Best-selling author Rusty Young is now a global citizen but still returns to Mosman to deliver Meals on Wheels

AUTHOR Rusty Young — whose family and friends believed was “slightly crazy” when he chose to live for four months in a Bolivian prison — has traversed the globe, but still calls Mosman home.

Best-selling author Rusty Young has just released his debut novel.

• Zoo seeks feedback on new exhibits
• Opposition to park tunnel plan stacks up

BEST-SELLING author Rusty Young — whose family and friends believed was “slightly crazy” when he chose to live for four months in a Bolivian prison — has traversed the globe, but still calls Mosman home.

Young, who wrote the 2004 book Marching Powder — about life inside Bolivia’s infamous San Pedro prison — has followed up his acclaimed nonfiction work with a novel: Colombiano.

The book mixes fact with fiction and tells the story of Pedro Gutierrez, 15, who witnesses the brutal execution of his father by guerilla insurgents.

A younger Rusty Young (when he was age 30) with a Colombian sniper on a United States Government counter-terrorism base.

Pedro takes justice into his own hands and joins an opposition terrorist group, setting off to track down the killers, but ends up going down a dark path himself.

Young will host a talk in Barry O’Keefe Library on Wednesday, August 23. He grew up in Mosman and became “Rusty” at Mosman Prep. But a restless curiosity took Young to live in Colombia for eight years.

“I attended a private school and studied commerce/law at UNSW, but travel and writing has always made me happy,” he said.

Young cheated death in his early days in Colombia.

“I was an English teacher and one lunchtime, a small bomb went off about 10 metres from where I was crossing the road,” he said.

“I was walking around dazed and with a perforated ear drum. My students told me to go home and rest!”

Young’s debut novel.

And the book that gained him international attention.

Young also worked for the US Government in counter-terrorism.

“I trained the local special forces to rescue kidnap victims,” he said. “At the same time, I interviewed child soldiers to write my second book, Colombiano.

“On average, there were nine kidnaps per day.”

Young was mindful of security in Colombia: he changed houses 11 times, had a bulletproof car and encrypted radio and revealed his real job to no one.

“I dressed down and didn’t go to expensive restaurants. I changed my route to work and always lived above the third floor in case of a bomb blast,” Young said.

Despite safely returning from Colombia, Young is unsure if he can go back because he has now revealed he worked for the US Government.

Young with his Mosman Meals on Wheels mate, Peter Edge.

But in the meantime, he enjoys volunteering with Peter Edge, 88, for Mosman Council’s Meals on Wheels and believes the community can learn a lot from older people.

“I admire Peter greatly. He’s humble, fun, hard working, and gives tirelessly to the community.

“He drives me around for Meals on Wheels and we play jazz and rock music up loud in his car.

“I started volunteering when I was 19.

“Apart from being a good thing to do for the community, I also enjoy it immensely, especially with Peter.

“I think we can learn a lot from our elders, and it just feels nice to be helping people. Young people tend to take their youth and mobility for granted. Interacting with people of different ages helps put life in perspective.

“I followed the lead of both my parents who are active in the Mosman community. Mum used to do Meals on Wheels. Dad (Peter Young) is Community Director at Mosman Rotary.”

Visit events.mosman.nsw.gov.au to buy tickets to the event in the library.

War on drugs in Bolivia and South America