AFL hero was a father and a writer

On the death of Andrew Krakouer, and your feedback on writers’ festivals, in our weekly column by literary editor Caroline Overington

Andrew Krakouer, former footballer, and Jacqueline Dinan, former foster carer. Photograph by Arsineh Houspian.

I never like to start with sad news, but Andrew Krakouer died this week, and he was more than an AFL footballer. He was also a father, and last year wrote an important children’s book, called My Dad’s Gone Away, about the difficulties a child faces when a parent goes to prison.

He’d been such a child: his father, Jim Krakouer, went to prison when he was just a boy.

Andrew also went to prison, and his own children had to visit him there, and they were often anxious about having to pass through security, or confused about not being able to pat the security dogs, and also, what was dad doing in jail, and would he ever come out?

The book, with co-author Jacqueline Dinan, was published with great pride by Magabala Books. We gave it a full page in Review, in the hope it would find its way to the kids who needed it. We took the photograph above. Hard to believe that Andrew would be dead to a heart attack only six months later, aged just 42.

My Dad's Gone Away by Andrew Krakouer and Jacqueline Dinan

His book is his legacy. I loved it then, and I love it even more, now. Life can be brutal for Indigenous kids whose parents are in prison, and Andrew really wanted to make sure they were seen, and understood.

In interviews, Andrew came across as a man with a great deal of love for his children, and many regrets about the choices he’d made in life.

I didn’t really know him, but he was so impressive when he spoke from the heart, and his family must be hurting. Vale.

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Saving Dragons is an important biography of the man who preserved Chinese-Australian history in Bendigo, by journalist Dianne Dempsey

To some uplifting news: there is nothing I love more than a biography of a little-known Australian character, and journalist Dianne Dempsey has produced just that, with her new book on Russell Goldfield Jack, the founder of the Golden Dragon Museum in Bendigo, which aims to preserve the history of the Chinese-Australian community.

Bendigo’s rich Chinese heritage began with the discovery of gold. Diane says Russell grew up in the shadow of the White Australia Policy, and used vibrant Chinese dragon processions “as a bridge between cultures”. She says the “extraordinary creation of the Golden Dragon Museum — a cultural institution — transformed Bendigo’s understanding of its Chinese heritage.”

Victorian premier Jacinta Allan launched the book. It’s called Saving Dragons: The Life and Times of Russell Goldfield (Louey Yeung Man) Jack and is out now.

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I received quite a bit of feedback after we reported on Kathy Shand’s decision to step away from the Sydney Writers’ Festival, citing concerns about balance. I promised not to use anyone’s name if I quoted from their letters, since debate on these issues can get ugly but here are some snippets:

“I sympathise with Kathy Shand as I have felt unable to stand it anymore for a few years now. I am a 79 year old retired librarian and have been attending the Sydney Writers’ Festival since its inception at the State Library all those years ago. From taking my own sandwiches to occasionally staying in a cheap hotel for a few nights I revelled in it, particularly, I have to say, at Walsh Bay. However, over the years the lack of balance has been obvious ... I am of the left but would love to hear the other side and I feel that the festival has become more of the left and preaching to the converted. I am irritated by Anne Mossop’s statement that they are not trying to represent every single point of view. Just a couple would do! I haven’t attended the Festival for a few years because of my feelings about it but may go this year as there is a bit more to interest me. I thank you for your suggestions of Philippe Sands and Michael Gawenda.”

There was also this:

“You welcomed feedback re Sydney Writers’ Fest so here’s mine ... I checked how many events there are at the writers’ festival ... more than 200. What proportion of events look to have something to do with Palestine? Around 10. So, about 5 per cent ... I’m not a Jew or a Palestinian, just someone who likes books, authors, writers festivals and public affairs, and no doubt you’ll get lots of feedback from Jewish folk incensed at the programming (but) just as the hostage-taking and murders horrified us all, how egregious that those who express outrage at kids being slaughtered, en masse, in Gaza, keep being branded anti-Semitic. No, we just hate seeing thousands of kids being slaughtered in Gaza ... wanting kids to stay alive is not being anti-Semitic. The more all this is talked about, the better.”

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Today’s pages: if you have seen Adolescence on Netflix, and you’d like to explore the lives of boys a little older than in the show, maybe try The Passenger Seat by Vijay Khurana (review on page 13). It sounds terrific. We also have Notable Books (this week’s selection is via Samuel Bernard) and we have an extract from Nick Kaldas’s biography. Many people in the book world has been simmering with anger this week about Meta’s crappy decision to use pirated books to train its AI bots. See review below for what else might be at stake as AI takes off. We also have a new poem. Enjoy.