Government House hosts reception for Fremantle Press

The Governor hosted a reception for Fremantle Press to celebrate all the support they receive that enables them to bring uniquely Australian stories to the world.

“My commendations to all Champions of the Fremantle Press’ Literature Program. Through supporting the work of the Fremantle Press, you are supporting not only the journeys of countless West Australian authors but also of local editors, illustrators, designers, proof-readers, indexers, typesetters and marketing interns, to name but a few.”

The Governor

Ms Clair Medhurst – Chair, Fremantle Press provided insight into the value of Fremantle Press to the community and to announce the 2020 Fremantle Press Champions of Literature.

Mr Yuot A. Alaak – Author of 2020 Special Champions Book

Yuot A. Alaak, an emerging Western Australian writer, is a former child refugee from South Sudan and was part of the globally known ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’. He currently lives in Perth with his family where he works as a mining professional, having attained degrees in the geosciences and engineering. When not writing or mining, Yuot loves to relax with family and friends over a barbecue.

Father of the Lost Boys

During the Second Sudanese Civil War, thousands of South Sudanese boys were displaced from their villages or orphaned in attacks from northern government troops. Many became refugees in Ethiopia. There, in 1989, teacher and community leader Mecak Ajang Alaak assumed care of the Lost Boys in a bid to protect them from becoming child soldiers.

So began a four-year journey from Ethiopia to Sudan and on to the safety of a Kenyan refugee camp. Together they endured starvation, animal attacks and the horrors of landmines and aerial bombardment. This eyewitness account by Mecak Ajang Alaak’s son, Yuot, is the extraordinary true story of a man who never ceased to believe that the pen is mightier than the gun.

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