An enthusiastic audience of more than 85 people participated in a CQU Press book launch at Tweed Heads last week, on the border of Queensland and NSW.

The book being launched was the biography of Colonel Lionel Rose OBE AM authored by Trish Lonsdale.

Colonel Rose was a war hero in WW1 and WW2, but achieved his greatest fame in the Northern Territory in the 1950s when he was chief veterinary officer. He found a cure for the bitter pleuro-pneumonia disease and founded the live cattle trade of Australia with Asia.

Colonel Rose’s step-son Dr Peter Hooper, who was himself once Chief Veterinary Officer of the NT, flew in from his cattle station in Victoria to launch the book.

Former cattle station managers of famous NT stations such as Elsie, Brunette Downs and Victoria River Downs, also flew in for the book launch from their places of retirement in Victoria, Canberra, NSW and Queensland.

Colonel Rose was married three times, so there were also present large numbers of off-spring of the Rose family.

CQU Press’s most famous author, Marie Mahood, used to work with Colonel Rose when she had a cattle station out at Mongrel Downs in the Tanami Desert. Her husband Joe Mahood drew the cartoon caricatures which illustrate parts of the book when he used to work as a stock inspector for Colonel Rose in the 1950s.

Demand for copies of the book was strong and Master of Ceremonies Professor David Myers said he had sold every single copy of the book by the end of the ceremony. He now flies to Government House in Darwin with the Chancellor of CQU, Rennie Fritschy, to take part in the NT launch of the book.

Photo above: Author Trish Lonsdale receives a bouquet of flowers from Jock Rose, the son of Colonel Lionel Rose.

Photo left: Author Trish Lonsdale who is now 85 and friend Pam McKenzie, who organised the Tweed Heads book launch.

For more details contact publisher Professor David Myers on 0419 778 2