Re-introducing Us

You might be new to our blog, or have followed us from the beginning. But this post is to re-introduce you to us, our story, and our ‘why’.

We are long-term friends, Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler. We met in Halls Creek back in 2013 and have shared many adventures since… including becoming co-authors!

Carl is a Jaru and Gija man who has worked for over 20 years in education as an EA, AEO and now a teacher. He is a qualified life-guard, qualified Youth Worker and an AFL Level 3 coach with experience in elite sports pathways who has coached Halls Creek Hawks and Coolangatta Women’s teams to back-to-back premiership wins. Carl grew up on Country in  the East Kimberley.

Hakea is an experienced P-12 regional and remote teacher with over 15 years in education. Hakea loves travel and adventure, nature and reading. Hakea grew up between NSW and Victoria. She has lived and worked in Northern Rivers NSW, Geelong and the Surfcoast region of Victoria, Pinjarra/Mandurah/One Arm Point/Halls Creek in WA, as well as volunteered in the NT.

Together they are passionate about:

🩵Aboriginal Education
🩵Remote outback teaching

🩵Empowerment through education
🩵The power of stories
🩵Strengths-based approaches
🩵Supporting local libraries, bookstores and First Nations businesses

📙= Publisher created teaching resources available

🎒= Author created teacher resourced available

💛= Other resources available
Click through to our Teacher and Librarian page to access all resources.

Each book could be read as a stand-alone book, or as part of the seires.

💛🎒📙‘Black Cockatoo’- CBCA Honour Book, finalist Readings Children’s Book Prize, shortlisted ABiA awards, QLD Literary Awards, Speech Pathology Book of the Year.

💛📙‘Dirrarn’- winner Daisy Utemorrah award, shortlisted CBCA awards, highly commended Victorian Premiers Literary Award

📙‘Ngurra Home’– longlisted ALSLA DANZ award, CBCA notable book

‘Jarriny Play Scripts’– (released 2027 with Magabala)

📙🎒‘Jy Goes for Gold’- CBCA Notable Book, shortlisted for the Speech Therapy Book Awards
‘Ash Flies High’- (released June 2026)

🎒‘Krstel Kicks to Win’

📙🎒‘Backyard Tennis’ and ‘Backyard Footy’

📙🎒‘How big is love?’- shortlisted Wilderness Society’s Karajia Award for Children’s Literature

🎒📙‘My Deadly Boots’- shortlisted Speech Therapy Book of the Year and QLD Literary Awards

📙🎒💛’Tracks of the Missing‘- shortlisted Daisy Utemorrah award

From where we live on Jaru and Gija Country the nearest public library is 4+ hours away, the nearest bookstore being over 8+ hours drive away. 

As you can imagine it’s pretty hard to share our stories and visit deadly readers in bookstores, libraries, festivals and schools… from way out here.

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.🚦Recommend our books to your clients, friends, colleagues

🚦Borrow our books from your local library and school library. This creates data of which books are popular, which books to keep on shelves, which author’s to buy more of. Creators also get ELR, PLR and DLR payments for books borrowed and every little bit helps.

🚦Stock or display our book in your office, staff room, workplace or bookshelves.

🚦Request or suggest our books to be stocked in your local bookstore, public library and/or school libraries.

🚦Buy our books as prizes, gifts, awards.