“Every now and then in life the universe conspires to lend humility.” And there, on the Dili Airport forecourt, began the journey to document East Timor’s transition to democracy.

A first person, narrative non-fiction, Hello Missus was published by HarperCollins Publishers as the company’s ‘Super-Lead Title’ of the month and the Australian Women’s Weekly’s ‘Book of the Month’, which may not be the Pulitzer, sure, but guaranteed widescale exposure. A blockbuster 20,000 copy initial print run rapidly sold out to be followed by a second edition.

A political satire, Hello Missus tells of the intrigue and politics within the leadership of the United Nations peacekeeping mission and the new national government at the time of independence.

But the humour had a serious purpose. It was designed to highlight important issues – corruption, poverty, wasted aid monies – to a mainstream Australian audience. The book led to coverage throughout the media, including on Radio National’s Late Night Live and ABC TV’s The Glass House, and in The Sun-Herald, with appearances at the Perth International Writers’ Festival and the Brisbane Writers’ Festival. East Timor’s government collapsed a year later.

Next book: Mother Land.

At Fairfax, interviewing Monty Python alum Michael Palin with probing questions relating to the fish slapping dance was, of course, a career highlight, only to be rivalled by reporting on then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s apology to Australia’s Indigenous peoples and the swearing in of the first female Governor General Quentin Bryce.

Over many years, many stories were told, from politics, the arts and economics to profiles, breaking news and social issues, with a considerable complement of feature articles, opinion pieces and news stories documenting some of the most extraordinary people and events of the times.

There is something very special about radio. Trusted, fun, clever, it  reaches into peoples’ lives unlike any other medium. At ABC Radio Canberra over three years, broadcast and digital content was created to entertain and inform audiences across the programs during political upheavals and emergencies. And then there was the simple madcap fun of Saturday Breakfast. Contributions included profiles and politics, all boosted through social media promotion.

Establishing a digital publication as founding editor of a news breaking, authoritative source on the digital health revolution transforming medical care and saving lives led to audience growth beyond expectations and recognition for massive global not-for-profit HIMSS, which produces a stable of international publications. 

One year after launch, Healthcare IT News Australia won international awards for ‘Best New Digital Publication – Editorial’ and ‘Best Overall Editorial – Digital’ for its coverage of the most consequential disruption of our time. It was also a finalist for ‘Project of the Year’ and ‘Best Healthcare/Medical Publication’ at the 2018 Content Marketing Awards in the United States, and shortlisted for ‘Best New Program Launch’ and ‘Most Effective: Healthcare/Pharmaceutical’ at the Pearl Awards in the US.

HITNA’s reach and influence grew thanks to its coverage of visionaries in the field, pioneering technologies and politics in the sphere, together with an analytics-driven, multi-platform content strategy including EDMs and social media.

Writing now about global health tech issues for the HIMSS Europe digital magazine Insights, with stories also syndicated on the American edition of Healthcare IT News.