ISBN 978-1-923645-88-2
PAPERBACK
When life feels uncertain or overwhelming, And Still meets children with gentle reassurance—affirming they are loved, always. This gentle picture book offers reassurance and hope for children navigating challenges or change.
A comforting story about resilience, unconditional love, and the quiet strength of being enough.
ISBN 978-1-923680-18-0
PAPERBACK
ISBN 978-1-923680-19-7
EBOOK
In his book Coconut Kid David Mills tells some of his stories. David was born in 1941 in Cranbrook, WA. At the age of four months he was taken from his family and spent the next 8 years at Parkerville Children’s Home not even aware that he had older siblings.
He started his schooling there but at the age of 8 was returned to his family where his education continued.
He began his working life at the tender age of 13 and worked, mostly as a shearer, in a number of areas of Australia. David’s stories are informative, funny and gut wrenching.
Especially as he tells of his wife’s illness and last days. He is frank about his life and its bad patches. However, you can’t but admire the man he has become, despite all he has experienced.
David was taken from his family at 4 months old in 1941 when it was Government policy to put light-skinned part-Aboriginal children in institutions.
He wasn’t reunited with his mother till he was 8. He struggled with schooling at Cranbrook in southern Western Australia and started his first job at age 14.
David found his calling when he started shearing but his greatest gift is as a storyteller. With humour and remarkable honesty, David tells the stories of his life including the battle for his wife to take advantage of Australia’s first Voluntary Assisted Dying laws in Darwin in the 1990s.
ISBN 978-1-922890-62-7
PAPERBACK
ISBN 978-1-922890-74-0
HARDCOVER
Crocodylus Scorpius is banished from his Kingdom.
Where will he go?
A tale of two tails. But will the riddle be solved by Dr Olivier and his intrepid team of explorers?
When a scorpion convinces a crocodile to carry him across a river, a moment of betrayal changes everything. Transformed and cast out, Crocodylus Scorpius is forced into the unknown. He journeys into the dark depths of the ocean, where survival is uncertain, and learns that even the strangest traits can become his greatest strength.
ISBN 978-1-923589-92-6
PAPERBACK
ISBN 978-1-923645-58-5
HARDCOVER
ISBN 978-1-923680-04-3
EBOOK
Rana was different. While her frog friends were vibrant green, she was a unique shade of blue, and it made her feel lonely and misunderstood.
When a curious scientist spots what he thinks is a rare creature and captures her, Rana’s world is turned upside down. Frightened, her blue skin turns green and she is dismissed as ordinary, lost in the Daintree Rainforest.
Guided by nature, she finds her way home as her true blue returns, discovering that being different is her greatest strength.
Zelle Pullich is an adventurer at heart, a wife and mother of two beautiful, loving children who have inherited her itch to explore.
Passionate about learning and research, Zelle holds degrees in Medicine, Physiotherapy & Exercise Science along with Creative Arts.
Tapping into her natural inquisitiveness, she writes stories about intriguing creatures, bravery and fantastical discoveries with the aim of nurturing childhood curiosity. Rana is the second book in Zelle’s Daintree series, following the popular Crocodylus Scorpius.
Nathaniel Eckstrom is an illustrator based in Sydney, Australia. His ability to visualise gentle realms of fun and adventure has made him one of Australia’s leading children’s illustrators.
Nathaniel has illustrated over 25 titles, including Zelle Pullich’s previous book, Crocodylus Scorpius. A number of Nathaniel’s books have been both notable and shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year.
ISBN 978-1-923645-90-5
PAPERBACK
Bubbles is a comforting picture book that introduces young readers to the idea of personal space through soft rhymes and a playful “bubble” metaphor. Following Grace, children learn that everyone has a bubble that belongs to them- one that can change, be shared or stay strong.
With warmth and reassurance, this story empowers children to use their voices, respect boundaries, and understand that their feelings matter, wherever they go.
Taylor Bartels-Gold created this story to help children make sense of big feelings through words and illustrations. Art has always been her wayof exploring imagination, curiosity, and care.
With this book, she hopes to support children at home and in school, offering a gentle way to understand personal space and reminding every child that it’s okay to have their own space and to be exactly who they are.
ISBN 978-1-923645-49-3
PAPERBACK
Late Essays is a blend of auteur and amour: my thoughts on substantive issues in society at home and abroad, threaded through with less substantive, and more personal, memories and topical and nonsuch poems. Subjects range from Gaza to geysers, from Constantine I to Charles III, and from race relations to radioactive waste.
ISBN 978-1-923589-73-5
PAPERBACK
Why shouldn’t aged care residents enjoy the same delicious and nutritious food you and I would love to eat?
Good food is vital to a residents’ health and happiness. Quality meals not only nourish the body but also lift the spirit, and for many residents, mealtime is the highlight of their day.
Drawing on more than 22 years of experience creating and preparing fresh meals for aged care residents, chef Deborah Cairney’s vision is to develop a recipe book that supports chefs and cooks in providing wholesome, visually appealing, and cost-effective dishes for the elderly.
She hopes to inspire and equip those working in aged care kitchens to make every meal something residents can truly look forward to.
This recipe book is filled with nutritional recipes that I curated and adapted for aged care residents over my 23-year career as head chef at a NSW Aged Care facility. The recipes are nutritional, cost effective, use only the freshest high-quality ingredients, and can be produced with minimal time and staffing available.
It was a vision of my employer and myself to give the residents quality, nutritional food for this stage of their lives. I have collected and tested the recipes in this book, with this vision in mind. I have been guided by my qualifications in commercial cookery, hospitality catering management, business catering operations, workplace training, and my years of experience in aged care kitchens.
I have included diabetic, gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan recipes, to cater for people with dietary requirements. Most of the recipes can be made gluten free by swapping out the existing ingredients for gluten free products.
In aged care budgets are important, but so is quality and nutrition, and all the recipes in this book have been costed using the best ingredients to provide the elderly with food that they will look forward to eating. I have included a 7-day sample menu incorporating all meals and beverages at a cost of $15-16 per resident, per day (at time of publishing). This figure was achieved through making 90% of the menu items on site, which has the bonus of limiting the amount of processed food offered to residents. Chefs in aged care will be familiar with strict budgets and so will understand the importance of being innovative to provide premium quality and choice for residents. Information on menu planning, tables of weights, measurements and oven temperature tables are included to assist in producing these recipes.
Recipes can be adapted for different medical requirements and can be made presentable for residents with Dysphasia, or any related swallowing problems, by pureeing the foods and using moulds to recreate the food. Pureed foods are also available already moulded for purchase from food suppliers, these products are frozen and only need steaming. The moulds save time and look like the food that is being served but in puree form. e.g. menu item Lamb Chop Casserole with Mash Pumpkin Peas and Mash Potato would be moulded in the shape of lamb chops, peas, pumpkin, and mash. Moulded products look desirable for the resident to eat, which is important, as we all know we eat with our eyes first.
I hope this book can be of assistance in your aged care kitchen and support you to provide the residents you cook for to enjoy nutritious and delicious meals.
I would like to dedicate this book to the Proctor Family who owned Figtree Point Age Care, without their vision and support I would not have been able to deliver this type of food to the residents.
Also, to my children Heidi, Tanya and Sam for their encouragement to compile and publish this recipe book.