The Anzac Memorial’s Veteran Artist in Residence program aims to increase opportunities to promote wellbeing and support veterans through visual art, music, drama and creative writing.
With the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies NSW support Tony Park is the Anzac Memorial’s inaugural Veteran Writer in Residence.
Tony served in the Army Reserve for 34 years, including six months full-time service as an Army public affairs officer in Afghanistan in 2002. He is the published author of 19 thriller novels set in Africa and seven non-fiction books.
His non-fiction work includes ‘War Dogs’, co-authored with Illawarra-resident Shane Bryant, who worked as an explosive detection dog handler in Afghanistan and, most recently, ‘Courage Under Fire’, with Daniel Keighran VC, who received the nation’s highest honour for valour as a result of his actions in Afghanistan.
Tony Park delivered a writing course for veterans as part of the WA-based Military Art Program in 2016, and believes other veterans would benefit from a resource/point of contact where they could receive advice and guidance in developing their writing.
During his four-month tenure as the Veteran Writer in Residence Tony plans to host in-person drop-ins and writing workshops online for the veteran community while working on his two current writing projects – his 20th novel and a biography of a high-profile Australian military veteran.
Tony will work part time from the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies’ Ursula Davidson Library.
