WINTER NIGHT SERIES
Royal Yacht Club of Victoria presents: Realms of Gold - The Remarkable Return of Jack De Crow

Six seas, eight countries, 3000 kilometres, all in a tiny dinghy ... what could go wrong?

Join us and hear from author A.J. Mackinnon on his new book, Realms of Gold: The Remarkable Return of Jack de Crow — The charming sequel to the bestselling The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow

Wednesday, 2 September, 6.30pm for 7pm start

Come down for dinner beforehand and enjoy $20 Wednesday specials

Please select date Wednesday 2 September to book online at Royal Yacht Club of Victoria's website calendar. 

Many dire predictions about the impact of AI on jobs have been made, starting with the prediction from 2013 by Frey and Osborne at the University of Oxford that 47% of jobs were at risk of automation in the next decade or two. This prediction was clearly wrong for jobs at risk in the next decade, and the next half a dozen years will determine if it was any good over the longer time horizon of two decades. More recently, Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic has predicted that AI could eliminate up to 50% of all entry-level white-collar jobs and push unemployment in the US to 10% to 20% within a one-to-five-year timeframe. The reality is that neither economists nor technologists know what the net impact will be. But we can trace the outlines of what we do know. And this requires us to start making policy decisions today as people need to begin to educate themselves for what work remains, and as we need to ensure we have the right fiscal settings, so everyone gets a “fair go” in this AI powered future.

Join us for light refreshments from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

The public lecture will commence at 6:30 PM..

Hosted by the Department of Management and Marketing, University of Melbourne

Please note: This is an in-person only event. The recording will be available online after the lecture.

Join us at Readings State Library to hear A.J. Mackinnon in conversation about his latest book, Realms of Gold.

When A.J. 'Sandy' Mackinnon sailed a tiny dinghy through twelve countries from North Wales to the Black Sea, he survived pirates, the English Channel, international incidents and all the disasters, big and small, that can befall a little boat on a long voyage. Those adventures became his beloved bestseller The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow.

Decades later, that trip is a happy memory and Sandy is firmly back on land – until a message from a stranger presents an opportunity too good to refuse. Sandy picks up where his first voyage left off, sailing and rowing single-handedly around the coast from Romania to Venice. From Istanbul to Ithaca, Mount Olympus to the ruins of Troy, he finds himself immersed in the legends of antiquity, plays chicken with mercurial border police, and is saved more than once by the kindness of strangers. He recounts it all in Realms of Gold with his unbreakable enthusiasm and self-deprecating humour, taking the reader on a hilarious and unforgettable adventure.

Free, but bookings are essential.

Join us at Harry Hartog Penrith on Wednesday the 9th of September at 6pm as we welcome Toby Walsh who will be discussing his latest and highly anticipated new book God AI: Boom or Doom? What to Expect When Machines Outsmart Us.

Is it game over for humanity? The essential guide to our most dangerous invention.

Our fears about artificial general intelligence go deep. They touch on our very identity as thinking, feeling creatures, and on our place in the universe. Are we creating our own successor? And might this creation be a god?

In this vital contribution, leading researcher and author Professor Toby Walsh explores the existential risks posed by our accelerating efforts to realise an AI-powered future. While AI models are leading to the development of wondrous technologies such as potentially life-saving drugs, they are also disrupting the lives of millions across the globe by rapidly reshaping our relationships with work and with one another. But there are also clear risks that powerful AI threatens our very existence as a species.

In an increasingly fractured world, what happens when AI hits the singularity and gains the ability to recursively self-improve? Could we so fully outsource our own thinking to AI that we make ourselves obsolete? Could machines become so intelligent that it is game over for humanity?

n Evening with Jenny Bloomfield – Author of Australian Ambassador

Join us for a special evening with author and former diplomat Jenny Bloomfield as she discusses her memoir Australian Ambassador. Drawing on a distinguished international career, Jenny shares a personal journey from migrant child to senior diplomat.

Through conversation, readings and audience Q&A, Jenny will reflect on diplomacy, multiculturalism, identity and belonging.

Warm, insightful and deeply personal, Australian Ambassador celebrates the richness of dual heritage and the opportunities that shape modern Australia.

This is a unique opportunity to hear from one of Australia’s pioneering diplomats.

Veteran journalist, broadcaster and academic Waleed Aly discusses his agenda-setting new Quarterly Essay on the forces transforming modern politics.

Are we in the midst of the most important political shift of our time, the end of liberalism? In his new Quarterly Essay, On Speech, Equality and Politics, Waleed Aly analyses what is happening in political spheres both at home and overseas, tracking the forces at play that have led to this moment.  

Join Aly as he sits down to discuss political polarisation, the limits of liberalism and the rise of illiberal democracy. Tackling freedom of speech, cancel culture and the new battles of identity, he points to the cracks that have emerged and what the shift away from liberalism means for Australia today. 

Drawing on his vast experience across journalism, academia, law and ethics, Aly brings insight and perspective to this compelling conversation about the forces transforming our politics. With host Sally Warhaft. 

Is it game over for humanity? In this vital contribution, leading researcher and author Professor Toby Walsh explores the existential risks posed by our accelerating efforts to realise an AI-powered future. With his typical lucidity and humour, Walsh explores the issues, evaluates the dangers and considers what we can do to prevent AI harms before it is too late.

Toby Walsh will be in conversation on God AI with  Bill Simpson-Young.

Toby Walsh is one of the world's leading researchers in artificial intelligence. He is a professor of artificial intelligence at the University of New South Wales and chief scientist at its AI institute, UNSW.ai. He is the author of five books about AI, including Machines Behaving Badly, Faking It and, most recently, The Shortest History of AI. His forthcoming book is God AI.

Bill Simpson-Young is co-founder and Chief Executive of Gradient Institute, a non-profit research institute formed in 2019 to help society understand, manage and shape AI as it transforms our world. Bill is also on the NSW Government's AI Review Committee, ANU's Computing Advisory Board and was on the temporary AI Expert Group advising the federal government on AI regulation.

Drinks and nibblies provided.

Join us at Harry Hartog Mosman to welcome Toby Walsh, who will be discussing his latest and highly anticipated new book God AI: Boom or Doom? What to Expect When Machines Outsmart Us

Is it game over for humanity? The essential guide to our most dangerous invention.

Our fears about artificial general intelligence go deep. They touch on our very identity as thinking, feeling creatures, and on our place in the universe. Are we creating our own successor? And might this creation be a god?

In this vital contribution, leading researcher and author Professor Toby Walsh explores the existential risks posed by our accelerating efforts to realise an AI-powered future. While AI models are leading to the development of wondrous technologies such as potentially life-saving drugs, they are also disrupting the lives of millions across the globe by rapidly reshaping our relationships with work and with one another. But there are also clear risks that powerful AI threatens our very existence as a species.

How do stories change when they cross oceans, borders, and generations? Join celebrated authors Maame Blue, Christopher Raja, Christine Balint, and Moreno Giovannoni for a wide-ranging conversation on the literature of movement. Chaired by fellow author David Francis, this panel will explore how displacement, heritage, and travel shape the creative imagination. From deeply personal family histories to vivid fictional journeys, these diverse voices discuss how geography defines identity in a globalized world.

Award-winning author Moreno Giovannoni appears in conversation with Antoni Jach, to discuss The Immigrants, his acclaimed novel exploring migration, identity, and the search for belonging in regional Australia. Winner of both The Age Book of the Year Award and the NSW Literary Award for Fiction, Giovannoni reflects on storytelling, community, and the experiences that shaped this powerful and deeply human work.

In this wonderfully clarifying essay, Waleed Aly examines what happened to liberalism. As a set of ideas, it offered formal equality and guaranteed freedoms. But more and more, we live in a post-liberal world.

Aly looks and how and why this has happened. He discusses what has taken liberalism's place as we tackle thorny questions of freedom of speech and equality of opportunity. And he examines the limits of liberalism, the rise of illiberal democracy and the new battles over identity.

This is a supple and original essay about the forces transforming our politics.

Waleed Aly is a writer, academic, lawyer and broadcaster. He is a lecturer in politics at Monash University and a co-host of Network Ten’s The Project. He is the author of People Like Us and Quarterly Essay 37: What’s Right? With Scott Stephens, he co-hosts Radio National’s The Minefield program.

Join us with Jenny Bloomfield to discuss Australian Ambassador's themes of public service, women in diplomacy, multicultural Australia, and Australia's engagement with the world.

The true story of a trailblazing Australian diplomat who redefined what's possible – and what it means to belong.

In the forthcoming book Australian Ambassador​, Jenny Bloomfield traces her journey from childhood migration to a history-making diplomatic career. Australian Ambassador opens a rare window into the diplomatic world and the challenges of navigating bilateral relationships in times of intense political and economic upheaval. Told with warmth, honesty, and humour, Australian Ambassador is a celebration of dual heritage, public service, and the possibilities of a modern, outward-looking Australia.

In this wonderfully clarifying essay, Waleed Aly examines what happened to liberalism. As a set of ideas, it offered formal equality and guaranteed freedoms. But more and more, we live in a post-liberal world.

Aly looks and how and why this has happened. He discusses what has taken liberalism's place as we tackle thorny questions of freedom of speech and equality of opportunity. And he examines the limits of liberalism, the rise of illiberal democracy and the new battles over identity.

This is a supple and original essay about the forces transforming our politics.


Waleed Aly is a writer, academic, lawyer and broadcaster. He is a lecturer in politics at Monash University and a co-host of Network Ten’s The Project. He is the author of People Like Us and Quarterly Essay 37, What’s Right? With Scott Stephens, he co-hosts Radio National’s The Minefield program.

Join us for the launch of Realms of Gold. by A.J. Mackinnon, hosted by Matilda Bookshop.

Realms of Gold is the charming sequel to the bestselling The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow. When A.J. 'Sandy' Mackinnon sailed a tiny dinghy through twelve countries from North Wales to the Black Sea, he survived pirates, the English Channel, international incidents and all the disasters, big and small, that can befall a little boat on a long voyage. Those adventures became his beloved bestseller The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow.

Decades later, that trip is a happy memory and Sandy is firmly back on land – until a message from a stranger presents an opportunity too good to refuse. Sandy picks up where his first voyage left off, sailing and rowing single-handedly around the coast from Romania to Venice. From Istanbul to Ithaca, Mount Olympus to the ruins of Troy, he finds himself immersed in the legends of antiquity, plays chicken with mercurial border police, and is saved more than once by the kindness of strangers. He recounts it all with his unbreakable enthusiasm and self-deprecating humour, taking the reader on a hilarious and unforgettable adventure.

Tom Griffiths will be in conversation with Mark McKenna on his new book Alice's dreaming. An astonishing work of history about a girl and the Indigenous world she encountered.

Early last century, Alice Duncan-Kemp grew up on a remote Queensland cattle station. Later she would write down her childhood memories of learning from Aboriginal women and men at home on their own Country. In her books, she evoked a rich parallel universe of storytelling and lore, which she felt privileged to witness. She also spoke of an informal local treaty that curbed the violence of the frontier.

What are we to make of 'Alice's dreaming' today? Master historian and writer Tom Griffiths takes us into – and beyond – this revelatory encounter. Through it we glimpse the turmoil of a complex and tragic frontier, and a remarkable story of survival and cultural resilience. In recent years, the Mithaka people Alice lived among and wrote about have reclaimed their Country, drawing in part on her writing to support their claims.

Alice's dreaming is at once biography, literary thriller and stunning evocation of Country and place.' —Mark McKenna

Tom Griffiths reveals how 60,000 years of First Nations history is intricately woven into the fabric of contemporary Australian values. Alice's dreaming is a work of the greatest importance to our understanding of who we are. It is also great literature, an epic story told with imaginative distinction.' —Alex Miller

Tom Griffiths AO is Emeritus Professor of History at the Australian National University. His writing has won prizes in literature, history, science, politics and journalism, including the Prime Minister's Prize for Australian History and the Douglas Stewart and Nettie Palmer prizes for non-fiction. His books include The Art of Time Travel, Hunters and Collectors, Forests of Ash and Slicing the Silence: Voyaging to Antarctica.

Mark McKenna is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Sydney. He is the author of several prize-winning books, including Looking for Blackfellas’ Point: An Australian History of Place and the multi-award winner An Eye for Eternity, The Life of Manning Clark, winner of the 2012 Prime Minister’s Prize for Non Fiction. His most recent book, From the Edge: Australia’s Lost Histories, won the NSW Premier’s Australian History Prize.

The vote of thanks will be given by Associate Professor Ruth Morgan, Director, Centre for Environmental History. Australian National University

Books will be available for signing from 5.30pm and again after the event. 

A.J. Mackinnon in conversation with Peter Ironmonger

Six seas, eight countries, 3000 kilometres, all in a tiny dinghy ... What could go wrong?

When A.J. ‘Sandy’ Mackinnon sailed a tiny dinghy through twelve countries from North Wales to the Black Sea, he survived pirates, the English Channel, international incidents and all the disasters, big and small, that can befall a little boat on a long voyage. Those adventures became his beloved bestseller The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow.

Decades later, that trip is a happy memory and Sandy is firmly back on land – until a message from a stranger presents an opportunity too good to refuse. Sandy picks up where his first voyage left off, sailing and rowing single handedly around the coast from Romania to Venice. From Istanbul to Ithaca, Mount Olympus to the ruins of Troy, he finds himself immersed in the legends of antiquity, plays chicken with mercurial border police, and is saved more than once by the kindness of strangers. He recounts it all with his unbreakable enthusiasm and self-deprecating humour, taking the reader on a hilarious and unforgettable adventure.


A.J. Mackinnon was born in Australia in 1963 and travelled as a boy on P&O liners between Australia and England, developing a love of slow travel. He has taught in schools around the world, sharing his passion for English literature, mathematics, drama, art and philosophy with countless students. He now lives in the Victorian High Country of Australia. He is the author of the international bestseller The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow, as well as The Well at the World’s End and Quaint Deeds. His forthcoming book is Realms of Gold.

A linguist and lifelong sailing enthusiast, Peter Ironmonger has been involved in sailing since learning with his father at Beaumaris Yacht Club on Port Phillip Bay in the early 1970s. He is currently building an 18-foot plywood trailer sailer, a Norwalk Islands Sharpie designed by Bruce Kirby, in his workshop. He spent 30 years with the Australian Trade Commission, including a posting as Trade Commissioner to Shanghai in the 2000s.

Join acclaimed author and CHL alumnus John Zubrzycki as he brings the history, stories and spirit of one of the world’s great cities to life.

From emperors and sultans to Mughal splendour, colonial rule and the sprawling metropolis of today, Delhi is a city where layers of history are everywhere you look. Join acclaimed author and ANU School of Culture, History & Language (CHL) Hindi alumnus John Zubrzycki for the launch of his latest book, The Shortest History of Delhi, and a fascinating conversation about one of the world's most compelling cities.

John will be joined by Dr Stephanie Majcher and Dr Shameem Black from CHL to explore Delhi's extraordinary history, its cultures and contradictions, and the stories that have shaped the city across centuries. CHL School Director Professor Matt Tomlinson will officially open the event, which will also feature an opportunity for audience questions and conversation.

Whether Delhi is a city you know and love, somewhere you have travelled, or a place you have always wanted to understand better, join us for an afternoon of history, stories and conversation.

 As political debate over the idea of a 'monocultural Australia' escalates, questions of immigration and multiculturalism have once again become defining issues in public life. But beyond the headlines and political rhetoric lies a deeper question: who defines Australian culture?

Former chief economist of the Department of Immigration Mark Cully, author of Waves of Plenty, constitutional lawyer and a leading advocate for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament Megan Davis and CEO of the Grattan Institute Aruna Sathanapally join host Tasneem Chopra for a timely conversation exploring multiculturalism in Australia and how debates about national identity intersect with democracy, inequality and First Nations justice. 

Ashley Hay will be in conversation with Tom Griffiths for his book Alice's dreaming. With opening remarks from Mithaka Elders, George Gorringe and Rainy McKellar.

ABOUT THE BOOK

An astonishing work of history about a girl and the Indigenous world she encountered

Early last century, Alice Duncan-Kemp grew up on a remote Queensland cattle station. Later she would write down her childhood memories of learning from Aboriginal women and men at home on their own Country. In her books, she evoked a rich parallel universe of storytelling and lore, which she felt privileged to witness. She also spoke of an informal local treaty that curbed the violence of the frontier.

What are we to make of 'Alice's dreaming' today? Master historian and writer Tom Griffiths takes us into – and beyond – this revelatory encounter. Through it we glimpse the turmoil of a complex and tragic frontier, and a remarkable story of survival and cultural resilience. In recent years, the Mithaka people Alice lived among and wrote about have reclaimed their Country, drawing in part on her writing to support their claims.

Alice's dreaming shows how moving, intimate – and unexpected – history can be.

Join us at Harry Hartog Mosman Bookshop at 6pm on the 24th of September to hear A.J. Mackinnon speak about his new novel Realms of Gold.

When A.J. 'Sandy' Mackinnon sailed a tiny dinghy through twelve countries from North Wales to the Black Sea, he survived pirates, the English Channel, international incidents and all the disasters, big and small, that can befall a little boat on a long voyage. Those adventures became his beloved bestseller The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow.

Decades later, that trip is a happy memory and Sandy is firmly back on land – until a message from a stranger presents an opportunity too good to refuse. Sandy picks up where his first voyage left off, sailing and rowing single-handedly around the coast from Romania to Venice. From Istanbul to Ithaca, Mount Olympus to the ruins of Troy, he finds himself immersed in the legends of antiquity, plays chicken with mercurial border police, and is saved more than once by the kindness of strangers. He recounts it all with his unbreakable enthusiasm and self-deprecating humour, taking the reader on a hilarious and unforgettable adventure.

Hosted by Avid Reader, 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start | 60 mins

Anne Tiernan will be in conversation with Waleed Aly for his Quarterly Essay: Time of Monsters. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this wonderfully clarifying essay, Waleed Aly examines what happened to liberalism. As a set of ideas, it offered formal equality and guaranteed freedoms. But more and more, we live in a post-liberal world.

Aly looks and how and why this has happened. He discusses what has taken liberalism's place as we tackle thorny questions of freedom of speech and equality of opportunity. And he examines the limits of liberalism, the rise of illiberal democracy and the new battles over identity.

This is a supple and original essay about the forces transforming our politics.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Waleed Aly is a writer, academic, lawyer, broadcaster and lecturer in politics at Monash University. He is the author of People Like Us and Quarterly Essay 37, What’s Right? With Scott Stephens, he co-hosts Radio National’s The Minefield program.

Anne Tiernan will be in conversation with Waleed Aly for his Quarterly Essay: Time of Monsters. 

In this wonderfully clarifying essay, Waleed Aly examines what happened to liberalism. As a set of ideas, it offered formal equality and guaranteed freedoms. But more and more, we live in a post-liberal world.

Aly looks and how and why this has happened. He discusses what has taken liberalism's place as we tackle thorny questions of freedom of speech and equality of opportunity. And he examines the limits of liberalism, the rise of illiberal democracy and the new battles over identity.

This is a supple and original essay about the forces transforming our politics.

Waleed Aly is a writer, academic, lawyer, broadcaster and lecturer in politics at Monash University. He is the author of People Like Us and Quarterly Essay 37, What’s Right? With Scott Stephens, he co-hosts Radio National’s The Minefield program.

Join us at Albert Park Yacht Club to hear from author and raconteur extraordinaire A.J. 'Sandy' Mackinnon on his new book Realms of Gold.

When A.J. 'Sandy' Mackinnon sailed a Mirror dinghy through twelve countries from North Wales to the Black Sea, he survived pirates, the English Channel, international incidents and all the disasters, big and small, that can befall a little boat on a long voyage. Those adventures became his beloved bestseller "The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow".

Decades later, that trip was a happy memory and Sandy was firmly back on land – until a message from a stranger presented an opportunity too good to refuse. In "Realms of Gold" Sandy picks up where his first voyage left off, sailing and rowing single-handedly around the coast from Romania to Venice. From Istanbul to Ithaca, Mount Olympus to the ruins of Troy, he finds himself immersed in the legends of antiquity, plays chicken with mercurial border police, and is saved more than once by the kindness of strangers. He recounts it all with his unbreakable enthusiasm and self-deprecating humour, taking the reader on an hilarious and unforgettable adventure.

Doors open at 7pm, and Sandy's talk commences at 7:30pm.