ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Born and bred in Sydney Australia and educated at St Aloysius College in the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I was born at the beginning of the Pacific War a year before Pearl Harbour and, lived through all the stress and worry of the threatened Japanese Invasion; although as a little boy it was more exciting and normal to me. In the streets of Sydney there were military uniforms everywhere. 

As a young man I had the example of the war heroes to look up to and was often reminded of the bravery and sacrifice of these men. It was not surprising that I enjoyed the school cadets; I became an officer in this organisation in the last year at school, with the full intention of becoming a soldier through enrolment and study at the Royal Military College, Duntroon. It has become clear to me that we learned more about military culture, tactics, weaponry and the live firing of the WWII weapons in the school cadets than the Australian Infantry (Militia) knew when they were sent off to face the Japanese in Milne Bay. We were taught by Kokoda veterans and other regular soldiers. I have remained in touch with one Kokoda veteran who taught me, Bill Jenkins; he helped me with details on the book. 

I graduated in medicine from University of Sydney, spending three years at Concord General Hospital in Sydney as a student. 

In my second year as a medical intern I decided to do psychiatry. I completed my post-graduate studies after five years, the last year being spent in UK. 

When we returned to Australia I was in private practice for many years and completed a Masters in Criminology and a year of Law to become a forensic psychiatrist. 

I have been a Part time Member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal since its inception but otherwise have partly retied.

After reading World War II books all my life, I finally realised the importance of the Milne Bay Battle during World War II. It thus became important to me to share knowledge of this significant battle with my fellow Australians. I have found that many Australians are unaware of the importance of this battle to the progress of the war and to the morale of the troops.

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