Having taught history for 30 years at Ballarat Secondary Schools, Doug then spent over a decade at the Gold Museum, Sovereign Hill. His engaging and thought provoking introduction to the Goldfields was enjoyed by over 100 schools every year.

In addition Doug works with local primary schools enhancing their local history studies. As a public speaker, Doug has spoken to a large number of groups such as Rotary, Probus and U3A classes. MORE >>

** NEW SERIES **

Ten Delightful Tales

The Ten Delightful Tales series of booklets has a simple purpose. It  is designed to highlight the joys of community life in Ballarat’s over the last 170 years.  

Rain, hail or shine, parades, picnics, sports, monster meetings, rallies, carnivals, concerts, orations, fund raising events, school events, Ballarat’s irrepressible joie de vie, shines through in all these vibrant, joyful occasions. 

And to be blunt, at this point in our history, we need a large dose of optimism. Fortunately It was not hard to find joyous stories in Ballarat’s amazing history. Enjoy reading them with a cup of tea or coffee and a lovely piece of a favourite Ballarat recipe -raspberry coconut slice, often called Amy Johnson slice.

The Seriously Weird Series
Enjoyable, readable, challenging history is back!

The human story is fascinating, intriguing and puzzling. Yet for decades we have ‘lost the plot,’ particularly with Australian History. This series of books restores the narrative, the plot, to the central role it deserves.

The story is told with plenty of heroes and villains. Captain Cook, Governor Macquarie, Burrumbeet, Hargraves, Lawson and Paterson, are all there. It is written with rigour and vigour. It’s bright and breezy, but not too light or too easy.

The aim is not to present the truth, but to encourage the reader to begin the search for the truth. Insightful and thought provoking cartoons appeal especially to the young.

To be ‘turned on’ by History everyone, especially students, need to be engaged by the story. They also need to have a basic framework of knowledge and understanding, an overview of the whole story. Finally they need to have the thinking skills to critically examine the story.

This series will engage and enthuse, prod and provoke, children and teachers, parents and grandparents into the joy of learning about the human story.