G'day.
Ten Hat Jack

Actually, I'm John Francis. You'll find Jack the Entertainer when you scroll down.I'm a multi-award-winning writer, documentary maker and youth magazine publisher (New Zealand).I used to wander all over the Australian Outback. And I've sailed the wide and wonderful Pacific Ocean, with two mates, to South and Central America in a ferro-cement sloop with no motor, no electrics, no radio or GPS and ... well ... no toilet. And just too of us ventured back through the Pacific islands in a little wooden cutter with oodles of barnacles for companions.Overall, John/Jack is a happy odd-ball.

Audiobook on truly cracking characters

Over 50 years ago, from 1967 to 1973 I interviewed ageing relics from a long-gone Australia: Bushmen and women; drovers and boundary riders; gold and opal prospectors; isolated Aboriginal people.Ah, yes. And some of the most famous pioneers of Australian aviation. (Whose adventures all started in WW1 or a few years later in the desolate Outback).They include Sir Hudson Fysh, co-founder of Qantas; and Sir Norman Brearley, founder of Australia's first airline, Western Australian Airways.All these individuals - from the hard-bitten loners to the high-flyers - were incredible people, with remarkable stories. All long-gone. But their voices will speak to you.THE AUDIOBOOK IS COMING in 2024. And a bit later a podcast series. Contact me at the bottom on this site for further details.

... and THIS is Ten Hat

Ten Hat Jack (John) offers lively, memory-awakening fun for aged care residents.Focussing on music from the 1950s and backwards, its wonderful to see how the power of music and song can jiggle happy responses in the brain.There's also bit of busking in Ten Hat Jack's life. Interaction with passers-by is a joy and a privilege.Primary instrument is the harmonica. The ukulele gets a look-in too. He dares to sing only when out of earshot of his wife.John was a Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism fellow. He has been a professional care provider, and is a volunteer palliative care visitor.