For twelve-year-old battleship hobbyist, Graham Kirk, opportunities like this don't come along every day. He jumps at the chance to fulfil his dream of becoming a sailor like his father and enlists as a navy cadet. But he has discovered girls and is torn between doing what's right and doing what's forbidden. When at a party, Graham overhears a terrorist plot to sink a US navy destroyer as it sails into Cairns harbour. But who should he tell when his superiors don't trust him? And what role does his new girlfriend, Thelma, have to play? Is she just an innocent anti-war protestor, or has his desire for her blinded him to the awful truth? His initiation into the navy cadets comes with some unexpected—and dangerous—complications... and Graham quickly learns that there's no substitute for self-respect and being true to yourself.

An exciting adventure in the tropical rainforest of North Queensland at the foot of Mt Bartle Frere. At the heart of the adventure is an old family legend, which will draw Kylie, her brother and their friends into the rain-soaked tropical jungle. But nature is not the only enemy - there are rivals, some known, some unsuspecting.

Air Cadet Willy Williams wants nothing more than to become a pilot in the Australian Air Force. Willy is passionate about flying... and girls. His current fad is airships. Not content with making working models he decides to build his own.Whilst test flying his airship, Willy stumbles upon the grisly murder of his uncle. Willy and his friends are plunged into dire peril. During this testing time Willy learns much about himself, the meaning of true friendship, and love.Come along for the flight and share Willy's adventures in the mountains of tropical Far North Queensland.

Fifteen year-old Elizabeth has been handed a briefcase full of incriminating documents by her dying uncle, documents wanted by a gang of crooks. In desperation she flees into the bush, where she encounters seventeen year-old Cadet Under-Officer Graham Kirk and his platoon of army cadets. Graham decides to hide Elizabeth until he can contact the authorities. But how? And who can he trust?As the days go by the crooks become ever more desperate. Graham's leadership and character are put to the test in the most challenging adventure of his young life.Set in the savannah country of inland North Queensland, this fast-paced action-adventure story will keep you guessing right until the very end. Read on and join with the cadets on an adventure of a lifetime.ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Christopher Cummings is a Vietnam veteran, teacher, parent, traveller, Officer of Cadets, and author of 35 books. Bushwalking, history and travel have added depth to his experiences...

Now in his 2nd year as Army Cadet, trouble-maker Graham Kirk is faced with the biggest crisis of his cadetship. The annual field camp has begun and over nine gruelling days he will be forced to face challenges and temptations that test his integrity, courage and loyalty to the limit.Top of the list is Pigsy and his gang, soured by jealousy and resentment. And of course the girls. Will they stand in the way of his promotion to sergeant or will he rise to the challenge and become the leader nobody thinks he can be?ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Christopher Cummings is a Vietnam veteran, teacher, parent, traveller, Officer of Cadets, and author of 35 books. Bushwalking, history and travel have added depth to his experiences. He grew up in Cairns and Cape York Peninsula, experiencing many adventures in the North Queensland bush and at sea in his father's ships, adventures he has woven into his books.

Fifteen-year old navy cadet Tina Babcock is in love. But Tina is very shy, inexperienced and unsure of herself. While on a cadet canoe expedition on remote Koombooloomba Dam in the jungles of Far North Queensland, she and her friends encounter a gang of dangerous poachers.Tina's life is in peril because of the secrets she now knows. In a desperate struggle to escape, she must use her navy cadet skills and wits to extricate herself from the gang's clutches. Tina must push herself to the very limits of endurance to give herself a fighting chance of survival... and love.Cockatoo is suitable for teenagers and readers with an enjoyment of adventure-spiced romance.

Fourteen year-old Navy Cadet Andrew Collins enrols in a SCUBA diving course on the Great Barrier Reef to impress Muriel, the girl of his dreams. There's only one problem: Andrew is terrified of diving, not to mention the sharks, eels, and every other dangerous critter inhabiting the Coral Sea.Despite his fears, Andrew inadvertently stumbles onto an old family mystery: the mysterious disappearance of his grandfather, lost at sea many years before. The deeper they delve into the mystery the deeper they are caught in a deadly web of lies and danger.Andrew must face some agonizing choices and do battle with his worst nightmares.Read along and find out what happens to Andrew and Muriel in this rip-roaring adventure on the high seas.ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Christopher Cummings is a Vietnam veteran, teacher, parent, traveller, Officer of Cadets, and author of 35 books. Bushwalking, history and travel have added depth to his experiences...

8 p.m. Saturday nightFebruary, the 'Wet Season' in tropical North QueenslandStephen Bell and his three friends of the 'Hiking Team' – Graham, Peter and Roger – are camped in the jungle at the foot of the Black Mountain when they hear what sounds like a light aircraft crash into the mountain.Stephen is impelled to investigate but what he finds in the cloud and thick rainforest near the top of the mountain impels him to discover what really happened and who was involved. But his attempts to uncover the past reveal secrets that some powerful and dangerous people are determined to keep concealed. At all costs.Stephen's and his friends are lead into deadly peril as they find shocking discoveries that test their emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and physical limits."An adventure story for both teenagers and adults that touches on a little known aspect of Australia's history."

By the time Graham is in Year 11 he is already the Company Sergeant Major of his cadet unit. When he and his army pals set off on a five day hike to complete the Duke of Edinburgh Award, their expedition leads them into trouble so unexpected and so deadly that it tests all their characters and friendship. To survive they need to use all their skills as cadets.

Fraternisation was strictly forbidden by the Cadet Policy Manual. As the Company Sergeant Major, one of Graham Kirk's main duties was discipline – especially fraternisation. While he knew the real supervision was the responsibility of the adult Officers of Cadets, he also had a key role to play. The problem was: could he trust them?Follow the story of an army cadet camp and how Graham and his friends cope with the unexpected problems that beset them. For cadets and ex-cadets the detail will inform and provide nostalgic flashbacks.Because this is a story about teenagers, and particularly teenage relationships, there are some sexual references and coarse language. This book is written for young adults and is not suitable for Primary School children.ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Christopher Cummings is a Vietnam veteran, teacher, parent, traveller, Officer of Cadets, and author of 35 books. Bushwalking, history and travel have added depth to his experiences. He grew up in...

The life of Graham Kirk is awash with disappointment. At twelve years of age he had joined the Navy Cadets, full of hope and expectation, but a routine eye examination destroyed all his dreams of becoming a naval officer. In despair, he leaves the Navy Cadets and rejects all things to do with the sea.But it is not as easy as that. Tied to the sea through his father, a ship captain, Graham cannot break the pull of the sea. Furthermore, he can't abandon his two loves: model-ship building and Jennifer, the golden-haired Navy Cadet and daughter of a British naval officer. Now a teenager, his desire for her has consumed his being.Can he win her heart? And can he defeat the cheating bullies that will do all in their power to steal her heart and win the prestigious Mudskipper Cup?ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Christopher Cummings is a Vietnam veteran, teacher, parent, traveller, Officer of Cadets, and author of 35 books...

It is the 'Wet Season' in North Queensland. Thirteen year-old navy cadet Andrew Collins and his sister Carmen are in Townsville for the school holidays, staying with their Aunt and Uncle. Walking across the bridge spanning the Ross River, the two siblings rush to the rescue of another boy, Martin, saving him from a beating from three older bullies.From that moment on, Andrew is plunged into the first great adventure of his life, taking him from one end of Ross River to the other by canoe, bicycle and foot, which brings him to the extremes of both his courage and his physical ability.He also meets Letitia, a girl quite outside his very limited experience, whose allure will tempt him both morally and emotionally.

Fourteen year-old Air Cadet Willy Williams jumps at the chance to take a flight in a restored World War 2 PBY 'Catalina' seaplane along the Queensland north coast. During flight however he makes a shocking discovery, one that endangers his very life.Willy is tested to his limits, both emotionally and physically, as he travels to the remotest and most dangerous parts of Far North Queensland. He soon learns that there is more to the world of aircraft wrecks and vintage planes than meets the eye – rivals, false friends, and dangerous enemies.What is the mystery and how do Willy and his friends cope? To find out read on and join the flight up the coast of Cape York.THE AUTHOR:Christopher Cummings is a Vietnam veteran, teacher, parent, traveller, Officer of Cadets, and author of 35 books. Bush walking, history and travel have added depth to his experiences. He grew up in Cairns and Cape York Peninsula, experiencing many adventures in the North Queensland bush...

The massive triangular mountain called Walsh Pyramid stands one thousand metres above the floodplain in Far North Queensland. Eight army cadets are hiking towards it, when they encounter a shadowy figure who tells them a tale so bizarre they find it difficult to believe. But not Stephen Bell. He knows it is true and urges the group to act immediately. As they clamber up the mountain in a desperate race against time, they collide headlong with forces they barely imagined could exist. Over the ensuing four days they are tested emotionally, spiritually and physically as they seek to vanquish the evil that lurks atop the mysterious pyramid. An evil that knows no limits.