Captains
Sam
This wide-ranging and captivating anthology showcases both the power of First Nations writing and the satisfaction of a good short story. Curated by award-winning author Ellen van Neerven, Flock roams the landscape of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling, bringing together voices from across the generations. Featuring established authors such as Tony Birch, Melissa Lucashenko, and Tara June Winch, and rising stars such as Adam Thompson and Mykaela Saunders, Flock confirms the ongoing resonance and originality of First Nations stories.
Lucas
Homer’s Iliad is an epic work of ancient literature which chronicles the last year of the Trojan War fought between the city of Troy and the Greeks. While it may be about gods and goddesses who no longer exist in our collective unconscious, and a society that has long since vanished, the fact that the Iliad’s cautionary tales have managed to not only transcend ancient times but echo so profoundly in our own modern era continues to interest me greatly and motivate me to read other great works of literature.
Past Captains
2021
Will Staib, Aly Sultan, Tom Stundent, Campbell Watchirs, Harry Anstey-Walsh
2019
Noah Rosemann, Nicholas Miller, Timothy Weber
2017
William Ramsay, Joshua Grice, Philip Groves
2015
Tom Fitzgerald, Alester Fleming, Manning Clifford
2013
Matthew Singer, Mike Cavaye, Tim Sapsford
2010
Michael Stephens, Mitchell Van Deuse, Bill Stephens
Captains' Choices
Hamish
Ice Station by Australian author, Matthew Reilly, is an action-packed thriller which was full of twists and turns that kept me guessing. The story begins as a team of U.S. divers, exploring three thousand feet beneath the ice shelf, has vanished. After sending out an SOS, a team of U.S. marines is deployed to search for a secret, buried deep beneath the ice. They soon realise that they are not alone. It was a combination of the non-stop action and adrenaline-filled chase for secrets that ignited my passion for action/adventure stories.
Charlie
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay is a heartfelt and thought-provoking novel which showcases the ideas of love, loss, hardship and triumph. Set in Apartheid South Africa during the 1930s, the novel revolves around the life of a white South African boy, P.K, who has grown up in a home where segregation does not exist. However, once he begins to grow up, he realises that his world is quite different to the Apartheid world into which he is thrust. This novel was my first taste of a classic piece of literature and has ignited my love for true underdog stories.
Finn
Kurt Fearnley’s Biography, Pushing the Limits, follows the journey of the Paralympian from his beginnings in Carcoar, a small town in New South Wales all the way to three-time Paralympic champion. The inspiring tale takes us through the mind of an elite sportsman that refuses to give up, no matter how big the challenge is. It is this, his willingness and sheer determination to overcome adversity that makes his biography so powerful and, similarly, why Kurt’s story personally motivates me in my everyday life.
2020
Stephen Boronio, Alex MacGibbon, Will Chapman, Wiliam Hay
2018
Harvey Nihill, Marcus Ray, Elliot Hunt
2016
Tom Ryan, Jeremy Hunt, Jacob Li
2014
John Cavaye, Elliot Cichero, Angus Morrison
2012
Max Buckley, Lewis Radford, Dugie Hill
2011
Tom Whip, Harry Thiele, Daniel Bundock
