Tony Park is an international author of thriller and non-fiction books. Park has worked as a newspaper reporter, public relations consultant, freelance writer, and as a government press secretary, in addition to writing numerous novels and non-fiction books. He also served in the Australian Army Reserve for 34 years, including a 6-month tour in Afghanistan in 2002 as a public affairs officer.
Life and career
Park was born in 1964 in Taupo New Zealand, he moved to Sydney, Australia at the age of three and grew up in Campbelltown in South Western Sydney. Park attended Campbelltown Public School and Campbelltown East Public School. Park also attended St Gregory’s College, Campbelltown, and was awarded dux in 1981. Park also did a journalism cadetship at The Glebe and Western Weekly newspaper in Glebe from 1984 to 1987. He worked as a journalist at the St George and Sutherland Shire Leader in 1987-88. He worked as a press secretary for NSW Premier Nick Greiner from 1988 to 1991. He worked as press secretary for the NSW Minister for Justice and Police from 1991 to 1993. Park also worked as a journalist for the Bucks Herald and Bucks Advertiser newspapers in Buckinghamshire, UK, from 1993 to 1994. Park was a PR consultant for International Public Relations, Crows Nest, Sydney, from 1994 to 1996.
Park quit his job in 1996 and gave up his career as a journalist to follow his dream of being a full-time writer. His first novel, set in the outback during WWII, failed to get published. Had a second attempt at writing a novel while travelling in Africa in 1998, and this one was accepted by Pan Macmillan Australia, and published in 2004 as Far Horizon. He and his wife spend half of every year living in a private nature reserve near the Kruger National Park in South Africa. Park is an avid supporter of several charities concerned with wildlife and people in Africa, he is a patron of Painted Dog Conservation, a charity that is dedicated to protecting the painted dog in Africa.
Military service
Tony Park served in the Australian Army Reserves in a variety of roles.
1982-1984 served as a rifleman, Sydney University Regiment, Royal Australian Infantry
1984-1996 - served as an Air Dispatcher and Air Dispatch Crew Commander corporal with 177 Air Dispatch Squadron, Royal Australian Corps of Transport
1996 - 2016 - served as a Captain in the Australian Army Public Relations Service, including brief deployments to Papua New Guinea and Easter Timor. In 2002 served as the Public Affairs Officer for the Australian Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan from July–December 2002.
Novels
Tony Park is the author of 19 novels set in Africa and six non fiction biographies. Park combines his background as a major in the Australia Army Reserve and his love of Africa to write his novels.
Fiction
Far Horizon, Pan Macmillan 2004
Zambezi, Pan Macmillan 2005
African Sky, Pan Macmillan 2006
Safari, Pan Macmillan 2007
Silent Predator, Pan Macmillan 2008
Ivory Pan Macmillan 2009
The Delta, Pan Macmillan 2010
African Dawn, Pan Macmillan 2011
Dark Heart, Pan Macmillan 2012
The Prey, Pan Macmillan 2013
The Hunter, Pan Macmillan] 2014
An Empty Coast, Pan Macmillan 2015
Red Earth, Pan Macmillan 2016
The Cull, Pan Macmillan 2017
Captive, Pan Macmillan 2018
Scent of Fear, Pan Macmillan, 2018
Ghosts of the Past, Pan Macmillan, 2019
Last Survivor, Pan Macmillan, 2020
Blood Trail, Pan Macmillan, 2021
Non fiction
Part of the Pride: My Life Among the Big Cats of Africa, with Kevin Richardson, 2009 War Dogs, with Shane Bryant, 2010 (re-released 2010) The Grey Man, with John Curtis, 2011 Bush Vet, with Dr Clay Wilson, 2013 Courage Under Fire, with Daniel Keighran, VC, 2020 No One Left Behind, with Keith Payne, VC, 2021