SIX SECONDS - A Newcastle Earthquake Story

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“I could hardly see. There was dust and smoke everywhere. I was falling, sliding down into a gap that had opened up between parts of the collapsed building. It was dark and silent. all I could hear was the sound of my own breathing, and my beating heart thumping in my ears.

Then I heard the cry again: the cry for help…”

 

A story about disasters, about growing up, and about family.

In 1989, the major Australian regional city of Newcastle was struck by the worst earthquake the country has seen, before or since.

14 people died, 160 were hospitalised, and many hundreds more lost their homes and businesses.

Michael O’Keefe, the fictional hero of ‘Six Seconds’, is a young boy growing up in Newcastle at the time, with all the interests, worries and obsessions of a typical 10 year old.

In the lead up to the earthquake, he becomes obsessed with all the things that can go wrong in the world.

When the earthquake happens and Michael is forced to confront his fears, he discovers a strength he never knew he had.

Available now from bookstores and from the publisher.