Michael Thornton Books

I really don’t need to write much here about my first twenty-two years – because it’s all in JACKAROO: A Memoir.

Briefly, I am a fundraiser, small acre farmer and author. In the past I've been a jackaroo, rural journalist, boarding school housemaster, advisory board member, consultant, columnist and volunteer. I have two children – Richard (and daughter-in law Jessie) and Melissa (and granddaughter Chloe). Most sadly, on 31 January, our younger son, Jamie, 28, passed away (see short story: Losing Jamie).

My wife, Elaine Furniss, works in International Development. Together, we run a small beef cattle farm in north-east Victoria.

The book begins when I am ten, and ends as I’m about to go to agricultural college. After college, I became a rural journalist, first on The Pastoral Review and then The Weekly Times.

Soon after I finished college, the principal asked me to join the Advisory Board to establish a foundation to raise funds to develop the new, young college. My stint as Honorary Director of the Glenormiston Foundation led to a career in raising money professionally for schools.

In 2010, I volunteered for six months in Vietnam with a street kids’ charity -- Blue Dragon Children's Foundation -- through Australian Volunteers International (AVI), where I helped in the communications and fundraising office.

Upon returning home in October, I began as Director of Advancement (alumni relations, events and philanthropic fundraising) at Melbourne Business School, one of the world's leading business schools, where people study for an MBA or they undertake business executive education learning.

It was during my time in Hanoi last year that two senior people at Penguin Australia -- one, a publisher, and the other, a senior editor -- became interested in my manuscript. The rest is history. JACKAROO: A Memoir hit the streets on 27 June. I hope you enjoy the read. Please feel welcome to sign the guest book and/or send an email to say what you think of the book.