These are fighting words

Angry Skies: Recollections of Australian Combat Fliers
By Mike Hayes. ABC Books.
216pp. $29.95
Reviewer: AIRCDRE Mark Lax

Our airmen's reflections.

Some years ago, Ken Llewelyn (familiar to readers through his motoring column) set about recording oral histories of Australian airmen from the Great War to the present.

His quest to capture the memories of these men has resulted in a collection that, while valuable from an historical perspective, would otherwise remain hidden from the general public.

Thankfully, ABC Books had the foresight to realise their significance and approached Mike Hayes, a storyteller, TV producer and journalist, to collate the best of these into a more accessible form. As a result this book was produced before Hayes’ death early this year.

Angry skies they may have been, but not all the anecdotes recorded here are about combat action. This offering is a compendium of reflections of 24 aircrew and ground crew presented as collective experiences of recruiting, boot camp, aircraft and war experiences (WW1, WW2 and so on.

Those familiar with Air Force history will recognise names such as Clive Caldwell, David Evans, Ray Trebilco and Bobby Gibbes, but others such as Harold Edwards (the last of the Australian Flying Corps – now passed on) will, perhaps, be new.

The general narration, interspersed with quotes from Ken’s recordings, will have broad appeal. If you have watched the ABC’s Australian Story series, then you will have an idea as to what is presented here.

I enjoyed the book immensely as I read, in their own words, of those who helped to shape the Air Force’s history.

However, a number of small errors have crept into the narrative, and I took exception to one paragraph about the aims of RAF Bomber Command (page 116), but there is nothing overall that detracts from the essence of the story.

Illustrated with numerous black and white photographs, the paperback is well laid out and an easy read.

I found Ron Guthrie’s story of his days as a prisoner of war in North Korea the best. Highly recommended.

Author goes with the floe

Antarctica on a Plate
By Alexa Thomson. Random House Australia. 385pp. $24.95.
Reviewer: LS Rachel Irving

The extraordinary tale of Alexa Thomson’s adventures in the wild south are recounted in Antarctica on a Plate.

A self-confessed quintessential Sydney-sider, Alexa had it all – great job, great income, great apartment and great clothes – but something was missing. When the opportunity presents itself to spend a season at tent camp Blue 1 in the Antarctic, Alexa finds herself on board a rickety Russian Ilyushin heading south as Blue 1’s newest cook.

This book is a light-hearted, eye-opening account of life in the extremes. It follows Alexa as she battles snowstorms, isolation, exploration and finally finds love in the most extraordinary place on earth.

Antarctica on a Plate is the perfect book to take on holidays – easy reading and a wild ride in the ice.

Bali survivor’s true grit

Back from the Dead
By Patrick Lindsay. Random House Australia. 259pp. $29.95
Reviewer: David Sibley

Inspirational story of a Bali blast victim's resilience and courage

One of the most haunting images of the days immediately after the Bali bombing of October 12 last year was survivor Peter Hughes telling a Nine Network journalist, “I’m OK”.

Hughes wasn’t OK – in fact, 60 per cent of his body was terribly burnt as a result of the terrorist attack on the Paddy’s and Sari night clubs in Kuta.

Hughes’s courage inspired journalist Patrick Lindsay, author of The Spirit of Kokoda, to find out who was this bloke who thought of others before his needs.

It might seem unfair to single out one survivor and append to that person the unwanted celebrity that our society bestows on the survivors of horrific tragedies, but Hughes’s story is a haunting tale in microcosm of the battles each survivor and their families have had to endure since October 12, 2002.

By rights, Hughes should be dead. His survival is testament to a fighting spirit and the tenacity of Australian medical staff at all levels, including ADF personnel, in the aftermath of the attack.

The accounts of the injuries suffered and what had to occur for him to live is harrowing reading. But it helps us understand the enormity of the battle which lies ahead in the war against terrorism.

This book brings home the reality that, in this war, we are all in the front line because the enemy does not play according to accepted rules of engagement.

Peter Hughes provides one example of how to not only survive the horror of these atrocities but, in the end, to be victorious.