Meet our Authors

While growing up, Ruwan learned about her grandmother’s way of cooking, which was typical to her hometown of Kandy, Sri Lanka, from her mother, who exposed her to many ingredients and techniques. Her passion for cooking is inspired by her family’s history in farming and gardening. Ruwan’s maternal grandfather and uncles worked as agricultural and botanical curators on estates and parks in Sri Lanka’s highlands (in Kandy and Nuwara Eliya) and her paternal grandfather owned many fruit, rice, and coconut estates throughout Kandy. Her knowledge of South Asian foods and ingredients has been enhanced by her travels to various parts of Asia and numerous trips to Sri Lanka. Raised in Canada and now residing in Washington State USA, Ruwan has extended Sri Lankan family in Australia. She shares her love of her heritage, food, and travel with her husband and daughter. She is the author of Milk, Spice & Curry Leaves. 

Lynlea Small has been privileged to spend the majority of her life immersed in the thoroughbred racing industry as the wife of Cyril Small, a gentle man, a brilliant horseman, and the jockey of former champion racehorse Vo Rogue. Along the way she has gained a deep knowledge of racing, while she learned to train racehorses in her own right, support her two sons Daniel and Braidon to forge a career in jumps racing, and guide her daughter Jessica as she embarked on her career along a different pathway. 

For the past twenty years, Lynlea has been equally immersed in the tertiary education sector where she works and has excelled academically with the highlight being awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. 

Lynlea had a front row seat throughout Vo Rogue’s career. Her in depth knowledge coupled with her strong research skills and well-honed writing ability, have resulted in a book that perfectly captures the story of a cult hero who captivated a nation with feats that catapulted him and his connections into Australian racing folklore. 

For Lynlea, The Vo Rogue Show represents her contribution to the history of horse racing in Australia. 

Paulie Stewart OAM is an Australian rock legend. He’s also a legend of the movement advocating for the freedom of East Timor and West Papua. 

In this tell-all, highly entertaining memoir, we read how Paulie channelled his anger from the murder of his brother, one of the Balibo Five, into the infamous Painters & Dockers band that put the Australian music scene on notice. 

From being formed with the intention of a one-time performance to pay a friend’s parking fine, it became a 40-year-long punk rock band with a cult following. 

Paulie’s activism also formed the Dili Allstars which highlighted the plight of the Timorese and he tirelessly supports Timor-Leste’s Alma Nuns. 

Not only was he a rockstar and an activist, Paulie also worked as a music journalist with the Melbourne Herald Sun for 30 years. 

This is a much-anticipated story that transcends music and activism. The book is full of laugh-out-loud anecdotes of his encounters with major stars, including Billy Idol, Keith Richards, the Wiggles and Nick Cave. 

St Kilda-born Stewart has a close affinity with Australia’s First Nations people, his daughter was the first female Prime Minister in Australia’s National Indigenous Youth Parliament. He was instrumental in setting up charity and music industry groups the PRICS, the Mirabel Foundation, The Push and Ausmusic. 

Despite his life-threatening liver transplant, Paulie continues to mentor refugees and young people at risk and is still performing with the Dili Allstars and Painters & Dockers. 

Paulie is the author of All the Rage: Paulie Stewart