“Sailing to Success: The Union Company Cadet Scheme” is my latest book launched in October. This is an historical look at the period from 1952-1986 when the Union Steam Ship company ran an officer cadet scheme.  I was commissioned to write this book and it was a pretty joyful experience.  For example I had to interview lots of sailors – so can’t be all bad!  The book is a collection of historical facts on how the scheme came about and also included are stories from the cadets.  These range from serious to hilarious. It is a beautifully produced book with plenty of photographs, and is a record of a portion of maritime history in New Zealand.

It’s tale for children or teens and centres on Johnathan who sees a crime the night he decides to run away from home everything changes for him. He is threatened by the Black Power that if he says anything about what he has seen his house will be torched. Frightened, but not able to tell his father, he becomes bad tempered and rude. His father decides that he should spend the Christmas holidays at Mangawhai with a relative. Jonathan who has no idea where Mangawhai is doesn’t want to go, but on arrival it isn’t so bad and he becomes friendly with Anna who is a science student studying the fairy terns which nest at Mangawhai. This is a story with a conservation thread, but it also about a boy who finds out that he really isn’t a silly ‘pom’ and that he can do quite good things.

It was wonderful to write a positive story for young people and I liked working with the conservation theme. The book can be ordered online.