William McInnes

The making of modern Australia

I can't help it if I'm a boring conservative dag, but I love Christmas, always have and hopefully always will. Whatever brand of faith you fly under, even if you proclaim you don't have one, Christmas is a time of generosity, good citizenship and decency. It's the holiday where shopping centres become a sea of dazed shoppers bearing checklists as long as your arm, lunch is a neverending buffet of prawns and ham and your electricity bill is doubly struck by having to run the fan all day and keep those decorative lights blinking through the night. William McInnes, bestselling author of FATHERHOOD, WORSE THINGS HAPPEN AT SEA, and A MAN'S GOT TO HAVE A HOBBY tackles the silly season in a way only he can - telling stories brimming with good humour and nostalgia, to remind us what Christmas is all about: family.

Christmas Tales

From bestselling author William McInnes, a book about the languid, unending holidays of summer; it's about going away and staying at home, about sunburn, seagulls, family and friends. Remember those long, languid holidays when the only decisions to be made were what to pack in the Esky and who should get the front seat on the drive to the beach? Let William McInnes reignite your nostalgia for holidays past, and give you a taste of the boundless opportunities that await in holidays to come in this book about our love affair with life away from the everyday. This book will take you back to the holidays you had as a kid and remind you of the ones you've had with your own family or friends or even the ones where you've flown solo. Holidays are the runway to possibilities - a romantic sunset, the spare seat at breakfast being taken by an attractive stranger, a miraculous airline upgrade - or missing bags, unfortunate rashes and wrong turns that lead to places you definitely did not intend to go. Whether you are away from home and somewhere exotic or just in your own backyard on a lilo in an above-ground pool, whatever happens, you know that life is sweet because you're on HOLIDAYS. **Includes a bonus extract from William's hilarious and heartwarming memoir Fatherhood** "McInnes is a natural storyteller . . ." - Sun Herald, Sydney "McInnes enjoys a quirky love affair with the quintessential Australian holiday" - Brisbane News "Proves that the journey is just as agreeable as the destination" - Sunday Age ". . . full of beautifully crafted childhood reminiscences and anecdotes" - Sunday Examiner "McInnes is a wonderfully engaging writer - witty and warm and a master of a good yarn. If your holidays aer a way off, curl up with William and he'll take you away" - Adelaide Advertiser

Holidays

William McInnes, one of Australia's best-loved entertainers and authors, takes a look at the Aussie obsession with sports and pop culture. A chance encounter in an auction house is the jumping-off point for William's inimitable take on our sport-obsessed nation, Australian popular culture and the artefacts and memorabilia that both make us cringe with recognition and laugh with warm affection. His trademark humour and anecdotes litter this collection, making it a true delight. These are truly Aussie stories: about us, and about the things - and the people - in our lives. **Includes BONUS CHAPTERS of two William McInnes classics: A Man's Got to Have a Hobby and Holidays and an extract from his latest hilarious and heartwarming memoir, Fatherhood** PRAISE FOR WILLIAM McINNES' WRITING 'warm, nostalgic, funny and undeniably Australian' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD 'a natural storyteller' SUN-HERALD 'If there is a quintessence of Australianness at its best, William McInnes has distilled it.' THE AGE

Full Bore

Filled with stories from regular Australians about life since World War Two and woven throughout with William's own anecdotes and observations, THE MAKING OF MODERN AUSTRALIA pieces together the celebrations, sorrows and spirit of the last fifty years to offer a national picture of our past and present. Told through four main themes of romance, religion, family and home, this is our story. From the trepidation of the outbreak of armed conflict to the multicultural melting pot of postwar migration, to falling in and out of love and religion, to the changes in parenting and family relations, THE MAKING OF MODERN AUSTRALIA reveals a very personal view of our country. Inspired by the major ABC TV documentary series of the same name which is narrated by William McInnes and produced by Essential Media and Entertainment.

The Making of Modern Australia

Andrew Cowper Lawson

Canada. Commission Appointed to Investigate Turtle Mountain, Frank, Alberta

Wyatt Malcolm

1912-13

Oil and Gas Prospects of the Northwest Provinces of Canada

William McInnes' bestselling memoir, A Man's Got To Have A Hobby, takes us back to the long summer holidays of the 1960s and 70s, and the last of the baby-boomer childhoods. William writes with humour and affection about his family, and especially his mum and dad, who talked to the TV set and enjoyed life in their house near the bay. William McInnes is a talented writer and a natural storyteller. A tail-end baby boomer, he recalls summer holidays that seemed to go on forever, when he and his mates would walk down to fish in the bay; a time when the Aussie battler stood as the local Labor candidate and looked out for his mates; and a time when the whole family would rush into the lounge room to watch a new commercial on TV. He writes about his father - a strong character who talks to the furniture, dances with William's mother in the kitchen, and spends his free time fixing up the house and doing the best for his family. In William's writing you can hear his father speaking and listen to his mother singing. This is a book about people who aren't famous but should be. It's about cane toads and families, love and hope and fear, laughter, death and life. Most of all, it is a realistic, down-to-earth book by a man who had a great time growing up. His warmth and humour come through on every page. This Australian memoir tells of a time that will be familiar to many readers and a delight for all. 'McInnes applies a deft touch to a swag of recollections, shaping a yarn that should be listed with the national treasures' - The Courier Mail 'This will make you laugh till you cry' - The Age 'A perfect balance between humour, humility, seriousness and light, laughter and tears' - Sunday Telegraph

William McInnes

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