Victor Paul Sutherland was to a born to a dairy farmer in Milton, New South Wales, Australia on the15th of August 1945. The day of the Victory in the Pacific; thus the intials VP. He had several different jobs during the time that he was a Jockey and talks about some of the mischivious antics that happened. He became aTrainer when he became too heavey to ride and tells of his heart breaks and triumphs throughout his carreer. He also exposes some bihind the scenes facts of some sordid affai...

A celebration of chest puffing goodness and kindness from around the country written in inimitable Peter FitzSimon's style.You gotta love this country when an AFL legend takes his mum instead of his girlfriend to the Brownlow, when an Australian cricket captain joins a bunch of fourteen year olds for a bit of street cricket, when a bloke wins the Australian Marbles Championship after being reunited with the tom-bowlers his brother threw away forty years ago, and wh...

Matthew Benns takes us inside the murky world of Australia's racing industry.Dapper horse trainer Les Samba was in Melbourne for the annual yearling sales when he turned down an Italian meal with racing contacts saying: "I have got to meet a bloke." Just hours later he was laying dead, in the middle of the road with blood pouring from five bullet wounds to his head and body.Racing in Australia has a dark and dangerous underbelly. Powerful people play for hig...

Old School tells the story of Nathan Hindmarsh, one of rugby league's most popular players and captain of the Parramatta Eels. It's an inspiring autobiography about an old-fashioned type of footballer, a one-club man whose hard work and commitment on the footy field are legendary, and who has always led from the front.Along the way Old School gives readers a view from the paddock of Hindmarsh's record-breaking career at Parramatta...

Loved by some, loathed by others, throughout his sixteen seasons in the game Barry Hall has always polarised punters. Not only is he a superstar forward and one of the biggest crowd-pullers of the modern era, he's also one of the most notorious and colourful players currently on the field.Here, for the first time, Barry tells the story of his rise to AFL stardom, from his childhood in country Victoria and early years as a junior boxing champion to his draft to St Kilda as a teenage...

'I broke some bones and I copped some head knocks. But if I had my time again I would not change a thing.'Three premierships, three club best-and-fairests, two All Australian selections and a Coleman Medal: Jonathan Brown knows footy, and he has stories to tell.Browny grew up around country football clubs and could swear like a trooper by the age of four. By the time he was taken by the Brisbane Lions under the father-son rule, he'd developed the ability to train (and party) ...

'All of the love that you put into your animals has come out on screen, on my screen and it will be there forever.' - Steven SpielbergThe inspirational true story of a remarkable young woman who overcame an unconventional childhood, personal tragedy and depression to work as a stunt woman and then as one of the most successful animal trainers in Australia, if not the world. Zelie's love of animals and their affection for her has kept her going during even her darkest moments, and u...

'The governor called me into his office one fine day and in his best serious voice with his best serious look told me I could no longer write letters to my publishers because it appeared to him that I was trying to write another book. The man should have been a rocket scientist ...'Including stories about drinking with Bob Hawke, Chopper's reflections on the closing of the infamous H-Division section of Pentridge Jail, his unique take on race relations, sex and rel...

EVER HAD AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY ON THE PUNT?Racing aficionado Patrick Bartley collects tales of fervour, intrigue and folly straight from the track. His anecdotes offer a view into the world of racing: the big wins, gut-wrenching losses, plunges, long-shot winners and larger-than-life characters that colour Australia's racetracks.Brimming with Bartley's signature wit, these stories will have you trackside before you can even open a form guide.'Patrick ha...

When Shane Crawford debuted for Hawthorn Football Club in 1993, little did he know what an amazing future awaited him. The kid from tiny Finley in New South Wales would become a champion of the game, the heart and soul of his club, and a successful media performer.Crawf's seventeen seasons with the Hawks were far from easy but his loyalty to the brown-and-gold was rewarded when he finally reached Australia's biggest stage – grand final day at the MCG – where, agains...

The finest collection of writing about horse racing includes short stories, verse and anecdotes from some of Australia's best-loved writers.Did you know that Jorrocks raced till the grand old age of 19? Or that Melbourne Cup - winner Grand Flaneur never lost a race? Or that Sunline was the top stakes-winning mare in the world in her day?The Best Australian Racing Stories is chock-a-block with the victories and tragedies of these amazing champions a...

Autobiography of champion jockey and much-loved sports personality Ruby Walsh.A much-loved sports personality throughout Ireland and Great Britain, Ruby has had a career of outstanding success, which includes having won all four of the home Grand Nationals. This new edition brings his story right up-to-date to include all of the races over the busy Christmas period as well as last year's astonishing triumph against the odds. With many doubting that he could be race...