by step through the toxic parenting rules and practices from infancy to adolescence—on into adult life, exposing the destructive family system cycle and adult consequences. Advice on recovery. Indexed, illustrated, the A4 size work comprises 210 pages set out in user-friendly, dot-point format. Major sections on self-esteem, shame, styles of parenting, developmental stages of childhood, communication, family of origin, abandonment, anger, abuse. The work integrates information from the world's icons and leading practitioners, including John Bradshaw, Alice Miller, Gershen Kaufman, Eric Erikson, Harvelle Hendrix, John Bowlby, M.Scott Peck—many others.

Often confronting, this publication goes where angels fear to tread—the Family System. Many of the issues are little known by the general public and are rarely embraced in standard parenting programs. Popular with many counselling, health and community agencies, such as community/mental/women's health, lifeline, youth crisis, early intervention, schools, pre-schools, community houses, Reconnect, TAFE, universities, private practitioners . . . many others.

Pacific Downunder, Box 133, Cowes, Vic.

$50.00 AUD + postage
Postage within Australia: 1 copy $10, 2-3 copies $15, 4-6 copies $20
Postage to NZ / South Pacific 1 copy $20, multiple copies on quotation
Postage to UK/Europe/US/Canada 1 copy $35, multiple copies on quotation