Michael Keenan – författare

An amazing true story of courage and survival in the outback by the bestselling author of The Horses Too Are Gone.In 1971 bushman Jack Camp went mustering wild cattle - ''cleanskins'' - in a vast and isolated stretch of the Kimberley coast. The potential profit would be huge - but so were the risks. It was the unpredictable and dauntingly hot wet season, the forbidding region was infested with snakes and crocodiles, and the cattle would have to be swum out across a river notorious for its dramatic tidal surges. Everything was going according to plan when out of the blue a cyclone struck, flooding the area and wreaking devastation. The cattle and horses were scattered, the camp and equipment destroyed. Jack, his young son and a teenage stockman were left without food, fire, shelter or a means of escape. No one knew their exact location as they were covering a huge area during the muster and they were expected to be gone for some weeks. As time passed without rescue and they grew weaker, Jack decided their only chance was to head for a cattle station some fifty kilometres away. Though he knew it would be deserted for the wet season, Jack was pinning all his hopes on finding supplies and a two-way radio there. The trouble was, to reach it they would have to strike out across the shark- and crocodile-infested tidal estuary. With them went the recaptured Bluey, the only survivor after the horses grazed on a poisonous local plant when feed was scarce. And so began a journey that would take them to hell and back. How they made it out is a gripping yarn and an inspiring testament to the grit and determination of the outback spirit. In classic Mike Keenan style, this is an action-packed, page-turner of an adventure that is sure to appeal to fans of his previous books and anyone who is fascinated by tales of bush heroism and endurance.

Bestselling author Mike Keenan is off again – this time with the daunting task of capturing a Snowy Mountains brumby, following in the footsteps of the Man from Snowy River.When Mike Keenan decided to search for a brumby to add to his dwindling stock of farm horses, he never dreamed he''d find himself crashing down a mountain in classic Man from Snowy River style. Despite what he describes as ''one of the scariest half-minutes of my life'', he lived to tell the tale –and the result is both an adventure story and a compelling portrait of the life and troubled times of the Australian brumby, and of the mountain people who live alongside them. Brumbies hold a special place in the hearts of many Australians, reared on Banjo Paterson''s epic poem and Elyne Mitchell''s Silver Brumby novels, and the news of the slaughter of more than 500 in Guy Fawkes National Park caused public outrage. But what does the future hold for the brumbies that have roamed the Snowy Mountains and other wilderness areas for more than 150 years? Are they part of our unique heritage, or merely feral creatures threatening delicate ecosystems? As his quest for a brumby of his own is overtaken by his growing interest in their plight, Mike shares campfires and rollicking yarns with a host of bush characters who could have stepped straight out of Banjo''s poem – and pursues the elusive wild horses through the snows, mists and treacherous bogs of the spectacular Snowy Mountains landscape.

The true story of Michael Keenan''s struggle to survive against mounting odds, and an action-packed adventure that rivals any fiction. The drought had reached crisis point. Cattle farmer Mike Keenan decided there was only one solution: he would have to get his starving cattle - and his beloved horses - to greener pastures north of the border. But when he finally got there he found his troubles had only just begun. South-west Queensland seemed like a modern-day Wild West, and as Keenan moved his cattle along the traditional droving routes in search of long-term pasture, he had to match wits with a host of characters - as well as Nature herself. Mike Keenan writes with a deep passion and knowledge of Australian life on the land, tinged with a sadness and nostalgia for a way of life that is under threat. The Horses Too Are Gone will strike a chord with all Australians.

The author of the bestselling The Horses Too Are Gone takes us on another unforgettable adventure. Australian farmer Mike Keenan''s first book - a true story of battling drought to save his cattle and his farm - touched a chord with Australian readers. Now Mike takes us into the magnificent wilderness of the west Kimberley, in a personal quest to highlight the problems of this beautiful but troubled region. Mike''s involvement with the area began when he learned of plans to dam the lifeblood of the region, the Fitzroy River - the last great river still flowing freely to the sea - to provide water for cotton-growing on the plains below. It was horrific news: a dam on the Fitzroy would cause an environmental disaster greater than any Australia has ever known.With the help of the local Banuba people, fierce opponents of the dam that threatened their homeland and sacred sites, Mike organised a horseback trek to explore the area and discover what was at stake. What he found was a paradise of unique plants, pristine rivers and dramatic gorges. In Wild Horses Don''t Swim we join Mike, his intrepid wife Sal and their Bunuba friends in an action-packed adventure as they dodge wild bulls, ford raging torrents, brave bushfires and climb sheer cliffs - searching for the legendary rock art that might be lost forever.

Foresight has emerged as a key instrument for the development and implementation of research and innovation policy. The main focus of activity has been at the national level. Governments have sought to set priorities, to build networks between science and industry and, in some cases, to change their research system and administrative culture. Foresight has been used as a set of technical tools, or as a way to encourage more structured debate with wider participation leading to the shared understanding of long-term issues.In this comprehensive and critical Handbook, cross-cutting analytical chapters explore the emergence and positioning of foresight, common approaches and methods, organisational issues, and the scope for policy transfer and evaluation. Leading experts and practitioners contribute chapters analysing experiences in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the USA, Japan, China, Latin America, small European nations, Nordic countries and selected developing countries. The book concludes with consideration of the future of foresight itself.This fascinating Handbook will appeal equally to those wishing to apply foresight to their policy or strategy-making activities, and to those studying the theory and practice of foresight. The Handbook will be vital reading for policymakers considering, commissioning, or using foresight, companies eager to use public foresight, as well as academics and researchers in foresight, futures and STI policy and management communities.

Foresight has emerged as a key instrument for the development and implementation of research and innovation policy. The main focus of activity has been at the national level. Governments have sought to set priorities, to build networks between science and industry and, in some cases, to change their research system and administrative culture. Foresight has been used as a set of technical tools, or as a way to encourage more structured debate with wider participation leading to the shared understanding of long-term issues.In this comprehensive and critical Handbook, cross-cutting analytical chapters explore the emergence and positioning of foresight, common approaches and methods, organisational issues, and the scope for policy transfer and evaluation. Leading experts and practitioners contribute chapters analysing experiences in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the USA, Japan, China, Latin America, small European nations, Nordic countries and selected developing countries. The book concludes with consideration of the future of foresight itself.This fascinating Handbook will appeal equally to those wishing to apply foresight to their policy or strategy-making activities, and to those studying the theory and practice of foresight. The Handbook will be vital reading for policymakers considering, commissioning, or using foresight, companies eager to use public foresight, as well as academics and researchers in foresight, futures and STI policy and management communities.

In The Shadows of Horses, Mike Keenan shares the inside story of what life is like on the land for today''s farmers - the isolation, the agony of drought and the uncertainty about the future.Mike''s first book, The Horses too are Gone, only told a small part of his personal story. Now, through his memoir of growing up on the family property, Myall Plains, and later running it, he explores many aspects of the Australian bush and its way of life that are so close to his heart, along the way telling some terrific bush yarns as well as hair-raising anecdotes from his years on the bush racing circuit. Ultimately this book is about Mike''s own passion for - and despair over - life on the land, but he also speaks for every farmer who is doing it tough.

The application of foresight to address the challenges of uncertainty and rapid change has grown dramatically in the past decade. In that period, the techniques have been greatly refined and the scope has been broadened to encompass future-oriented technology analysis (FTA) and more recently, the concept and practice of strategic intelligence. FTA addresses directly the longer-term future through the active and continuous development of visions, and pathways to realise these visions. It is increasingly seen as a valuable management and policy tool complementing, and extending further into the future, classical strategy, planning, and decision-making approaches. This book charts the development of FTA and provides the first coherent description and analysis of its practical application and impact in the worlds of business, government, education and research in both advanced and developing countries. It draws on papers addressing the application of FTA around the globe which were presented at the Second International Seville Seminar in September 2006. The insights and practical experience will be invaluable for company managers, government ministers and officials, researchers and academics with responsibilities for effective planning and decision-making in an increasingly turbulent and unpredictable world.

The application of foresight to address the challenges of uncertainty and rapid change has grown dramatically in the past decade. In that period, the techniques have been greatly refined and the scope has been broadened to encompass future-oriented technology analysis (FTA) and more recently, the concept and practice of strategic intelligence. FTA addresses directly the longer-term future through the active and continuous development of visions, and pathways to realise these visions. It is increasingly seen as a valuable management and policy tool complementing, and extending further into the future, classical strategy, planning, and decision-making approaches. This book charts the development of FTA and provides the first coherent description and analysis of its practical application and impact in the worlds of business, government, education and research in both advanced and developing countries. It draws on papers addressing the application of FTA around the globe which were presented at the Second International Seville Seminar in September 2006. The insights and practical experience will be invaluable for company managers, government ministers and officials, researchers and academics with responsibilities for effective planning and decision-making in an increasingly turbulent and unpredictable world.