Education

We delve into the new book and background of one of Australia’s best known Authors, who has a diverse stack of subjects lined up on bookshelves around the world on topics that range from biographies on the sporting greats such as Sir Donald Bradman, Steve Waugh, Keith Miller and Shane Warne, to espionage, Australian wartime history, three works of fiction, and more than 20 documentary films.

Perry’s latest book is the incredible tale of the beloved black cat who lived through the WW11 sinking of HMAS Perth, along with 328 of the 681 man crew. Surviving shellfire, torpedoes and the fierce currents of the Sunda Strait was only the beginning of the terrible trials Red Lead and the surviving crew were to face over the next 3½ years. From Java to Changi and then on the Thai-Burma Railway, Red Lead was to act as a companion, mascot and occasional protector for a small group of sailors who made it their mission to keep her alive in some of the most hellish prison camps on earth. Roland Perry –  Red Lead,  The Naval Cat With Nine Lives.

Interviewer Helen Meyer

Photo:  HMAS Perth

Red Lead,  Publisher Allen & Unwin